Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Vuong Dinh Hue (Photo: CPV)

Reporter: At the 17th Hanoi Party Congress, Party General Secretary, State President Nguyen Phu Trong said that Hanoi has never had the scale, position, stature and development opportunities that it has now. Thus, how will Hanoi take advantage of this to create driving force for development?

Mr. Vuong Dinh Hue: Hanoi is the capital of the country, is the nerve-centre of political-national administration, is a major center of the country on culture, education, science and technology, economics and international transaction. Earlier, Hanoi had a modest administrative boundary but so far, after 12 years of implementing the Resolution of the National Assembly Standing Committee on merging and adjusting administrative boundaries, it has opened huge space for the capital to develop. Hanoi makes up 1% of land area and 8.5% of population of the country. The capital has both space and geography for favorable development.

After the census in April 2019, Hanoi’s population is 8.3 million with an average increase of about 160,000 people, equal to the average population of a district. If including the number of temporary residents, workers living in the city and international organization, Hanoi has more than 11 million people with young population structure which has need for development.

Hanoi also boasts huge scientific and technological potential with 83% of universities and 80% of key scientific research labs of the country located in the locality. Vietnam has 5 hi-tech industrial zones, two of them are located in Hanoi. In addition, 65% of the contingent of intellectuals and scientists nationwide are gathered in the capital.

Although Hanoi is a special city, the urbanization rate is still quite modest at nearly 50%. This shows both the reality of the city and large room for urban economic development. If Hanoi can take advantages and have scientific and methodical measures, the city will make strong economic breakthrough.

Hanoi is also the largest Party Committee in the country, accounting for 10% of the total number of party members in the country. Hanoi is also a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, comparable to many other capitals and creative hubs of the region and the world.

I think that the comments of Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong are also based on this fact about the capital.

Regarding the central concern, Hanoi is also one of the few localities nationwide with its own resolution on development orientation issued by the Politburo. Recently, the National Assembly has passed a Resolution on pilot urban government model and Resolution on a number of specific financial and budget mechanisms and policies for the capital.

Aiming to make good use of development opportunities, in 2021, the Standing Board of the Hanoi Party Committee will register and submit three affairs to the Politburo. Firstly, it is Hanoi’s development planning by 2030, with a vision to 2050, to create a development framework for the city suitable to new Law on Scheme.  Secondly, it is summarization of 10 years of implementation of Capital Law to submit to the NA for amendments and supplements. Thirdly, it is summarization, research, amendments and supplements of Resolution 11-NQ/TU of the Politburo on Hanoi’s development directions and tasks in the 2011-2020 period to promulgate new Resolution as a legal corridor for the development strategy in the near future.

Reporter: How do you access the structure of the cadres in the Executive Board of the Hanoi City Party Committee term 2020-2025?

Mr. Vuong Dinh Hue: Hanoi’s cadres and officers are a very important source for the city’s construction and rapid and sustainable development. From a starting point, the person who practices more at work and has more opportunities to access new knowledge will be proficient. Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City or other large cities have great amount of work to deal with. Their cadres have more work to do and more opportunities to gain experience than those in other localities; therefore, they will be more proficient.

Among members of the Executive Board of the Hanoi City Party Committee, there are 6 young cadres who are below 40 years old. Although the number of young cadres does not satisfy the Party Central Committee requirements, the city’s female cadre structure exceeds it, with nearly 20%, 8% higher than the previous term. Four of 16 members in the Standing Board of the City Party Committee are female, accounting for 25%. Compared to other localities, Hanoi’s female cadre structure accounts for the most.

Hanoi pays special attention to fostering and continuously increasing the quality, work morality and ideal for cadres and officers. The city’s 17th Party Congress resolution puts forth the task and solution of focusing on developing cadres who satisfy the requirement in the new period.

Accordingly, the city will complete regulations on cadre work; adjust and complete criteria on cadres; renew and increase the quality of planning, training, arrangement, allocation and use of cadres, especially key cadres, young cadres and female cadres; strictly inspect the use of power in personnel work; realize well the assessment of cadres by not letting opportunists stand in the cadre and not missing talented and moral persons; developing healthy, open, transparent and democratic competitive mechanisms in appointing cadres and recruiting officers, in order to attract really talented and moral persons to work in the political system.

The city will also increase the teaching of ideology, the revolutionary and cultural historic tradition of the one thousand year old civilization and heroic city among cadres and Party members, especially the young generation; select and send cadres to intensive training on leadership and management capacity in the country and abroad, creating a source of cadres satisfying the management requirements of the smart urban authority and city model; develop mechanisms to attract talents, scientists and young intellectuals; reinforce cadres in consultancy agencies and cadres working in Party building; enhance protection of internal politics; and effectively and actively struggle against activities by hostile forces, reactionary organizations, opportunists and political dissatisfaction.

Reporter: The city’s 17th Party Congress resolution clarifies 5 major orientations and tasks, including the requirement on making changes in urgent social welfare issues. Could you please tell us your direction in 2021 for realizing this task?

