Written contribution / Contribution écrite
by / par

Mr Hoang VAN NGHIEN, Chairman of Hanoi's People's Committee

Hanoi on the threshold of the 21st century
Opportunities and challenges

The ideas and opinions expressed in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of UNESCO/Les idées et les opinions exprimées dans cet ouvrage sont celles de l'auteur et ne reflètent pas nécessairement les vues de l'UNESCO

Situated in the Red river delta, the center of the Northern plain area, Hanoi has been the capital of the Vietnam feudal state since 1010, so far the history of this age-old city has dated back to nearly 1000 years. Hanoi, therefore, is one of the few oldest cities in South East Asia. Hanoi which covers an area of nearly 930 km, is now the capital of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam with the total population of 2.5 million. It is not only the political, economic, cultural, scientific and technological center but also the country's hub of international interaction.

Since time immemorial, Hanoi has been known as "a sacred land of geniuses" which draws, in droves, the talented and righteous men from every corner of the country and stands our as the rendezvous of different cultural streams of all ethnic groups throughout Vietnamese territory. This is also the lace where the exchanges with ad assimilation of various other cultures across the world take place.

Like many other countries in Southeast Asia, Vietnam is a predominantly agrarian nation. Hanoi, therefore, represents all the typical quintessence of a wet rice civilisation together with the domination of Buddhism characterized by the cohesive attachment in the families, kinships and communes. This is also the civilization home of thousands of communal houses, pagodas and royal tombs and temples with unique Eastern architectural style. Exciting festivals, commonly found in each and every commune and village, both boast the legendary features and the actual life of hardworking farmers. Through festivals, farmers display heir joy, happiness and belief in the supernatural powers, which they hope to bring about timely rain and favourable weather for their rice-growing seasons as well as bumper crops and economic wealth.

Hanoi has long been known for its many traditional craftmanships which have reached a masterly level. Besides, it also distinguished itself by its vigorous trade and goods exchanges, a city full of commercial activities.

Since the 17th century and early 20th century, the Western civilization was introduced Hanoi was city of diversity with "36 streets and wards" in its heart and surrounded by rice-field and handicraft villages, and village of flower with luxuriant vegetation and orchards overlooking communal houses, pagodas, and old royal tombs and temples. Lying along with this are quiet streets of beautiful villas with Western style, dotted with factories, small enterprises, schools, hospitals, theatres, museums and so on.

As a capital, Hanoi has experienced all the ups and downs throughout the history of Vietnam. Over decades of arduous and protracted wars, Hanoi could no longer retain its original tranquil beauty, a typical feature of an old Eastern city.

In safeguarding the peaceful life, the Hanoians together with other countrymen have relentlessly and bravely struggled for a shared burning desire, that is "nothing is more precious than independence and liberty". Many outstanding boys and girls of Hanoi fell down and numerous houses, gardens and cultural relics were destroyed to pieces, people's livelihood was in extreme difficulty. Consequently, after 1975, Hanoi was one of the world's poorest and most backward capitals.

Hanoi with miraculous changes in the last
Years of the 20th century

After Vietnam gained independence and especially since the Vietnamese government introduced the policy of renewal and openness in 1986, Hanoi city, with its own creativity and dynamism, has timely seized the opportunity, taken appropriate steps and attained great achievements within a short period of time.

For many consecutive years, Hanoi has reached average GDP growth of over 10% per year, of which annual average industrial output is 14%, agriculture is 3.9%, trade, commerce and service are on sharp increase. In 1998, despite the regional serious financial and monetary crisis, Hanoi has, thanks to timely proper and flexible policies, managed to reach GDP growth of 9.2%, been well ahead of the whole country's level. From being predominantly agrarian, Hanoi's economic structure has shifted towards a higher proportion of industry, trade and service in line with the overall policy of "industrialization and modernization".

Impressive economic growth led to job creation for many people and people's life improved unceasingly. Remarkable progress has been made in the fields of culture, health care, education, sports and so on. Thanks to the traditional eagerness for learning of Hanoi young people, the State's investment in education has brought good fruit. In the field of education and training, with 12 rural and urban districts including 224 precincts and communes, Hanoi has set up a widespread network of 225 creche schools, 242 primary schools, 214 junior secondary schools and 34 senior secondary schools. Hanoi is also home to 39 universities and colleges, 99 specialized research institutes, and 16 secondary specialized schools with tens of thousand of students and pupils. 67% of the country's cadres with post graduate degrees work and live in Hanoi. Apart from the public schools, semi-public schools and private schools, Hanoi has also had vocational training centers schools for children with disabilities, for delinquent children, orphans and children of war martyrs and so on.

Hanoi is also a nursery for talented youngsters with numerous specialized schools for talented pupils as well as classes for outstanding and gifted pupils. Hanoi's pupils always have formed the backbone in the national and international competitions for excellent students and many of them have received top rewards. Many youngsters, despite their ages, have established themselves as gifted painters, artists and sports champions. At present, Hanoi is taking the lead in terms of education universalization up to junior highschool level (9 years), attaining 100% in urban districts and 87% in suburban areas. It can be said that any Hanoian, regardless of age, educational level and based on his or her own competence and financial status, can seize opportunities to better their knowledge, if they have any studying desire.

