Solemn opening of the 18th Congress of Hanoi Party Committee, term 2025-2030

On the morning of October 16, at the National Convention Center (Hanoi), the 18th Congress of the Hanoi Party Committee for the 2025-2030 term officially opened, with the participation of 550 typical delegates, representing nearly half a million party members of 136 party committees under the City Party Committee. General Secretary To Lam attended and delivered a speech directing the Congress. Also attending the Congress were: Former General Secretary Nong Duc Manh; Politburo member, President Luong Cuong; former Politburo members, former Presidents: Nguyen Minh Triet, Truong Tan Sang; Politburo member, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh; former Politburo member, former Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung; Politburo member, Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man; former Politburo members, former Chairman of the National Assembly: Nguyen Van An, Nguyen Sinh Hung; Politburo member, Standing member of the Secretariat Tran Cam Tu; Former Standing Member - Standing Member of the Politburo Pham The Duyet; Former Politburo Member, Former Standing Member of the Secretariat: Phan Dien, Tran Quoc Vuong...

General Secretary To Lam delivered a speech directing the Congress. Photo: VPCTN

* Towards a "Civilized - Modern - Sustainable Capital"

Speaking at the Congress, General Secretary To Lam expressed his pleasure at attending the 18th Hanoi Party Congress, a political event of special importance to the capital and the whole country.

On behalf of the Party Central Committee, the Politburo, the Secretariat, the General Secretary warmly welcomed and wished good health to the veteran revolutionaries, Heroic Vietnamese Mothers, Heroes of the Armed Forces, Heroes of Labor, distinguished guests and 550 delegates attending the congress, outstanding party members, representing nearly half a million party members of the Hanoi City Party Committee.

The General Secretary recalled that beloved President Ho Chi Minh once advised: “The whole country looks to our capital. The world looks to our capital. We must all strive to maintain order and security, making our capital a peaceful, beautiful, healthy capital both physically and spiritually”; “The Hanoi Party Committee must set an example for other Party Committees”. The General Secretary emphasized that these teachings are both an honor, pride and a great responsibility for the capital Hanoi. This congress is an opportunity for comrades to reflect on themselves, set the right goals, create new momentum, new determination, new motivation to develop the capital in the new era of the nation and realize Uncle Ho's wishes for the capital Hanoi.

The General Secretary was pleased to note that the appearance of the Capital has been constantly developing towards modernity, intelligence, greenness and sustainability with many key works and projects completed and put into use. Appreciating and praising the achievements of the Party Committee, Government and people of the Capital in the past term, the General Secretary agreed with the assessment of limitations and weaknesses stated in the political report and suggested that the Congress should continue to deeply analyze the causes of the existing problems and limitations in order to have a policy to completely resolve them.

General Secretary To Lam and other Party and State leaders and former leaders attended the Congress. Photo: VPCTN

The General Secretary pointed out that our country and our capital are entering a new era of national development with opportunities, advantages, difficulties and challenges intertwined. The Party Committee, government and people of Hanoi need to deeply understand the position and especially important role of the capital to the country; fully understand the attention and facilitation of the Central Government for the capital; and clearly see Hanoi's great responsibility towards the wishes and expectations of the people of the whole country and the people of the capital.

For Hanoi to enter a new stage of development, it requires a comprehensive and systematic vision, where ideology, institutions, space, economy and people blend into a sustainable development entity. The General Secretary requested to build a clean, strong Party organization and political system, setting an example, acting and being responsible. This is the first breakthrough axis, deciding all successes. The Hanoi Party organization must be truly representative, exemplary, and a shining example of political mettle, revolutionary ethics, leadership capacity and fighting strength. Each cadre and party member must dare to think, dare to do, dare to take responsibility for the common good; say what you do; serve the people.

The Hanoi Party Committee continues to seriously implement the Resolutions of the 4th Central Committee of the 12th and 13th terms, in conjunction with Directive 05-CT/TW on studying and following Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and lifestyle; resolutely prevent and combat corruption, negativity and waste; promote the spirit of self-criticism, solidarity and unity within the entire Party Committee; strengthen the close relationship between the Party and the People; focus on improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the two-level government, strongly shifting from a management mindset to a creative and service mindset, implementing clear decentralization and delegation of power, accompanied by responsibility and control.

The Congress Presidium votes. Photo: VPCTN

The General Secretary emphasized that we must radically change our thinking with a new spirit: "Hanoi says we will do it - do it quickly, do it correctly, do it effectively, and do it to the end."

The General Secretary suggested that it is necessary to put "Culture - Identity - Creativity" at the center of all development orientations of the Capital, considering it a strong endogenous resource, the foundation for forming the mettle, intelligence and strength of Hanoi, as a foundation for the Capital to affirm its leading role, leading position and influence of the country in the new period.

“Hanoi must be built as a “City of culture, identity and creativity”, aiming for a “Civilized, modern and sustainable capital” with the wisdom of the times and global stature: where culture is the root, crystallizing national wisdom, nurturing faith, aspiration and courage, creating a unique attraction that no other city can copy; identity is the fulcrum, the core competitive advantage, helping Hanoi not only preserve its historical soul but also create attraction to lead creativity, develop a knowledge-based economy, attract talent; creativity is the driving force for development, transformation, turning heritage into living values, both preserving, developing, and expanding the urban stature, from planning, architecture, art to education, science and administration”, the General Secretary emphasized.