Mr. Vuong Dinh Hue: The city will develop parks with green trees; improve all markets; increase the implementation of measures to prevent traffic congestion, clean up the living environment; and increase the number of residents having access to safe water.

Complex issues are often seen in such special urban area like Hanoi, and the issues cannot be addressed immediately. The important thing is the city’s determination in addressing the issues, so that residents can feel the positive changes, enjoy the development achievements, trust in and accompany the city’s leadership.

Reporter: The documents of the 17th Hanoi Party Congress stated that Hanoi will strive to compete with other cities in the region and the world. What are the city's priorities to achieve this target, Mr. Secretary?

Mr. Vuong Dinh Hue: We set general targets for the capital in each period; by 2025, Hanoi will be a smart, modern city with high competitiveness in the country and the region. By 2030, Hanoi will become a "green - smart - modern" city; developing dynamically, effectively and with regional and international competitiveness; completing the industrialization of the capital. By 2045, Hanoi will have a high quality of life; comprehensive and sustainable economic, cultural and social development; and be a globally connected city with international competitiveness.

Hanoi is not only the heart, but also the face of the whole country. With a long-standing civilization, typical cultural traditions, where talents are gathered, the "city for peace", member of the Network of Creative Cities of the world and with an increasingly high position in the international arena, Hanoi has a lot of potential and abilities to further enhance its position, comparable to many other capitals, economic and creative centers of the world and the region.

In the coming time, the Hanoi Party Committee will issue a Resolution on the cultural industry development, identifying human and cultural development factors as an important and breakthrough endogenous resource for sustainable development of the capital. Hanoi's economic development must also base on cultural foundation. Therefore, Hanoi will focus on developing a cultural industry focusing on fields such as: advertising; architecture; software and entertainment games; fine crafts; design; film; publishing; fashion; performing arts; fine arts, photography and exhibitions; media-communications; and tourism.

In that way, culture - creativity will be the basic elements together with the modern technical infrastructure system, which plays a role of the foundation so that Hanoi realizes five major orientations, key tasks and three breakthrough stages.

Three breakthrough stages are: Prioritizing modernization, rapid development and synchronizing economic and social infrastructure system, building a number of typical works, unique landscape architecture space with characteristics of the capital; focusing on synchronous development of traffic infrastructure connecting the central urban area with suburbs, satellite towns, provinces and cities in the capital region; strongly developing digital infrastructure, information technology infrastructure, data infrastructure, interconnecting, synchronous and unified connection, creating a foundation for digital economic development and digital society.

To make good use of development opportunities, in 2021, the Standing Board of the Hanoi Party Committee will submit three issues to the Politburo. Firstly, the Standing Board of the Hanoi Party Committee will submit to the Politburo and the Government for consideration and adjustment of Hanoi’s development planning to 2030 and vision to 2050, to create a development framework for the city, suitable to the new Planning Law. Secondly, reviewing 10 years of implementation of the Capital Law to submit to the National Assembly, to study, amend and supplement this law. Thirdly, summarizing, studying to amend and supplement the Politburo’s Resolution 11 on the directions and tasks of the development of Hanoi capital in the 2011-2020 period, to issue a new resolution as a legal corridor for development strategy in the coming time.

With the spirit "Hanoi for the whole country, with the whole country", and the advantages of nature, geography, geopolitics, and the attention of the Party Central Committee and achievements of 35 years of renewal, Hanoi has all conditions to develop very strongly in the future. The key leaders of the Party and State expect this when working with Hanoi.

Reporter: The 17th Hanoi Party Congress for the 2020 - 2025 term was organized successfully, creating a great strength to encourage the Party Committee, government and people of the capital. With the determination to quickly bring the Resolution of the 17th Hanoi Party Congress into life, what specific directions has the Hanoi Party Committee carried out so far, Mr. Secretary?

Mr. Vuong Dinh Hue: Deeply grasping the direction of the General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong at the 17th Hanoi Party Congress, as well as the theme of the Congress: “To be an example in building a transparent and strong Party Committee and political system; arousing the will, bringing into play a thousand-year tradition of civilization, heroism, and the national great unity strength; promoting creative innovation and international integration; building the capital to become more rich, beautiful, civilized and modern”, right after the congress, the City Party Committee has urgently completed organizational apparatus and assigned duties for members of the Standing Board of the 17th Hanoi Party Committee, issued the action programs for the whole term to concretize five key directions and tasks; three breakthrough stages; 14 main tasks and solutions set out by the Resolution of the congress. Accordingly, the 17th Hanoi Party Committee has built and issued 10 major working programs; assigned specific responsibilities to the members of the Standing Board of the Hanoi Party Committee as heads of the steering committees of 10 programs, directed individuals to focus on building content and implementing plans to submit to the 3rd meeting of the Executive Board of the Hanoi Party Committee for comments and perfecting Programs to carry out in late first quarter of 2021. The Hanoi Party Committee will also deeply and widely grasp the Resolution of the congress for all officials, Party members and all classes of people in the capital to carry out and supervise the implementation.

Reporter: Thank you very much!  

BTA