Ancient Eastern Citadel and present urban area

Thanh Dong (formerly Hai Duong city) is having strong movements.

Bach Dang Park ( Hai Duong ward) at night. Photo: PHUNG BAN

Glorious tradition

Although the name is only in memory, on the occasion of the 221st anniversary of the founding of Thanh Dong (1804 - 2025) and the 71st anniversary of the city's liberation (October 30, 1954 - May 30, 2025), the people of the old Hai Duong city are filled with emotion and pride in the heroic tradition of this land through each period and historical journey.

During the Le Dynasty, the capital of Hai Duong was Van citadel (old Chi Linh city), then moved to Mao Dien (old Cam Giang), and then moved to Han town. Han town at that time was the confluence of Han Giang and Ke Sat rivers in the territory of Han Giang, Han Thuong and Binh Lao villages. Here, in 1804, the Nguyen Dynasty built a solid citadel named Thanh Dong, laying the initial foundation for the development of Hai Duong city later.

Map of the Eastern Citadel in 1804.

For more than two centuries, Thanh Dong has always had an indomitable spirit in the struggle and a strong will to rise up, a thirst for development. Since the Party's leadership, this place soon became the cradle of the revolutionary movement. In August 1938, the first Party cell of Hai Duong town was established at 17 Dong Mon street. From this nucleus arose a vibrant, strong and widespread revolutionary movement of the masses such as rallies, parades, demonstrations of force, and breaking into Japanese rice warehouses. The peak was the uprising to seize power in the town on August 17, 1945.

In 1946, the French colonialists returned to invade our country. Responding to President Ho Chi Minh ’s call “We would rather sacrifice everything than lose our country, we would definitely not be slaves”, the army and people of Hai Duong town heroically rose up and achieved many resounding victories. Many fierce battles took place at Nha Nong Pho, Chai Factory and Con Gai School…

The army and people of Hai Duong town united in hundreds of large and small battles, destroying outposts, destroying enemy troops, ambushing and blocking enemy supply routes, killing and capturing nearly 3,500 enemies. Hundreds of tons of weapons, ammunition and war vehicles were destroyed, leaving the mark of "Thunder on Route 5" and contributing with the whole country to the historic victory of Dien Bien Phu "famous in five continents, shaking the earth".

At 8:00 a.m. on October 30, 1954, the last French colonial expeditionary soldier had just passed Phu Luong bridge when a long, clear whistle sounded from the roof of Hoa Binh cinema. The entire Hai Duong town seemed to burst into cheers welcoming our troops into liberation... On October 30, 1954, Hai Duong town was completely liberated.

The old Hai Duong city area is a peaceful urban area. Photo: THANH CHUNG

During the resistance war against the US to save the country, Hai Duong town had an important strategic position, being a vital traffic hub, connecting the capital Hanoi with the port city of Hai Phong and the provinces in the region. Many locations such as Phu Luong bridge, Grinding Stone Factory, Porcelain Factory, Hai Duong Railway Station… became the focus of fierce bombardment by the US air force.

The army and people of the town were brave, resilient, and steadfast in the rain of bombs and bullets, directly participating in the fighting on the battlefields and devoting human and material resources to support the fronts, for the sake of the beloved South. The army and people of Hai Duong town, together with the whole country, wrote an epic poem to defeat the American invaders with the victorious end of the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign on April 30, 1975.

When the country was independent, with the tradition of solidarity, joint efforts, unanimity, hard-working spirit, dynamism, creativity, and high determination, the Party Committee and people of Hai Duong City achieved great and proud achievements, contributing to the cause of building socialism and defending the Fatherland.

In 1997, Hai Duong town became a type III urban area under the province and was decided by the Government to establish a city. After 12 years of striving, in 2009, the Prime Minister recognized Hai Duong city as a type II urban area. In 2019, the city was recognized as a type I urban area, opening a major turning point in the process of construction and development.

Turn a new page in history

After 221 years of formation and development, the ancient Thanh Dong land has made great strides. Before the implementation of the 2-level local government, Hai Duong City was increasingly expanded in scale and stature. From an area of ​​0.35 km ² with about 1,000 people in the past, Hai Duong City has become a class I urban area with an area of ​​over 111 km ² , a population of over 300,000 people with 25 administrative units.

The merger of Hai Duong province with Hai Phong city became a historical milestone. Photo: THANH CHUNG

On June 12, 2025, the National Assembly passed a Resolution to merge the entire natural area and population of Hai Duong province into Hai Phong city. This is a historic decision.

Hai Duong city from 24 communes and wards after merger into 9 new wards, including: Hai Duong, Le Thanh Nghi, Viet Hoa, Thanh Dong, Nam Dong, Tan Hung, Thach Khoi, Tu Minh, Ai Quoc.

After merging with Hai Phong, the old Hai Duong city area and the entire western region have the opportunity to become a new economic growth pole thanks to the resonance of Hai Phong's seaport strengths and Hai Duong's former processing industry, attracting large FDI investments and enhancing competitiveness in the market.

Faced with new opportunities, the Hai Duong city area has previously received special attention for investment in infrastructure and transportation. Typically, the East-West connecting route of Hai Phong city is about 23.5 km long, with a total investment of about 19,128 billion VND, and is undergoing procedures for construction. After completion, the route will not only connect traffic but also be a strategic development axis, directly connecting with existing arterial axes, synchronously connecting with the old Hai Duong city belt 1, the capital region belt 5, the Hanoi - Hai Phong expressway, the Hai Phong port area, creating regional links, developing industrial parks, urban areas, commercial services, exploiting land and land funds on both sides.

Thanh Dong has now become a modern urban area within the new Hai Phong city. Photo: THANH CHUNG

The Lien Hong new urban area and golf course project in Thach Khoi ward with a total estimated investment of more than 11,035 billion VND, land use scale of more than 126 hectares is also being implemented step by step. The project is expected to create a landscape highlight for the satellite urban area of ​​Hai Phong city. The AEON Hai Duong Trade Center project with a scale of 3.5 hectares in Thach Khoi ward is also being implemented, expected to come into operation in the third quarter of 2026...

Along with creating new development drivers, expanding the scale of administrative units also creates conditions to better solve problems of environmental pollution, waste collection and treatment, social security issues, and ensuring security and national defense.

Faced with these historic changes, the people of Thanh Dong have shown flexible adaptation, from changing their thinking to the way they connect socially. Regardless of the new name or administrative boundaries, the spirit and cultural identity of the Dong region will still be preserved and continue to shine. The generations of people from Thanh Dong in the past and Hai Phong city today will continue to create and build this land, continuing to write heroic pages of history.

THU HUONG - BHD

Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/thanh-dong-xua-va-do-thi-nay-525054.html