The work of medical care and public health has been in strong development. Hanoi boasts 10 major hospitals, 38 health centers with beds and hundreds of clinics at all communes and quarters with over 2000 doctors. Civil servants and retired people are provided with medical services according to the health insurance system, while needy employees are eligible for exemption and reduction of hospital fees as defined in the social welfare policy. Lonely old people are taken care of at nursing homes. Campaigns for preventive injections and vaccinations are constantly launched to prevent various diseases. The prevention and treatment of such fatal diseases as malaria, leprosy, tuberculosis, have brought about fine results.

Having existed for nearly 1000 years, Hanoi is renowned as the country's major cultural center with 498 graded historical and cultural relics, the most notable of which are Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam (The Temple of Literature and the Royal College), the first university of Vietnam established in 1070, the Old Citadel, including Bac Mon (the North Gate), Doan Mon, Hau Lau (the Back Palace), Co Loa castle, Ngoc Son Temple, Chua Mot Cot (the One-Pillar Pagoda), Ho Van (the Pond of Literature), Chem Temple, Phung Thank Pagoda, Chan Tien Pagoda, Yen My Pagoda, and so forth. Additionally, Hanoi boasts hundreds of cinemas, theatres, museums, libraries, historical revolutionary place, stelas and memorials dedicated to the country's heroes, revolutionary martyrs and famous personalities. The preservation and renovation of the before-mentioned constructions have quickly been underway in order to conserve these historical and cultural relicts. Besides, many new cultural constructions have also been built in order to meet the needs of the ver increasingly high cultural and spiritual life of the Hanoians, the people across the country and friends all around the world.

Over the past few years, Hanoi has attained tremendous achievements in urban construction and development. The city has focused its investment of the electricity and safe water projects, rebuilding and enlarging the metropolitan traffic system. Large amount of investment has been pumped into housing construction for all walks of life, housing allowance scheme for desperately poor and welfare-recipient families. From a small city with poor infrastructure, Hanoi is now all the way different from itself several years ago. Apart from the gradually renovated and preserved old quarters, there have recently emerged many new streets, deluxe hotels and office towers. Notably, encouraged by a state policy that enables people to make their own choice of housing, the Hanoians have built thousands of villas whose architecture differs from one to another, radically changing the look of the past Hanoi. The development of new industrial zones in the city's outskirts helps sustian growth on one hand and address the opposing demand of industrial development and the ecological protection on the other hand.

The present Hanoi wears the look of a modern city while still maintaining its unique identity of glittering lake surrounded by hanging-down willows and long streets shadowed by centennial trees and brightened with flowers in blossom all year round.

Travelling the path of the doimoi, open-door and integration, the capital city of Hanoi has made magnificent changes during the last years of the 20th century. Through international events taking place in Hanoi, it is not difficult to international guests and friends to see these changes on the shining faces of the Hanoians who joyfully find themselves embraced within the open arms of international friendship.

Hanoi is heading toward the 21st century

Heading toward the 21st century, Hanoi is committed to continue with the doimoi process aimed at pushing up the industrialization and modernization by bringing its advantages into the fullest play. As the country's capital, Hanoi is an important knot in the national highway networks and where Noi Bai international airport, the gateway to everywhere throughout country and all over the world, is located. Hanoi also boasts a great potential of labourforce. Young Hanoians are inherent with intelligence, diligence and willingness to learn and capable of quickly absorbing new techniques and skills. The accelerating administration reform and preferential policies will create a favourable environment to attract more foreign investors to come in. In addition, mechanisms have been put in place to strongly tap the economic endogenous potential and encourage each and every sector to expand their business and production. Drastic measures are to be implemented in agriculture, forestry and fishery to shift the structure of crops and cattle, set up large cultivating areas specialized in planting safe vegetables, flowers and bonsai trees, make further investment in exporting agricultural and sea produce, and strongly develop commerce, tourism and services.

The goal set for the first years of the 21st century is to sustain high economic growth rate. Strong economic growth will facilitate job generation, important housing programs will be implemented and efforts will speed up the construction pace of a number of great projects, including those to celebrate the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long: projects to preserve the Old Quarters, repair and restore historical and cultural relics, build and renovate recreation and tree parks, implement programs on housing provision, safe water, sewerage and drainage as well as other public interest projects in order to alleviate the pressure posed by the city's poor infrastructure and galloping population growth and uplift the quality of the Hanoians' life are to be implemented.

Hanoi has got down to the program of building new urban centers over the northern bank of the Red River and in the north-western area of the West Lake in an attempt to establish new living quarters which meet the infrastructure standard and the criteria for modern cities in terms of proportion between water surface and green trees as well as ecological conditions.

Taking pride of its millennium-old cultural tradition, Hanoi looks toward the 21st century with strong desire for a world of freedom, peace and solidarity, and for the maximum realization of its human and natural resources potentials in an aim to turn the industrialization and modernization process into success, for the ultimate goal of "prosperous people, strong nation, just and civilized society".