Lesson 1: Every beginning is difficult

Lesson 3: Creating momentum for innovation and development

Fifty years after the liberation of Southern Vietnam and the reunification of the country, Tien Giang has undergone many changes. This is the result of efforts to overcome difficulties and strive to build the homeland.

Tien Giang is embarking on a new journey with many challenges and difficulties, but with collective effort and unity, the province will continue to achieve new successes.

A NEW LOOK

Tien Giang is now different. Its new face stems from the tireless efforts of many generations; among them, the transportation infrastructure network is considered one of the key highlights, contributing to Tien Giang's new appearance after 50 years of liberation and national reunification.

Because, looking at history, after April 30, 1975, Tien Giang's transportation infrastructure was still very limited. The urgent task for the transportation sector at that time was to restore the entire transportation system that had been devastated by the war.

The eastern region still has enormous development potential. Photo: TRUNG HAU

In implementing this policy, provincial roads were urgently repaired, including: Road 20 (Provincial Road 869) running from the old National Highway 4 at the An Cu intersection (Cai Be district) to Hau My Bac B (Cai Be district), 18 km long; Provincial Road 29 (Provincial Road 868) running from Ngu Hiep ferry terminal (Cai Lay district) to Hai Hat bridge bordering Long An province, over 28 km long, with the most severe damage being along Canal 12, which was heavily damaged by bombs and shelling; Long Dinh Road (Provincial Road 867) running from the old National Highway 4 (Long Dinh commune, Chau Thanh district) to Bac Dong Canal (Tan Phuoc district) bordering Long An province, 22 km long…

Furthermore, some large-scale projects were carried out manually, such as the Nguyen Van Tiep road (Provincial Road 665), which is 45 km long and required hundreds of thousands of man-days of labor to complete the roadbed in 100 days. Statistics show that from 1976 to 1980, the entire province only had 212 km of roads and 56 bridges; many of these were newly constructed provincial and district roads.

The province continues to focus on investing in transportation infrastructure, with many projects and works implemented, contributing to changing the face of rural areas. Continuing this policy, by 2000, the Tien Giang Provincial Department of Transportation had built 1,427 km of roads, including 131 km of asphalt roads and 425 bridges; of which, 135 were heavy-duty concrete bridges with a total length of 2,000 m.

In addition, Tien Giang also focuses on building inter-commune roads and roads connecting residential areas to the commune's administrative center, with the motto "The State and the people work together." Following this trend, in recent years, Tien Giang has continued to choose infrastructure investment, especially transportation infrastructure, as one of its breakthroughs.

The realization of this policy has given Tien Giang a completely new look, with many important infrastructure projects in the transportation sector being fully invested in, including key projects that connect the region and inter-regions.

The policy of prioritizing investment in transportation infrastructure is one of the key breakthroughs that continues to be pursued. The Resolution of the 11th Provincial Party Congress, for the 2020-2025 term, also identified "continuing to improve the infrastructure system, focusing on developing a synchronous and seamless transportation and irrigation infrastructure between regions within the province and with provinces in the Southern Key Economic Region and the Mekong Delta; prioritizing the completion of main roads in the North-South and East-West directions of the province, and maximizing the effectiveness of investment in coastal and Tien River transportation projects" as one of the province's three breakthroughs.

The results achieved so far show that the transportation infrastructure system has been and is being implemented through close coordination among sectors and localities to invest in and construct key projects such as: the Trung Luong - My Thuan Expressway, the Cao Lanh - An Huu Expressway, My Thuan 2 Bridge, Rach Mieu 2 Bridge, upgrading and expanding the Cho Gao Canal, National Highway 50, My Loi Bridge, Provincial Road 864 (road along the Tien River), and developing urban and rural road systems to gradually contribute to completing the transportation infrastructure system and building new rural areas.

As a result, the growth rate of the transportation sector has increased over the years. Specifically, the volume of goods transported increased by an average of 7.4% per year, the turnover of goods increased by an average of 5.9% per year, the volume of passenger transport increased by an average of 5.7% per year, and the turnover of passengers increased by an average of 6.2% per year…

CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT

Exactly 50 years after the liberation of South Vietnam and the reunification of the country, Tien Giang has achieved many successes on various fronts, from politics to economics, culture, and society.

From the perspective of someone who has been closely associated with Tien Giang province for nearly 50 years, Mr. Tran Do Liem, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Rach Gam Cooperative, shared that in 1976, he arrived in Tien Giang with only a vocational diploma, but with years of training on the battlefield and a desire to contribute to the prosperity of his homeland.

Fifty years have passed, and he considers himself successful; for during that same period, he participated in leading the cooperative, which became a Heroic Labor Unit and a leading domestic transport unit in Vietnam.

Transportation infrastructure has become a key highlight of Tien Giang province 50 years after the liberation of Southern Vietnam and the reunification of the country. Photo: TRUNG HAU

With his personal and family achievements, he also felt the same way about Tien Giang. Because after a long period of war devastation, the country was still poor, and the people's education level was low, but now Tien Giang in particular, and the entire region in general, has developed very strongly, urbanized rapidly, had synchronized transportation infrastructure, the people's lives are much more prosperous, and their education level has also changed.

Moreover, for many years, Tien Giang's economic scale and exports have been among the top provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta.

“Even I myself couldn't have imagined that my hometown of Tien Giang would develop like this. I am very fortunate to have been a part of Tien Giang's development throughout its 50-year history. I'm sure Tien Giang will continue to develop,” said Mr. Tran Do Liem.

From the perspective of an entrepreneur who has been involved in investment, production, and business in Tien Giang for over 20 years, Mr. Nguyen Van Dao, General Director of GODACO, believes that Tien Giang has developed remarkably.

When it first arrived in this area, the My Tho Industrial Park only had a few businesses investing, but now Tien Giang not only has the My Tho Industrial Park but also the Long Giang and Tan Huong Industrial Parks, with many businesses investing in production and trade.

The significant changes in Tien Giang's appearance today also demonstrate the success of businesses investing there. This also reflects the close cooperation, support, and sharing of the Tien Giang provincial government with the business community.

In addition, Tien Giang's transportation infrastructure has improved significantly, especially the system of bridges and roads, which has facilitated the movement of goods.

With this momentum, Tien Giang will certainly continue to develop in the coming years. “On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Southern Vietnam and the reunification of the country, I think Tien Giang is one of the leading provinces in the Mekong Delta, achieving very good results,” Mr. Nguyen Van Dao emphasized.

Fifty years have passed since the liberation of Southern Vietnam and the reunification of the country. Throughout this long period of history, Tien Giang has also strived to transform and develop alongside the rest of the nation.

The achievements of Tien Giang are difficult to quantify precisely. However, the changing socio-economic landscape, the significant improvement in people's lives, and the focused attention given to other areas such as education and healthcare demonstrate the efforts Tien Giang has made.

Like the rest of the country, Tien Giang's next journey is both expansive and challenging. This is a crucial turning point for Tien Giang to continue its transformation into an industrial province and a desirable place to live, as outlined in the Tien Giang Provincial Planning for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050. Furthermore, with the implementation of the provincial merger policy, Tien Giang will have even more room for development in the coming period.

ANH PHUONG

Source: https://baoapbac.vn/kinh-te/202504/chao-mung-ky-niem-50-nam-giai-phong-mien-nam-thong-nhat-dat-nuoc-30-4-1975-30-4-2025-bai-cuoi-buoc-tiep-chang-duong-moi-1040694/