Ho Chi Minh City pioneers in doing new and difficult things

Strong institutional reform together with joint efforts and consensus will be a solid foundation for Ho Chi Minh City to fulfill greater missions in the era of national development. This is the message that Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Vo Van Hoan shared with Thanh Nien reporters when looking back on the journey from 1975 to the present, as well as aspirations for the coming period.

Mr. Vo Van Hoan, Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee

PHOTO: Nguyen Vu

* Since the country's reunification (April 30, 1975) until now, how has Ho Chi Minh City demonstrated its leading role and what outstanding results has it achieved, sir?

- Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Vo Van Hoan: After 50 years of construction, development and healing the wounds of war, Ho Chi Minh City has demonstrated its leading role, achieving many outstanding achievements in many important fields.

Firstly, Ho Chi Minh City's economy has the highest growth rate in the country, always maintaining its position as the country's economic locomotive. Although accounting for only 0.6% of the country's area and 8.6% of the country's labor force, Ho Chi Minh City contributes the most to the gross domestic product, accounting for 16% of the country's economic scale, 26 - 27% of the total budget revenue and the average gross regional domestic product (GRDP) per capita is 1.7 times higher than the country's. Ho Chi Minh City is also the center of finance, trade - services, science - technology, innovation, high-tech industry of the southern region and the whole country.

In addition, growth quality has been continuously improved, labor productivity is 2.7 times the national average. Ho Chi Minh City has always been one of the leading localities in attracting foreign investment.

Ho Chi Minh City High-Tech Park is considered the most successful model among high-tech parks in the country. Ho Chi Minh City has Quang Trung Software Park with 200 investing enterprises, more than 11,000 engineers, IT experts, more than 10,000 IT students studying in Quang Trung Software Park...

Metro Line No. 1 (Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien) operating from the end of 2024 brings much joy to the people of Ho Chi Minh City

Photo: Nhat Thinh

* How has the urban appearance and people's lives in Ho Chi Minh City improved, sir?

- Over time, Ho Chi Minh City has been wearing the beauty of a megacity with a modern and harmonious architecture. Some impressive works include the 81-storey Landmark building, the Saigon River tunnel, Ba Son bridge, Thu Thiem urban area, Ben Bach Dang park, Ho Chi Minh square, Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien metro line...

In addition to upgrading the routes along both banks of the Saigon River, Ho Chi Minh City has made great efforts to renovate and upgrade canals and ditches in the inner city and suburbs, contributing to changing the urban and traffic appearance, improving the lives of millions of people on both sides and in surrounding areas, such as Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe canal, Tan Hoa - Lo Gom canal, Tau Hu - Ben Nghe.

On the journey to Net Zero, Ho Chi Minh City identifies green growth as a future development strategy to harmonize and balance urban development. In addition to creating landscapes and green spaces on both sides of the Saigon River, the city focuses on attracting green projects, implementing well the planning and conservation of green parks, public works, and entertainment areas. Large parks such as 23.9 Park, Tao Dan Park, Gia Dinh Park, Le Van Tam Park, Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens... are like "green lungs" in the heart of a bustling, dynamic city.

Along with that, Ho Chi Minh City has devoted significant resources to investing in building waste treatment areas towards recycling and power generation; encouraging the installation of solar power on rooftops, offices, factories, and industrial parks to reduce grid power consumption...

Along with urban development, Ho Chi Minh City also prioritizes budget capital to maintain and restore old architecture, creating a unique cultural blend of the city. All of these have contributed to socio-economic development, bringing many practical benefits, thereby clearly improving people's lives.

* In the era of national growth, in which areas does Ho Chi Minh City take on pioneering responsibilities and what preparations does it make to carry out that mission?

- In my opinion, when entering a new era, an era of national growth, to continue to affirm its position and role as the economic locomotive of the Southeast region and the whole country, Ho Chi Minh City needs to strengthen its internal strength by quickly meeting all 3 factors.

Ba Son Bridge across the Saigon River, connecting the center of District 1 with Thu Thiem (Thu Duc City) has a beautiful design, the shape of an arc symbolizing the growth of Ho Chi Minh City.

Photo: Nhat Thinh

The first is to seize new opportunities and chances from the local potential and advantages. The second is to be ready to act with the dynamic, creative, daring to think and do spirit of the people, businesses and government. And the third is to apply science and technology and innovation to management and administration.

With the above 3 factors, I think that Ho Chi Minh City can take the responsibility of pioneering in piloting the implementation of new, difficult tasks, new issues that do not have specific regulations, typically the implementation of Resolution 98/2023 of the National Assembly on piloting a number of specific mechanisms and policies for the development of Ho Chi Minh City.

Regarding specific matters, Ho Chi Minh City is accelerating the construction and pilot implementation of important centers such as the National Data Center, the International Financial Center, and the Industrial Revolution 4.0 Center. In addition, Ho Chi Minh City continues to build, improve, innovate and enhance the quality of services to be worthy of being a high-quality service center of the Southeast Asian region, the Asian region, including healthcare, culture, education, etc.

The headquarters of the People's Council and People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City still retains its unique architecture after 116 years of construction.

Photo: Nhat Thinh

* To carry out great missions, we need a solid foundation - institutions, policies and spiritual support - consensus and joint efforts. Could you please share more about these two factors?

