Dear leaders and former leaders of the Party, State, and Vietnam Fatherland Front,
Dear veteran revolutionaries, Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, Heroes of the People's Armed Forces, Labor Heroes, leaders of Ho Chi Minh City through the periods,
Dear comrades, compatriots across the country, the overseas Vietnamese community, and international delegates,
Dear all People of Ho Chi Minh City,
Today, in a solemn, emotional and proud atmosphere, we are pleased to attend the 50th Anniversary of the City of Saigon - Gia Dinh honored to be named after beloved President Ho Chi Minh. This is a political, historical, and cultural event of particularly profound significance; an opportunity for the entire Party, people, and army to respectfully commemorate the immense merits of the great Uncle Ho; to express gratitude to generations of revolutionaries, heroic martyrs, Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, compatriots, comrades, soldiers of the People's Armed Forces, veterans, and forces participating in the Revolution who have contributed and sacrificed for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland, for the cause of liberating the South, reunifying the country, for the maturity and development of the City named after Uncle Ho.
On behalf of the Party and State leaders, I cordially send to the Party Committee, government, army and people of Ho Chi Minh City; to veteran revolutionaries, Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, heroes, distinguished delegates and all compatriots and comrades of the City my warmest regards, affectionate feelings and best wishes.
Dear compatriots, comrades,
50 years ago, on July 2, 1976, the 6th National Assembly resolutely decided to officially name Saigon - Gia Dinh city Ho Chi Minh City. This decision is not only an administrative event, but the crystallization of the sacred feelings and deep gratitude of our people to President Ho Chi Minh; it is a recognition of the resilient and indomitable revolutionary tradition and the great contributions of Saigon - Gia Dinh in the struggle for national liberation and reunification of the country; and at the same time sends faith, expectations and responsibility to a city with a special position in our country.
Speaking of Ho Chi Minh City is speaking of a land rich in patriotic, revolutionary, meaningful and creative traditions; a land that always knows how to crystallize the noble values of the nation, and at the same time constantly opens the way for new aspirations. It was from this city, from Nha Rong Wharf, 115 years ago, patriotic youth Nguyen Tat Thanh left to find a way to save the country, starting the historical journey to find the path to national liberation, national liberation. Every time Ho Chi Minh City is mentioned, coming to Nha Rong Wharf, in the minds of every Vietnamese person, a familiar sound, a sacred memory of "He left from this city", about the starting point of a great journey echoes. From where He left, our nation found the path of independence and freedom; and more than six decades later, that city was also liberated, completely unified in the heart of the Fatherland, honored and proudly named after beloved President Ho Chi Minh.
Right from the years when the country was temporarily divided, in the minds of compatriots across the country, the overwhelming belief in the day the South is liberated, the country is reunited, so that the Southern city is brilliantly named Ho Chi Minh. Today, after 50 years, we are even more deeply aware that that name is not only the pride of history, but also the requirement of the present and future; not only a noble title, but a standard for the City to self-examine, self-correct, and rise up every day.
Bearing the name of President Ho Chi Minh is a great honor, and also a special political, ethical and historical responsibility. A city named after Uncle Ho must take the lead in innovation and creativity; must be dynamic but disciplined; modern but humane; rich and strong but meaningful; deeply integrated but always maintaining identity, maintaining national and ethnic interests; developing rapidly but must be sustainable and inclusive, for the happiness of the people.
Dear compatriots, comrades,
Looking back over the past half century, we have the right to be deeply proud of the great and comprehensive achievements that the Party Committee, government and people of Ho Chi Minh City have achieved. From a city heavily affected by war, facing countless difficulties after the country's reunification, the City has gradually restored production, stabilized people's lives, maintained revolutionary achievements, built government, ensured national defense and security, creating a foundation for long-term development.
In 40 years of renovation, the City has always been one of the leading localities, daring to think, daring to do, daring to take responsibility for the common good; boldly experimenting with many new models, contributing to supplementing and perfecting the Party's renovation guidelines, policies and laws of the State. That is a very large contribution, not only measured by growth figures, but also by the pioneering power, spreading power and persuasive power of practice.
Ho Chi Minh City has affirmed its role as an economic locomotive, a major center of finance, trade, services, science and technology, education and training, health, culture, foreign affairs and international integration. The city is a gathering place for capital flows, knowledge flows, labor flows, and creative flows; a place where millions of people from all over the country come to study, work, start businesses, and contribute. In 2025, the City continues to lead the country in state budget revenue, exceeding the 800,000 billion VND mark. Behind that figure are the sweat, intelligence, and belief of the people, businesses, cadres, party members, and workers.
Along with the economy, the urban appearance of the City has made strong development steps. New urban areas, high-tech zones, export processing zones, industrial parks, commercial centers, hospitals, schools, cultural works, traffic routes and regional connection works have fundamentally changed the development space. Metro line No. 1 Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien going into operation is an important milestone, opening up directions for the development of public transport, smart cities, green cities, and connected cities.
The city has also built and spread a very unique cultural identity: open, tolerant, generous, affectionate, compassionate, creative. In difficulties, the City is more affectionate; in challenges, the City is more united; in turmoil, the City shows more bravery and resilience. Movements to care for the poor, people with meritorious services, workers, migrant workers, children, and vulnerable people; gestures in natural disasters, epidemics, and hardships; silent but persistent hearts have created the humanistic depth of the City named after Uncle Ho.
