Don't "forget" Long Xuyen.

Prior to July 1, 2025, Long Xuyen was the political, economic, cultural, and social center of An Giang province, and a major city in the Southwest region. When the political and administrative center of An Giang province (after the merger) was moved to Rach Gia, many people wondered about the future development of Long Xuyen city.

Long Xuyen, renowned as the birthplace of President Ton Duc Thang, had a rather low starting point decades ago. The town was small and cramped, with outdated and dilapidated urban infrastructure, numerous makeshift housing areas, a very high population density, and environmental pollution. In 1999, Long Xuyen transformed itself, becoming a city directly under the provincial administration, with a natural area of ​​over 114 square kilometers, divided into 13 administrative units (11 wards and 2 communes). In 2020, the city was recognized as a Class I urban area by the Prime Minister ; affirming its importance as a city with the highest proportion of trade and services among the 12 provincial capitals of the Mekong Delta region (over 80%).

In numerous planning documents and resolutions of the Central Government and An Giang province (before the merger), Long Xuyen City was identified as a Type I urban area, a center for economic growth, an important trading hub, and a key economic driver for the province and the Mekong Delta region. It is also located in the center of the Ho Chi Minh City - Can Tho - Phnom Penh (Kingdom of Cambodia) development triangle. The Provincial Party Standing Committee dedicated Resolution 02-NQ/TU, dated April 20, 2020, specifically to the development of Long Xuyen City until 2025, with a vision to 2030.

A corner of Long Xuyen

The advantages remain, but the administrative unit "Long Xuyen City" has completed its historical mission. From July 1st, the Long Xuyen, Binh Duc, and My Thoi wards were established; the My Hoa Hung island commune remains unchanged. The new administrative unit carries the expectation of continuing the historical and cultural traditions and the development momentum of the former city. The biggest difference is the absence of the provincial-level political system headquarters and personnel. The peaceful city along the Hau River has become even more tranquil and quiet than before.

This "quiet" raises the question: Will this area stagnate, will the pace of urbanization be affected, and will it gradually lose its former strong advantages? Ms. Nguyen Thi Hau (a resident of Long Xuyen ward) shared: "I fully support the central government's policy on reorganizing administrative units and expanding development space. With high political determination, local leaders are striving to operate the system on schedule and smoothly, which is very commendable. However, I hope that provincial and local leaders will pay special attention to Long Xuyen. The old administrative unit and the old political center of the province have created a solid foundation for urban development, and therefore need to be promoted in the new phase. Along with that, continued attention should be paid to preventing and combating riverbank erosion, dredging canals, environmental sanitation, and maintaining urban order… After the provincial merger, the people of Long Xuyen urgently need attention to their lives and economic stability."

Provincial leaders inspect the Long Xuyen Ward People's Committee headquarters.

Ms. Hau's sentiments are also the sentiments of many people in Long Xuyen, conveyed to the Provincial National Assembly Delegation, which includes Ms. Vo Thi Anh Xuan, Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam and Vice President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. As a native of Long Xuyen, Ms. Vo Thi Anh Xuan shared and acknowledged the opinions of her hometown voters. She also emphasized that there is a new space for development as desired by the Party and the State, as the development potential of each former locality has been exhausted. After the merger and reorganization of administrative units at all levels, opportunities for socio-economic development and improvement of the material and spiritual lives of the people will increase. This new space is challenging local leaders and people, requiring sufficient thinking, vision, and capacity to unleash this new potential.

Following the Vice President's suggestion, Long Xuyen, located within the Long Xuyen - Chau Doc - Rach Gia - Ha Tien Quadrilateral, should be a driving force for the development of industry, logistics, tourism, and culture. “If we concretize the orientations of General Secretary To Lam for the new An Giang province, we will clearly see how each locality needs to develop and prepare to realize this aspiration. Therefore, people can rest assured that no one will be left behind. Although it is no longer the administrative center of the province as before, Long Xuyen still has its own role and position, which needs to be exploited in the right direction,” Comrade Vo Thi Anh Xuan expressed.

In the effort to develop the locality, the most important thing is to change the way of governance. It's not just about purely state management, but about promoting local and grassroots governance, proactively providing public services to the people. The new wards and communes are completely different, with greater authority to serve the people and businesses more effectively. Every official and Party member should feel honored to be the initiator of the new local government. That honor will motivate each person to be a pioneer and actively carry out their duties. Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan encouraged the people to support and work together with officials to best implement the two-tiered local government, which is also serving themselves and building a better and more prosperous homeland in this new phase of development.

Following the administrative reorganization, Huynh Quoc Thai, Standing Committee Member of the Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Long Xuyen City Party Committee, assumed the important responsibility of Secretary of the Long Xuyen Ward Party Committee. Still closely associated with his old locality and working alongside familiar officials, he placed great faith in the development of the new administrative unit, contributing to the overall development of the province. “We are proud to work in the central area, the third largest in An Giang province (after Rach Gia ward and Phu Quoc special zone), with 154,000 inhabitants, nearly 5,000 Party members, and 48 hamlets. This characteristic also helps us understand the responsibility and pressure in handling administrative matters, managing the area, and ensuring security and order. To build Long Xuyen ward into a civilized, modern, and compassionate place, we need a high level of solidarity from within the Party to the people, the efforts of cadres, civil servants, and officials to cultivate ethics and fulfill their duties well; and to propagate and encourage people to implement the Party's guidelines and the State's policies, working together to build a prosperous and beautiful locality,” affirmed Comrade Huynh Quoc Thai.

GIA KHANH

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/khong-bo-quen-long-xuyen-a424228.html