- Yes, to carry out great missions, we clearly need a solid foundation, which is institutions and policies. Institutions are considered the "bottleneck of bottlenecks", not only in Ho Chi Minh City but also in the whole country. The cause may come from the thinking of law-making, the thinking of decentralization and delegation of power.

For Ho Chi Minh City, the pilot implementation of Resolution 98/2023 of the National Assembly with 44 specific mechanisms and policies in the fields of investment management, budget finance, urban resource - environmental management, attracting strategic investors, science and technology innovation, government apparatus organization... is considered the first step in removing institutional constraints in the current period.

This will be an important foundation and premise to help the city mobilize social resources, maximize potential and advantages to continue to be the core, the growth pole of the whole country, towards development on par with major cities in the world, have a prominent position in Southeast Asia, Asia and improve the quality of life of the people to be better and happier.

To carry out the great mission, we need more spiritual support, and in my opinion, the most important is solidarity and unity. When facing new opportunities with intertwined opportunities and challenges and the constant changes of the world in the integration process, if we cannot create collective strength, speak with one voice, and unite, then any solution, no matter how innovative or scientific, will fail. And thus, any aspiration to build a city is meaningless.

Overseas Vietnamese return home to visit downtown Ho Chi Minh City by double-decker bus, watching the changes of a modern city.

Photo: Nhat Thinh

* Could you please explain more about the message of solidarity that the city leaders shared during working sessions with localities, departments and agencies as well as meetings with the business community?

- We identify the mindset of "accompanying" to listen to the thoughts and suggestions of all subjects. In particular, "accompanying" with departments, branches, and localities to promote creativity, create spirit, energy, and inspiration to attract all cadres, civil servants, and public employees to participate. "Accompanying" with businesses to share, dialogue, and remove difficulties and obstacles, thereby creating an equal playing field for businesses to operate.

I believe that the real and effective "accompanying" will help Ho Chi Minh City attract and mobilize all social resources to build and develop the city faster and more sustainably.

* For Ho Chi Minh City's economy to grow as per the set target in 2025 and achieve double-digit growth in the next term is a big challenge. What breakthrough solutions has the locality prepared, sir?

- Breakthrough solutions for Ho Chi Minh City's economy to grow according to the target by 2025 and achieve double-digit growth in the next term, can focus on many important groups.

The first is to concentrate all resources to resolve difficulties and inadequacies to disburse public investment, attract private investment and foreign investment. The second is to immediately deploy the established centers such as the National Data Center, the Center for Industrial Revolution 4.0, and the Center for Creative Startups to create new growth drivers for the economy.

The third is administrative reform, streamlining the apparatus, attracting high-quality human resources to serve the public apparatus, and at the same time speeding up the remaining tasks assigned by the Prime Minister to implement Resolution 98. At the same time, perfecting the apparatus when expanding administrative boundaries to promote the effectiveness of regional linkages. Finally, clearing bottlenecks so that the real estate market can operate according to a true market mechanism.

* How does Ho Chi Minh City continue to carry out the goals of "with the whole country, for the whole country" and "civilization, modernity, and humanity" in the era of national growth?

- Along with the development of the country , after 50 years of national reunification, the Party Committee, government and people of Ho Chi Minh City have strived tirelessly to build and develop their homeland to become more and more "civilized, modern and humane", worthy of the honor of being named after the great President Ho Chi Minh. With outstanding development in all fields, the city has achieved great and comprehensive achievements, creating fundamental changes in economic and social life, contributing significantly to the overall achievements of the whole country.

And history has proven that Ho Chi Minh City always accompanies "for the whole country, with the whole country". With people who have a tradition of pioneering, dynamic, creative, daring to think, daring to do, Ho Chi Minh City is an economic locomotive, contributing greatly to budget revenue, creating a spillover effect for the region, cooperating with many other provinces and cities to develop the economy, social security...

* Thank you!

Pioneering new fields

Ho Chi Minh City is the first locality to decide to build the city into a smart city in the 2017-2025 period, which is being actively implemented. In particular, building the Industrial Revolution 4.0 Center in Ho Chi Minh City promotes the process of industrial digital transformation; building the National Data Center in Ho Chi Minh City in the 2025-2030 period to promote the development of digital infrastructure in the spirit of Resolution 57 of 2024 of the Politburo on breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation and national digital transformation. Up to now, Ho Chi Minh City has planned and implemented the construction of the eastern creative urban area with the goal of being the driving force for the Industrial Revolution 4.0.

In addition, the work of planning, managing and developing urban infrastructure has achieved many practical results. The fields of culture, education - training, and people's health care have developed day by day, the quality of people's lives has been improved, social security has been ensured, and the lives of the poor and policy families have made much progress. Political security and social order and safety in the area have always been maintained.

The work of Party building, government building and mobilizing people to respond to patriotic emulation movements has changed dramatically and achieved many important results. The political system has been consolidated and operates more and more effectively; people's trust continues to be consolidated, making an important contribution to stabilizing, protecting and developing the city.

Thanhnien.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tphcm-tien-phong-lam-nhung-viec-moi-viec-kho-18525042915482137.htm