Promoting tradition in the land of "Discipline and Dong Tam"

Located in the Northeast of Quang Ninh province, Cam Pha is not only famous for its rich coal reserves but also the cradle of the Vietnamese workers' revolutionary movement. Through the arduous years of resistance against French colonialism, this land has marked many glorious victories. Since liberation, Cam Pha has gradually transformed strongly, becoming a dynamically developing urban area.

Miners welcome troops to take over Cam Pha (April 1955). Photo courtesy of Quang Ninh Museum

Since the beginning of the 20th century, Cam Pha has witnessed the formation and development of the mining working class - the core force in the revolutionary movement. Under the harsh rule of French colonialism, miners had to work in harsh conditions, exploited to the bone. However, it was in that context that their resilient fighting spirit was forged, clearly demonstrated through the General Strike on November 12, 1936, with the participation of more than 30,000 miners, demanding improved working conditions and increased wages.

When the national resistance war broke out on December 19, 1946, Cam Pha became one of the key areas. The armed forces and local people organized many brave battles, such as the attack on enemy posts in Cam Pha town on the night of December 23, 1946, contributing to the depletion of enemy forces and the protection of the mining area, reducing the strength of the French army. After nearly a decade of steadfastness, on April 22, 1955, Cam Pha was officially liberated.

A corner of Cam Pha City today. Photo: Duong Truong

When taking over, Cam Pha was just a poor town, with almost no infrastructure, and workers living in makeshift camps. However, with the spirit of "Discipline and Unity", the Party Committee and people of Cam Pha made constant efforts to restore production and rebuild their homeland. Coal - the "black gold" of the Mining Region - continued to be exploited, not only to serve domestic needs, but also to contribute to the support for the southern battlefield during the years of resistance against the US. People's lives gradually improved.

On February 21, 2012, the Prime Minister signed and issued Resolution No. 04/NQ-CP on the establishment of Cam Pha city. On April 17, 2015, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 505/QD-TTg recognizing Cam Pha city as a type II urban area of Quang Ninh province, marking a turning point in planning and infrastructure investment in the area.

Talking about the development of Cam Pha city, Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Thanh, Le Hong Phong quarter, Cam Tay ward, Cam Pha, said: I was born and raised in Cam Pha, witnessing the city's growing development. The infrastructure here is increasingly modern. People's lives are improving.

In 2024, Cam Pha's industrial and construction production value will reach VND 131,877.8 billion, and in the first quarter of 2025 it will reach VND 29,786.2 billion, up 6.4% over the same period. Clean coal production will reach 22.47 million tons in 2024, and 5.57 million tons in the first quarter of 2025; electricity production will reach 18.68 billion kWh in 2024 and 5.1 billion kWh in the first 3 months of 2025. This will significantly contribute to the country's energy supply chain.

Synchronized mechanized market kiln TT-10-11 Seam 10, Central area (Duong Huy Coal Company). Photo: Pham Tang — Synchronized mechanized market kiln TT-10-11, seam 10, Central area (Duong Huy Coal Company). Photo: Pham Tang

Cam Pha people also promote the strengths of developing trade, services and tourism in the area. In particular, promoting the tourism potential of Bai Tu Long Bay, Cua Ong Temple, Yoko Onsen Quang Hanh hot spring... In 2024, the total retail sales of goods and service revenue in the city will reach 57,600 billion VND. Tourism will recover strongly with 1.3 million visitors in 2024, revenue of nearly 800 billion VND. In the first quarter of 2025, service revenue will reach 18,712 billion VND (up 26.2%) and about 575,000 tourists will come to the city with revenue of 300 billion VND.

In addition, Cam Pha also focuses on developing agriculture, forestry and fishery to improve the lives of people from urban to rural areas throughout the city. Thanks to that, in the first quarter of 2025, Cam Pha's total state budget revenue reached about 4,567,536.09 million VND, an increase of 3% over the same period in 2024.

In particular, the city focuses on improving the qualifications of local workers, making them an increasingly important force contributing to the local socio-economic development. By the end of March 2025, the rate of trained workers in Cam Pha will reach about 95%.

Cam Pha is interested in attracting units, businesses, and functional agencies to survey and develop tourism products on Bai Tu Long Bay. Photo: Ta Quan

Along with economic development, Cam Pha also focuses on cultural and social development, ensuring social security for the people. The city maintains the leading group in the province in terms of overall education quality, with a 100% junior high school graduation rate and a 99.85% high school graduation rate. Health and population work has achieved many results so far: the rate of malnutrition in children under 5 years old has decreased to 6.04%; 70 hospital beds per 10,000 people; 17.6 doctors per 10,000 people; health insurance coverage of 97.7%... Total expenditure on social security policies in 2024 in the city is nearly 100 billion VND. In the first quarter of 2025, the city will regularly pay 1,421 meritorious people, 3,899 social protection beneficiaries and give Tet gifts to 38,328 beneficiaries; Celebrating the longevity of 1,272 elderly people... Cam Pha has no more poor or near-poor households according to central and provincial criteria.

Looking back, from the days of the resistance war until now, Cam Pha has realized the aspiration of "Discipline and Unity" on the journey to become a modern, green - clean - beautiful city. With a heroic historical foundation, synchronously invested infrastructure; closely linking resource exploitation, seaports, tourism, processing industry and services, and applying digital transformation, Cam Pha will maximize its advantages to become a modern, green, unique and competitive city.

Thu Nguyet

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