On the occasion of the opening of the 14th National Party Congress in the Capital, Nguyen Duy Ngoc, Politburo Member and Secretary of the Ha Noi Party Committee, granted an interview reviewing Ha Noi’s most notable achievements during the past term, while affirming the Capital’s pioneering political responsibility in absorbing, thoroughly grasping and concretising the Party Central Committee’s strategic vision and orientations.
With the guiding principle of “Discipline, professionalism – Breakthroughs, creativity – Effectiveness, sustainability”, Ha Noi has set its determination to act decisively, uphold its central and leading role, and create a firm foundation and strong impetus for national development in the new era.
Q: Looking back at the term of the 13th National Party Congress and 40 years of Doi Moi (Renewal), how do you assess Ha Noi’s outstanding contributions to the country’s overall achievements?
A: The term of the 13th National Party Congress and the 40-year journey of Doi Moi have marked an important, comprehensive and breakthrough phase in the nation’s development, affirming the mettle, intellect and aspiration of our people to rise. As the Capital and the heart of the country, Ha Noi has always been deeply aware of its pioneering and exemplary responsibility in implementing the Party Central Committee’s guidelines and resolutions, especially the strategic decisions of the Politburo, the Secretariat and the General Secretary, thereby creating a ripple effect nationwide.
Drawing on its potential and strengths, and with a tradition of solidarity, resilience and creativity, the Party Committee, authorities and people of Ha Noi have made great efforts to overcome difficulties and challenges, successfully implementing the Resolution of the 17th Ha Noi Party Congress for the 2020–2025 term.
Notably, 2025 marked a breakthrough year. Ha Noi took the lead in restructuring the organisational apparatus and implementing the two-tier local government model; reorganising 526 wards, communes and townships into 126 wards and communes. The political system under the two-tier local government model has come into operation, gradually removing obstacles, pioneering decentralisation and delegation of authority, administrative reform and digital transformation. This has created a new shift in development-oriented thinking and action, improving the quality and effectiveness of services for citizens and businesses.
Despite simultaneously undertaking many unprecedented new tasks, the city ensured the smooth operation of all activities and fulfilled major development targets and indicators, safeguarding three pillars: high economic growth, firm national defence and security, and social welfare.
Most notably, for the first time in many years, Ha Noi met and exceeded all 24 out of 24 key development indicators. GRDP growth reached 8.16%, surpassing the target (8%) and significantly higher than in 2024 (6.52%).
The economic scale reached approximately 63.5 billion USD. Average income per capita reached 7,200 USD; total state budget revenue amounted to 711 trillion VND (27 billion USD), equal to 138.4% of the estimate and the highest level in many years; public investment disbursement reached nearly 90 trillion VND (3.4 billion USD), equivalent to 106.8% of the plan assigned by the Prime Minister.
Q: The 14th National Party Congress is taking place in Ha Noi and is regarded as a milestone ushering in a “new era of national rise”. How has Ha Noi prepared itself to be worthy of being the starting point of this historic journey?
A: These days, Ha Noi is immersed in an especially significant political atmosphere, as the entire Party, people and armed forces turn their attention to the 14th National Party Congress – an event of profound historical importance that will shape the strategic vision and action programme for the country’s new development phase. For Ha Noi, this is not only an honour to host the Congress, but also the highest political responsibility before the Party and the people nationwide.
We are keenly aware that after 40 years of Doi Moi, the country has accumulated sufficient strength and momentum to enter a new phase of development – an era of strong national rise. As the “heart” of the country, Ha Noi must be the place where the spirit, vision and demands for renewal set out by the 14th Congress are manifested most clearly and at the earliest.
The common mindset of the entire political system and the people of the Capital can be summed up in two words: Ready and Pioneering. “Ready” in every respect to serve the organisation of the Congress safely, thoughtfully and with dignity; and “Pioneering” in swiftly and effectively translating the Congress’s decisions into real life.
From the very first weeks and months of 2026, the city proactively and resolutely implemented key political tasks, promptly translating the Party Central Committee’s guiding ideas into concrete action programmes. Upholding the direction of General Secretary To Lam – “Ha Noi says it and does it; does it quickly, correctly, effectively and thoroughly” – the Party Committee and the entire political system of Ha Noi have demonstrated a high level of political determination, promoting a proactive and pioneering spirit, daring to think, to act and to take responsibility.
