Hanoi told to keep cultural identity to boost development

Hanoi needs to pay due attention to maintaining its cultural identity which is the spiritual support to the capital city’s development, said General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Nguyen Phu Trong.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong speaks at the working session. (Credit: NDO)
Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong speaks at the working session. (Credit: NDO)

The CPV leader made the request during a working session between the Politburo and the Hanoi Party Committee’s Standing Board on October 20 to review the five year-implementation of the Politburo’s Resolution 11-NQ/TW on development directions and tasks for the capital between 2011 and 2020.

According to the municipal Party Committee, Hanoi has recorded an average gross regional domestic product (GRDP) growth rate of 7.57% each year while per capita GRDP is estimated at VND79.4 million (US$3,500), up 1.7 times from 2011.

Services now make up 67.09% of the local economy, followed by industry-construction 29.69% and agriculture 3.22%. With the considerable improvement of its investment climate, Hanoi ranked 14th among the 63 provinces and cities nationwide in the 2016 provincial competitiveness index, jumping 37 places from 2012.

The city has reaped many achievements in terms of culture, education, health care and sports. It has also ensured absolute safety for Party and State agencies, external activities of the nation and major political events, the municipal Party Committee said.

Speaking at the session, General Secretary Trong underlined the particularly important role of Hanoi capital. Amid the reform period and national industrialisation and modernisation, Hanoi needs to pay due attention to maintaining its cultural identity since this is the spiritual resource to create the strength for the capital city’s development.

He stressed that as Hanoi is the location of other countries’ diplomatic representative agencies, international organisations and central agencies, it must be a civilised city and do external work better.

There remains much to be done in terms of the Party and political system building, he said, adding that Hanoi’s Party organisation is the biggest of its kind in Vietnam with nearly 400,000 Party members, including senior leaders of the Party and the State. Therefore, Hanoi’s Party organisation must be a role model for others nationwide.

The Party leader also told the capital city to optimise support from central agencies and sectors and other localities so as to make stronger breakthroughs in local development.