On behalf of the Party and State leaders, I warmly commend, acknowledge and congratulate the great achievements of the Party Committee, government, army and people of Ho Chi Minh City in the past 50 years; respectfully thank generations of cadres, soldiers, intellectuals, entrepreneurs, artists, ethnic minorities, religions, our compatriots abroad and international friends for joining hands to build the City today.
Dear compatriots, comrades,
Being proud of tradition is to have more faith. Gratitude for the past journey is to more clearly define today's responsibility. Looking back at 50 years is not to be satisfied with the results achieved, but to move forward more strongly in the new period. Our country is entering a new era of development, with higher requirements, heavier tasks, greater opportunities and harsher challenges. Ho Chi Minh City must join that flow; must be the driving force of that flow. The city must continue to go ahead, pave the way, experiment, breakthrough and spread.
After the arrangement of administrative units, the development space of the City has expanded; larger scale, greater potential, and higher management requirements. Ho Chi Minh City has just gathered very important advantages: urban center, finance, commerce, services; industrial space, technology, innovation; seaport gateway, logistics, marine economy, tourism, energy; along with a large source of intellectual, responsible, and compassionate human resources. We must build Ho Chi Minh City into a strategic megacity, multi-center, multi-polar, with regional and international competitiveness.
To realize that aspiration, the decisive thing is new thinking, new institutions, new infrastructure, new management, new staff and new implementation methods. Things that are clear must be done immediately, things that are still stuck must be urgently removed, things under which level of authority, that level must be responsible. Do not let the correct and slow policy enter life, do not let common responsibility obscure personal responsibility, do not let great potential be held back by the old way of doing things.
In the coming time, I propose that the Party Committee, government and people of the City focus on implementing 06 key tasks well.
First, continue to build the Party Committee and the City's political system to be clean, strong, united, disciplined, honest, and action-oriented, serving the People. City officials must have firm political bravery, modern development thinking, bright ethics, and high implementation capacity; uphold personal responsibility, responsibility of heads; resolutely prevent and combat corruption, wastefulness, and negativity, and at the same time protect officials who dare to think and dare to do for the common good.
Second, transforming specific institutions and mechanisms into development advantages, competitiveness and specific results, which can be measured: completed projects, new products, better public services, more jobs, more favorable investment environment and higher quality of life for the People. The city needs to take the lead in administrative reform, digital governance, interconnected data, transparent public services; proactively propose superior mechanisms for special urban areas, international financial centers, innovation, digital transformation, green transformation and attracting talents.
Third, plan the development space in a multi-center, modern, green, smart direction, closely connected with the Southeast region, Mekong Delta, Central Highlands, the whole country and internationally. Infrastructure must go one step ahead, but must have focus and key points, ensuring investment efficiency; prioritize public transport, urban railways, beltways, highways, seaports, logistics, digital infrastructure, energy, health, education, culture, housing, flood prevention and green space.
Fourth, strongly innovate the growth model, taking science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, green economy, circular economy, and data economy as the main driving forces. The city needs to strongly develop an international financial center, high-tech industry, logistics, marine economy, tourism, health, education, and cultural industry; create an environment for private enterprises to grow stronger, startups to develop, and young people to be creative and contribute.
Fifth, take better care of people's lives, considering this as the highest goal and most substantive measure of development. City residents must enjoy a safer living environment, more convenient transportation, more suitable housing, better schools, better hospitals, more cultural space, more green space. Workers, workers, immigrants, urban poors, and vulnerable people must be cared for with specific, practical and targeted policies.
Sixth, build Ho Chi Minh City into a dynamic international integration center, with identity and responsibility; and at the same time maintain national defense, security, social order and safety, economic security, network security, data security, urban security, and human security. The more open the city is, the more it integrates, the more it must maintain political stability, legal discipline, a peaceful, safe, and friendly environment.
Dear compatriots, comrades,
During his lifetime, beloved Uncle Ho always had particularly deep feelings for his beloved Southern compatriots; He once said: "The South is always in my heart". That sacred feeling is both a great honor and a profound reminder to the City named after Him today: to constantly rise up, develop stronger, more humane, more meaningful, to be worthy of the trust, expectations and pride of the whole country. That responsibility belongs not only to the City's leaders, not only to the political system, but also to every citizen of Ho Chi Minh City - those who are daily contributing to making the sacred and noble name that the City is honored to bear more glorious.
I hope the Party Committee, government and people of the City will continue to nurture great aspirations, great actions, and great responsibility. Each official must ask themselves: is what we do today worthy of the City named after Uncle Ho? Each agency must ask itself: has our service method satisfied people and businesses? Each locality and unit must ask themselves: have we exploited the potential well, quickly removed bottlenecks, and effectively used development resources?
Over the past fifty years, Ho Chi Minh City has written a glorious, brilliant golden name in history. In the next fifty years, the City must continue to write a new chapter of development, bigger, more beautiful, more worthy, more brilliant. We believe that, with heroic tradition, solidarity, dynamism, creativity, and affection; with the leadership of the Party, the companionship of the whole country and the great strength of the People, Ho Chi Minh City will definitely rise strongly, becoming a civilized, modern, and affectionate city, where the name Ho Chi Minh is increasingly shining with achievements, culture, people, aspirations and responsibility to the Fatherland.
Once again, I respectfully wish the leaders, former leaders of the Party and State, Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, veteran revolutionaries, distinguished delegates, compatriots, comrades and soldiers of Ho Chi Minh City good health, happiness, and success.
Wishing our beloved Ho Chi Minh City to forever be worthy of its sacred and noble name: City named after beloved Uncle Ho.
Thank you very much. /.