Ha Noi is leading the way in realising the Party’s strategic vision, transforming the nation’s aspiration for strength and prosperity into tangible results that the people of the Capital and the entire country can see, feel and benefit from.
Q: At the recent fourth conference, the Ha Noi Party Committee focused on the “trio” of Institutions – Planning with a 100-year vision – Development model. Is this a systematic preparation for Ha Noi to pioneer the new era?
A: That is correct. For Ha Noi to truly rise in the new era, alongside other key political tasks, the Party Committee has agreed to identify and prioritise three strategically significant and historically long-term issues: proposing a new Resolution to replace Politburo Resolution No. 15-NQ/TW; amending the Capital Law; and formulating the Capital Master Plan with a 100-year vision.
These three pillars form a “three-legged tripod” that establishes a coherent institutional foundation, opens up new development space and shapes a modern growth model, thereby creating momentum and room for Ha Noi’s breakthrough development in the coming period.
The Capital Master Plan with a 100-year vision not only designs urban and rural development space, but more importantly defines the scale, identity and socio-economic structure of the Capital in the long term, positioning Ha Noi in close linkage with the region, the nation and the international community.
On that basis, institutions – with the Politburo Resolution and the Capital Law at their core – serve as the political foundation and legal pillars to fundamentally remove institutional bottlenecks, while creating superior and sufficiently strong frameworks and tools to realise the planning vision and translate strategic orientations into concrete, sustainable and far-reaching development drivers.
On this foundation, the development model is oriented towards a decisive shift from growth based on resource exploitation and extensive investment to growth driven by science and technology, innovation, digital transformation and high-quality human resources as the central engines.
With the motto “Breakthrough action, far-reaching impact”, the city is developing scenarios to strive for double-digit growth (11% or higher in 2026) and maintain stable growth over many years, requiring a very large mobilisation of social investment capital (estimated at around 730 trillion VND, or 27.8 billion USD, in 2026 alone).
To achieve this, the city is accelerating digital infrastructure projects, smart urban areas, urban railway systems, and green, digital and circular economic models, while issuing an Action Plan to implement Resolution 57-NQ/TW in Ha Noi in 2026. This is a systematic preparation enabling Ha Noi not only to develop for itself, but also to fulfil its role as a locomotive, leading the Capital region and the entire country confidently into the new era.
Q: To turn these strategic orientations into reality, how decisive is the human factor – the contingent of officials and the unity of the people?
A: Any long-term plan or special mechanism, no matter how carefully designed, will remain on paper without a contingent of officials with both integrity and capability, and without the support and companionship of the people. Ha Noi consistently upholds the view that cadre work is the “key of keys”, requiring the building of a team that is politically steadfast, ethically sound and professionally competent, with the capacity for innovation and the courage to think, act and take responsibility for the common good in the context of digital transformation and deep integration.
The reality of 2025 has vividly demonstrated that there were tasks that were entirely new and extremely challenging, even initially met with doubts about their feasibility. Yet when the entire Party Committee displayed strong mettle and high political determination, when the whole political system acted in unison and the people placed their trust and joined hands, Ha Noi achieved results that exceeded expectations. These figures reflect not only economic growth, but more profoundly the strength of great national unity and the unity of will and action across society.
Entering 2026 – the first year of implementing the Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress – Ha Noi has clearly defined its action motto: “Discipline, professionalism – Breakthroughs, creativity – Effectiveness, sustainability”. This requires all levels and sectors to operate in a coordinated manner along four axes: the Party – the People’s Council – the People’s Committee – the Viet Nam Fatherland Front and socio-political organisations, especially in tackling difficult tasks.
With the high political will and determination of the entire political system and the consensus and joint efforts of the people, I firmly believe that Ha Noi will steadily realise the goal of building a “Cultured – Civilised – Modern – Happy” Capital; achieving sustainable and comprehensive development; becoming a liveable, globally connected city worthy of its role as the nation’s centre and driving force, meeting the expectations of the Party Central Committee and the trust of the people across the country.
Thank you very much!
