Can Tho City: Marking Twenty Years of Anniversary and Getting the First-Class Labour Order

DNHN - Can Tho City solemnly held the 20th-anniversary celebration of Can Tho City directly under the Central Government (January 1, 2004–January 1, 2024).

This is a momentous occasion in the political lives of the citizens of the city, the government, and the Party Committee. Reviewing, igniting, and promoting the city's wonderful traditional historical values and accomplishments throughout the years—which have contributed to the successful development of the nation—is the occasion.

Can Tho City has developed rapidly after 20 years of formation and development, laying the groundwork for a new stage of development with the help of the Central Government's attention, direction, orientation, and resource support; the Government's close direction; the enthusiastic and effective support and assistance from ministries, sectors, and neighbouring localities; and the unceasing efforts of the Party Committee, the Government, and the people of the city.

Mr Nguyen Van Hieu, the secretary of the Can Tho City Party Committee and an alternate member of the Party Central Committee, read the following remarks during the celebration: Can Tho Province was divided into Hau Giang Province and Can Tho City directly under the Central Government by Resolution No. 22 of the 11th National Assembly. Can Tho City directly under the Central Government was formally created and began operations on January 1, 2004.

The economy has grown, which has aided in the Mekong Delta region's and the nation's general development. By 2023, the region's total gross product value had surpassed VND 118,000 billion, a 10.2-fold increase from 2004. The gross regional domestic product (GRDP) per capita in 2023 was VND 94.7 million, which is 9.2 times more than the GDP per capita in 2004 (about USD 4,000 per capita/year). This increase helped to raise the standard of living for those living in the city.

The economic structure has shifted in the right direction, developing industry, trade, and services, and gradually reducing the proportion of the agricultural sector. Export turnover has increased sharply; the trade and service sectors have developed rapidly and diversified, playing a leading role in the GRDP structure, gradually establishing the central role of the Mekong Delta region; in which, the total retail sales of goods and service revenue in Can Tho always rank first in the Mekong Delta region; infrastructure and tourism products have been continuously invested in construction and upgrading, contributing to bringing the image, country, culture, and people of Vietnam in general and the land and people of Can Tho in particular to international friends.

Financial resources have been boosted; revenue generated from production and business activities is playing an increasingly important role, creating proactiveness and increasing the stability of the state budget. The banking system continues to develop, facilitating the mobilisation and provision of capital to serve local economic development. Focusing on investment in developing socio-economic infrastructure, rapidly changing the city’s appearance, especially building a transportation system, airports, ports, cultural-sports, medical, education-training facilities, new rural areas…, enhancing connectivity, synchronisation, and meeting the needs of inter-regional and international transport.

Important transport projects through Can Tho City such as My Thuan - Can Tho Expressway, Eastern North-South Expressway project, Can Tho - Ca Mau component project, Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang Expressway project, Western Ring Road project (East-West Avenue of the city) are being focused on and vigorously implemented, contributing to further completing the transport system, developing logistics and transport sectors to increase the competitiveness of the city’s economy.

Besides, the city always pays attention to developing culture - society synchronously with economic development, laying the foundation for the city’s sustainable development. The national cultural tradition is preserved and promoted. Social security is focused on; the work of caring for policy families, people with meritorious services to the country, and social protection subjects is timely and adequate; the work of sustainable poverty reduction has achieved important results, the poverty rate in the city is currently 0.21% (equivalent to 764 households), the near-poor households are 1.59% (equivalent to 5,888 households); this is the lowest level in the Mekong Delta region and much lower than the national average.

On behalf of the Party and State leaders, President Vo Van Thuong delivered an important speech at the ceremony. The President emphasised that Can Tho is currently an educational centre of the Mekong Delta region with many quality universities, multidisciplinary, diversifying types and fields of training, well meeting the training needs of human resources for the Mekong Delta region. The system of specialised and general hospitals, and medical centres has been invested in construction and upgrading; applying specialised techniques in medical examination, diagnosis, and treatment, improving the quality of healthcare for the people of the city and the Mekong Delta region.

The work of building the Communist Party, a clean and strong political system, is comprehensively carried out; the work of preventing and combating corruption, negativity, handling complaints, and denunciations is well implemented; national defence security is maintained stably. The work of ethnicity and religion is well implemented. External relations are strengthened, and international relations are expanded; effectively implementing international agreements signed with foreign partners, putting the signed contents into practice, and achieving high efficiency.

It can be affirmed that the achievements gained in the past time are the product of the crystallisation of creativity, the result of a continuous and persistent effort process over many terms of the Party Committee, the government, and the people of Can Tho City; these results are also the premise, the important foundation, creating momentum for Can Tho City to develop rapidly and sustainably in the coming time.

Over the past twenty years, the Party Committee and the people of Can Tho have always upheld the tradition of solidarity, the will of self-reliance, self-improvement, dynamism, creativity, seizing opportunities, overcoming difficulties and challenges, and achieving many important and relatively comprehensive achievements. The economy has maintained a fairly high growth rate, with an average GRDP 9.2 times higher than 20 years ago. The scale of the economy has gradually expanded; all sectors and fields of the economy have developed, and social resources have continued to be promoted, gradually affirming the role of a trade-service centre, import-export, logistics and high-tech agricultural production, actively contributing to the overall development of the Mekong Delta region and the whole country.

Can Tho has focused on implementing and completing the new rural construction programme ahead of schedule, and is striving to build advanced and model new rural communes, contributing to improving the material and spiritual life of rural residents.

Ngoc Thu