The General Secretary noted that the development strategy must synchronously link culture, space, economy and people. Every decision, project and investment must ensure that traditional character is preserved, cultural space is shaped for future generations, and innovation capacity is created; it is necessary to develop “creative circuits” connecting the entire capital, ensuring the flow of creative energy from heritage, knowledge to technology, connecting cultural, academic and innovation centers.

On that basis, the Capital has formed three "creative poles" including: Heritage - the historical inner city center and the space along the Red River - Co Loa Citadel; Knowledge - National University and training and research centers; and Technology - Hoa Lac High-Tech Park and innovation zones. This will be the axis leading the creativity of the entire Capital, maximizing the value of history, knowledge and technology, turning Hanoi into a city that converges the past, present and future.

When Hanoi puts Culture-Identity-Creativity at the center of all development orientations, the Capital not only affirms its leading position, leading and spreading national strength, but also becomes a model urban area with courage, intelligence, vitality and sustainability, where the past, present and future converge into a comprehensive strength, serving as the foundation for the country to develop in the new era.

*Become a city that spreads, connects and leads the region and the nation  

The General Secretary suggested that Hanoi must create a completely new governance model, capable of coordinating, leading, and thoroughly solving urgent problems, while opening up a vision for long-term, sustainable development.

The General Secretary said that Hanoi - the capital of a thousand years of civilization, with a population of about ten million people, with the position of the national political center is facing urban challenges accumulated from the history of development; he suggested that the delegates attending the Congress discuss and agree to include in the Action Program for the 18th term, to completely solve four problems that have existed for many years in the capital: traffic congestion; urban order, green, clean, civilized, hygienic; environmental pollution, water pollution, air pollution and finally, flooding in urban and suburban areas.

To overcome this, Hanoi cannot just adjust to the old way but must create a completely new governance model: from management to creation; from overlapping and fragmented to synchronous and integrated; from short-term to sustainable, with the stature of a modern capital, capable of thoroughly solving urgent problems while opening up new dimensions of development; not only maintaining order but also creating breakthrough capacity; not only managing the present but also proactively shaping the future.

General Secretary To Lam and other Party and State leaders and former leaders took a souvenir photo at the Congress. Photo: VPCTN

The General Secretary emphasized the need to perfect the multi-polar, multi-center urban model, turning each development pole into a true dynamic center, closely connected by backbone infrastructure, strategic axes and comprehensive connecting corridors.

Developing the capital Hanoi in the new period requires a fundamental transformation from the "unipolar centralized" model to a "multipolar, multi-centered" structure. It is impossible to continue to compress all administrative, economic, educational, medical, cultural functions, etc. into the already overloaded historical inner city, but it is necessary to reorganize the urban space according to dispersed poles, but still ensure synchronous connections. Each urban area holds a specialized mission in a unified whole of the capital. Each pole becomes a dynamic satellite, both autonomous in function and closely connected to the entire capital and neighboring areas, helping Hanoi become a spreading, connecting and leading urban area, leading the region and the country.

The General Secretary requested that Hanoi be developed into a center of science, technology and innovation, a central driving force for regional and national development based on a knowledge-based economy. Hanoi must become a place to create new policies, test new technologies, train new talents and initiate new ideas for the country. The capital is converging all the most favorable conditions, along with Ho Chi Minh City, the two localities with the most advantages to take on the role of the country's center of innovation and technology.

The General Secretary pointed out that the capital must become a city where all people have the opportunity to study, create, start a business and contribute; at the same time, there must be a comprehensive welfare network, ensuring health care, education, social security, housing, employment and cultural and artistic spaces for all classes. When people are fully developed, society will be truly fair, creative and happy.

Human development is the core of the capital's development. This includes not only improving capacity, dignity and quality of life, but also developing civic culture and ethics. Hanoi needs to promote the spirit of "elegance, loyalty and responsibility" in modern life, while building a standard, clean and people-friendly public service environment, where all actions of officials and state agencies reflect responsibility and attachment to the people.

The General Secretary requested that Hanoi must always be a strong fortress in terms of politics, security, social order and safety. The city proactively grasps the situation early and from afar; prevents and effectively combats crime, especially high-tech crime and organized crime; improves capacity for natural disaster prevention and control, rescue, and climate change adaptation. Take the sense of safety and peace of the people and tourists as a measure of the peace of the capital. Hanoi promotes foreign affairs, integration and cooperation in regional and international development, expands the cooperation network with major cities in the world, and actively participates in the network of "Green - Smart - Creative Cities". Thereby, enhancing the position of Hanoi - a typical political, cultural, educational and economic center of Vietnam in the international arena.

With the spirit of breakthrough, innovation, creativity, democracy, discipline, solidarity and responsibility, the General Secretary believes that the Party Committee, government and people of Hanoi will definitely overcome all difficulties and challenges, strive to achieve even greater achievements, worthy of the stature and position of "Capital of a thousand years of culture", "Heroic Capital", "City for Peace", "Creative City"; confidently and firmly pioneering with the whole country into a new era, contributing to the worthy development of the country to become rich, prosperous, happy, powerful, on par with the world powers./.

Source: https://vpctn.gov.vn/tin-tuc-su-kien/hoat-dong-cua-chu-pich-nuoc/khai-mac-trong-the-dai-hoi-dai-bieu-dang-bo-thanh-pho-ha-noi-lan-thu-xviii-nhiem-ky-2025-2030.html