In early October, across the streets and alleys of Hanoi, national flags wave in the gentle breeze and under the brilliant golden sunshine. This atmosphere, along with numerous cultural and artistic activities commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Capital’s Liberation Day, has brought joy not only to the city's residents but also to the visitors who come to experience it.
A radiant transformation
Overcoming countless difficulties and challenges, Hanoi has continuously developed comprehensively and sustainably over the past 70 years, achieving tremendous accomplishments worthy of its status as the capital of a thousand years of civilisation, culture, and heroism, where the finest values of the Vietnamese people converge, crystallise, and shine.
From a city once devastated by war, Hanoi has expanded and transformed into a bustling metropolis. Transitioning from a centrally planned economy, together with the rest of the nation, Hanoi has dynamically shifted to a market economy with a socialist orientation.
The lives of its people have become increasingly prosperous. Today, Hanoi stands as a globally integrated city, a captivating destination for both domestic and international tourists as well as a venue for numerous important international events.
Not only do occasional visitors notice these changes, but even those born and raised in the city — who are intimately familiar with every street corner and ancient tree — can clearly sense the remarkable transformation of the capital.
On this occasion, Hanoi leaders also visited and expressed their gratitude to the soldiers who took control the city in the past. They all shared their excitement to see the capital’s growth with towering bridges, wide roads stretching from the inner city to the countryside, and modern urban areas and high-rise buildings.
In the memory of veteran Tran Quoc Hanh (former propaganda officer of Regiment 57, Division 304), when they returned to take over Hanoi, his unit passed through Ha Dong, Phung Khoang, Me Tri, and Cau Giay and entered the Thang Long Imperial Citadel. At that time, the roadsides were mostly rice fields and Hanoi only had a few collective housing areas.
"Today, the capital has donned a new look and a fresh face across all sectors, becoming the largest political, cultural, and educational centre in the country. This transformation has brought immense pride and happiness to us," Tran Quoc Hanh shared.
Over the past 70 years, the capital has grown continuously, worthy of the trust and affection of people and soldiers nationwide. According to Tran Sy Thanh, Chairman of the Hanoi Municipal People's Committee, the city's per capita income has reached nearly 6,300 USD, more than 130 times higher than in 1954. The city's economy is now approximately 55 billion USD, contributing around 16% of the country's GDP and 19% of its total budget revenue. From 2021 to 2023, Hanoi's average economic growth rate was 6.04%, about 1.16 times higher than the national growth rate. Each year, state budget revenue has set new milestones, with 2023 reaching over 410 trillion VND, placing Hanoi at the top for domestic revenue collection. In the first nine months of 2024, the city's budget revenue reached VND 376.43 trillion, achieving 92.1% of the annual target, a 22.2% increase compared to the same period last year.
The cultural values of Hanoi have been actively promoted, sparking the willpower, pride, and aspirations of every citizen. The Hanoi Municipal Party Committee’s Standing Board has issued key resolutions, including Resolution No.09-NQ/TU, issued on February 22, 2022, focusing on the "Development of Cultural Industries in the Capital City from 2021-2025, with orientation towards 2030 and vision towards 2045”; Resolution No. 23-NQ/TU, dated November 16, 2023, on the "strengthening of Party leadership in promoting learning, encouraging talent, and building a learning society in Hanoi from now until 2030, with a vision towards 2045”, and Directive No. 30/CT-TU, issued on February 19, 2024, reinforcing the "Party’s leadership in building polite and civilised Hanoians”.
Elevating the capital to new heights
Alongside the opportunities and favourable conditions, the city also clearly recognises that it will face many difficulties and challenges in the coming period. The demands for developing the capital into a "cultured-civilised-modern" city, a global metropolis, are set against the backdrop of Hanoi still grappling with economic development and urban management issues. Economic growth is not yet truly stable or sustainable, and various inadequacies have arisen. There is tension between the need for preservation and development, particularly in the old quarter and the historical inner city. Moreover, the overload of socio-economic infrastructure, the widening gap between the rich and the poor, and complex issues like food safety, diseases, and social evils are all ongoing concerns.
According to Bui Thi Minh Hoai, Secretary of the Hanoi Municipal Party Committee, Resolution No.15-NQ/TW, dated May 5, 2022, on the orientation and tasks for the development of Hanoi until 2030, with a vision to 2045, serves as a new charter for the capital’s growth in the new era. With clear and specific directives, it offers Hanoi the chance to concentrate its resources for development, demonstrating its vision and aspiration to build a cultured, civilised, and modern capital.
National Assembly Deputy Tran Hoang Ngan (representing Ho Chi Minh City) remarked that the revised Capital Law allows Hanoi to both preserve its national cultural identity, safeguarding the country’s spiritual essence, while also expanding its development space.
Duong Duc Tuan, Deputy Chairman of the Hanoi Municipal People’s Committee, noted that the project to adjust Hanoi’s Master Plan to 2045, with a vision to 2065, has been submitted to the Government, the National Assembly, and the Politburo, and is awaiting approval from the Prime Minister. The project seeks to address existing shortcomings while building upon the 2011 Master Plan for Hanoi. It includes new development conditions such as constructing five spatial development axes; building cities within the capital; creating a central axis along the Red and Duong Rivers as the core landscape, cultural, and service zones; and constructing a new international-scale airport in the southern part of the city. Based on this, the People's Committee will continue directing the planning, approval, and detailed implementation of the master plan, refining programmes and urban development plans to gradually invest in completing a synchronised system of technical and social infrastructure for the city.
Along with the Party, Government, and people’s traditions of solidarity, continuous innovation, and creativity, these foundations provide Hanoi with the essential tools to continue writing its glorious history. This will make the capital increasingly prosperous, civilised, and modern, living up to the immense efforts and sacrifices of past generations who worked tirelessly to build a "Thousand-year-old Thang Long-Hanoi", a "Heroic Capital", a "City for Peace", and a creative city cherished by all Vietnamese citizens and international friends alike.
