Aspiration to become Vinh

It is not only the dry numbers in the trillion-dollar project but also the salty sweat of the vegetable seller and the cleaning lady. It is not only the long-term concern of thousands of civil servants but also the constant concern of each barber and each motorbike taxi driver. If we move the focus back a distance enough to observe the whole scene, it is not difficult to realize that at least 3.4 million Nghe An people are sharing the most united, passionate, beautiful and unchanging journey, that journey is called: The aspiration of Vinh city.

Vinh people are still proud of their enthusiastic names: “Vinh - City of Dawn”, “Vinh - Heroic Red City”. In the near future, Vinh will be “Sea City”, “Smart City”, “City of Light”, “Regional Center” and finally, of course, there is the expectation that: “When will Vinh become a city directly under the Central Government?”.

These are questions that span generations, questions of the past, questions of the present, but the answer lies in the future. That aspiration is not of one person but of millions of people, not just of one moment but is constant. That aspiration is embedded in every Resolution, breathes life into poetry, sometimes shimmering, sometimes hidden in works of art, photography, music… The aspiration is round, square, and then the aspiration flares up every time we think about it or someone touches it.

The treasure of Vinh is probably the Vinh people first and foremost, just as the treasure of Nghe An is the Nghe people. Growing up right from the extreme core of the climate, the harshness of the Lao wind, white sand, unfavorable rain, unfavorable wind, the freezing winter frost, the scorching summer sun... the community structure was thus formed, the will to rise was naturally established. It is these qualities that have created generations of Vinh people who are diligent, hard-working, straightforward, humorous, united and courageous. Perhaps the gentleness, sweetness, flexibility... are quite strange to "Vinh people". Vinh people are the most condensed but also the most sublime part of "Nghe's character". It is not by chance that in the revolutionary movement of 1930-1931, "There Ben Thuy stood up first/There Thanh Chuong followed suit".

Vinh people are ambitious but also know how to endure. Sometimes Vinh people have to restrain themselves to overcome challenges with Vinh city. It is not quite true that Vinh is a young city, because if we count from the day King Thanh Thai issued the edict to establish Vinh town (October 20, 1898), it has been 125 years; but if we say Vinh is an "old" city, it is also wrong. Vinh is Vinh, the most arduous city among cities. Turning back the pages of Vinh city's history, everyone must be surprised by that "toughness", as the Vinh people humorously say "delayed". Becoming a town since the feudal period (1898), then becoming a city by a decree of the colonial government (1927) and Vinh "returned" to a town (1945), then becoming a city again (1963).

Nostalgic people, when looking at the photo series “Old Vinh”, all feel regretful and regretful for the prosperous and bustling Vinh city in the early 20th century. But that was Vinh and that was Vinh people. “Scorched earth” is when Vinh people were ready to lose Vinh to save Vinh. Vinh people “Rather be broken bricks to wait for each other/Determined not to share the same sky and earth with the enemy!” Vinh people were not “innocently revolutionary” but “willing” to sacrifice. If Vinh people today regret 1, Vinh people of those years must have suffered 10. It was our fathers and brothers who swallowed their tears, tied their own intestines to destroy the beautiful city with their own hands, the city that they themselves created with sweat, blood and tears.

Not yet, then bombs and bullets were trampled, Vinh people put on straw hats and jumped into the trenches. Vinh once again "Rubble rushed to hug the flagpole" (poem by Thach Quy). Today, most tourists coming to Vinh praise Vinh's beauty, yes, of course Vinh is very beautiful. But the beauty of Vinh is not simply the beauty of the charming mountains and rivers, but the beauty that radiates from the "welding fire that shines every night on the high floors". The beauty of Vinh city today is the endogenous beauty of Vinh people distilled from Lao wind, white sand and rubble.

Vinh people have their strengths, of course Vinh people also have their weaknesses. The weaknesses of Vinh people seem to "grow out" from the character of Nghe people. Excessive forgiveness leads to sloppiness, excessive determination leads to conservatism... Many times when Vinh changes its mind for a project, it faces layers of public opinion barriers. The opposing opinions do not come from some distant land, but right here, right in this city, by the very people who love this city dearly.

Netizens are “divided” because of differences in thinking about how to choose the way to develop the city. To be fair, in recent decades, our beloved Vinh has made great strides in all areas. A new look has been formed, the qualities of a “regional city” have begun to appear, and the quality of life has far exceeded expectations. However, we should not only compare ourselves with ourselves of yesterday, but also forget that while we are growing up, other localities are also maturing. We compare the vertical axis but must not forget the horizontal axis. In the journey to turn Nghe An into a fairly developed province, Vinh is the leader, so Vinh cannot arrange or boast, and Vinh cannot follow behind other cities.

Who has contributed the most to making Vinh beautiful and modern as it is today? The answer is Vinh people! Who needs to change so that Vinh can accelerate more strongly? The answer is still Vinh people! Agree that Vinh people are Vinh people, Vinh people or Nghe people do not necessarily have to be Northern scholars or Western farmers. The problem is where should Vinh people "use" their qualities? "Use" with whom and in what dosage?

Vinh people cannot say “that’s it” and turn their backs to the future. Vinh people cannot want a modern sidewalk while at the same time crying and holding on to the old milk flower trees. Eyes are made to see, not just to cry. Emotions are extremely precious, but acting only on emotions is a mistake. Try to be less complacent and limit self-satisfaction with the style “this is good enough”. The tragedy is not the failure of a big goal but the satisfaction with a small goal. Vinh cannot wear the same tight and wrinkled shirt of decades ago forever. Let’s attach to the dreams and responsibilities of Vinh people an image of Vinh from 20 years, 30 years, or even 100 years from now!

On July 18, 2023, the Politburo issued Resolution No. 39-NQ/TW on building and developing Nghe An to 2030, with a vision to 2045. It determined to develop Vinh into a regional urban area. Vinh as a "Sea City" is not too far away, Vinh as a "City of Light at Night" is also not out of reach. Vinh expands its space, Vinh people will have a more open vision, Vinh "turns on the lights", Vinh people will also "light up". Perhaps a part of Vinh people also need to "adjust the focus" to look back at Vinh with less strict and more tolerant eyes. Let's all join hands to foster that noble and beautiful aspiration - the aspiration to become Vinh.