When talking to workers and laborers in Ho Chi Minh City on April 27, on the occasion of the 51st anniversary of the Liberation of the South, national reunification (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2026) and International Labor Day May 1, General Secretary and President To Lam emphasized: "Ho Chi Minh City is the major economic center of the country, a place that gathers a large number of workers and laborers from many regions. Many brothers and sisters leave their hometowns to come to the city to start a career, accept leaving their families, leaving their parents, leaving their fields, leaving their places of birth to work, to raise their children to study, to send money back to their hometowns, to contribute to the overall development of the country. Each rented room lights up after work hours, each quick meal, each early morning bus trip to work, each small initiative in the workshop, each overtime hour contains the silent sacrifice of brothers and sisters workers".
That silent sacrifice also places great responsibility on the government, businesses and Trade Union organizations. A city named after Uncle Ho cannot only be proud of its growth rate, but must also be measured by the quality of life of workers - in their role as subjects of development, those who have the right to enjoy the fruits of their own efforts.
Caring for workers and laborers needs to be a sustainable development strategy of Ho Chi Minh City. Housing for workers, kindergartens for workers' children, nutritious meals, safe working environment, enough salary to live on, vocational training opportunities, improving skills, cultural welfare, health care, protecting rights when labor disputes occur - all are fundamental issues.
The 50th anniversary of Saigon - Gia Dinh City named after Uncle Ho is also a time to look back and aim for new journeys. In the journey ahead, workers will still be an important force that makes the city's vitality. They deserve to be recognized not only as human resources, but as the subjects of the development process.
A civilized, modern, and compassionate Ho Chi Minh City must be a place where every worker and laborer can proudly say that: they not only come here to make a living, but also to live, to contribute, to be protected and to have the opportunity to rise up with the city.
