Nghe An on the 50-year journey of national reunification
During the resistance war against the US to save the country (1954-1975), Nghe An - the homeland of President Ho Chi Minh, a land rich in revolutionary traditions - strongly promoted patriotism and indomitable will, becoming one of the typical localities of the socialist North, both a solid rear base and a frontline directly suffering the fierce destruction of the enemy. Nghe An left a deep mark in the great heroic resistance epic of our nation.
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Kim Luu• April 28, 2025
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With an important strategic position as the "throat" of the Central region, the starting point of the Truong Son strategic supply line - the legendary Ho Chi Minh trail, Nghe An has always been a key target of attack by the US air force and navy.
However, the more it was attacked, the more the revolutionary spirit, patriotism and indomitable will of the army and people of Nghe An were strengthened. With the slogan of action "All for the front, all to defeat the American invaders", the entire political system and people in the province took action in a decisive, comprehensive and effective manner.
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Hundreds of thousands of Nghe An's elite children eagerly enlisted in the army, joining the youth volunteer force, frontline laborers, directly participating in combat and serving in combat on all battlefields.
In the period 1965 - 1972 alone, the whole province mobilized 139,570 people to serve on the battlefield, including 103,505 soldiers (including 3,332 women), 11,585 youth volunteers (6,005 women), and 24,480 frontline laborers.
In battlefields B and C, Nghe An had 16,581 people directly fighting, including 13,483 soldiers and 3,098 cadres and workers - a number that clearly shows the spirit of "cutting Truong Son to save the country" of Nghe An people.
Not only providing human support, Nghe An is also an important strategic area for transportation, receiving and transiting supplies and goods for the southern frontline.
Places like Ben Thuy and Truong Bon ferries have become indomitable symbols, the strategic “throat” connecting the rear with the front line. Ben Thuy ferries - the gateway of the North-South traffic route - are not only important transit points but also the site of hundreds of devastating bombings by the US Air Force.
Amidst fierce bombs and bullets, cadres, soldiers, youth volunteers and people here still steadfastly held on, maintaining the vital traffic arteries.
In particular, Truong Bon - the "fire coordinate" of Route 15A, located in the center of the US air force's bombing - has become legendary as a living symbol of bravery and loyalty.
More than 1,200 bombs were dropped on a piece of land of only a few hundred square meters, but the Nghe An youth volunteers, typically Squad 2 - Company 317, still worked day and night to fill bomb craters, clear roads, and ensure that each convoy could reach the front line.
The heroic sacrifice of 13 young volunteers in the bombing on the morning of October 31, 1968 has become an immortal epic, bringing glory to Nghe An and living forever in the hearts of many generations of Vietnamese people.
During the two destructive wars, Nghe An mobilized 38,367,834 working days, transporting 7,310,000 tons of goods to the southern battlefield - a huge volume demonstrating the extraordinary endurance and iron will of the great rear.
The province has built 11,622km of traffic trenches, 1,097,008 A-shaped tunnels, 2,305,555 individual holes, 3,346 boat storage tunnels, 533 vehicle shelters, 193,335 tunnels, warehouse fortifications, 106,364 underground houses, and ramparts - forming a solid and creative defensive network.
Agricultural production was maintained despite the destruction of bombs and bullets. Through the exciting emulation movements of “one hand holding the plow and one hand holding the gun”, “a steady hand holding the hoe and a steady hand holding the gun”, Nghe An not only became self-sufficient in food, ensuring a stable life for the people, but also provided the South with more than 6 million tons of food and 300 tons of provisions.
In particular, in 1972 - the peak of the destructive war - Nghe An still had 6 districts achieving a yield of 5 tons/ha on a stable 2-crop rice area, causing a great resonance throughout the country, demonstrating the vitality and strong internal strength of Nghe An's countryside.
Not only a solid rear base, Nghe An is also a resilient frontline. The army and people of the province directly fought to protect the sky and sea of the homeland. The whole province shot down 553 American planes, ranking second in the North; burned and sank 36 American and puppet warships and commando ships, ranking fourth in the North.
Those numbers are not only achievements, but also the crystallization of patriotism, intelligence, bravery and indomitable will of Nghe people in the battle to protect the Fatherland.
Together with the army and people of the whole country, Nghe An wrote an immortal epic in the Ho Chi Minh era - an epic of loyalty, loyalty, and revolutionary heroism imbued in every person and every village of Nghe An.
Hundreds of thousands of the province's elite children went to fight under the sacred flag of the Party and Uncle Ho. Of these, more than 45,000 elite children heroically sacrificed their lives, remaining forever on all battlefields - from the Truong Son range to the Saigon River, from the southwestern border to the neighboring countries of Laos and Cambodia.
The historic victory on April 30, 1975 - a shining symbol of Vietnamese revolutionary heroism - not only ended a painful period of war, but also opened a new era for the country, the people and the heroic Soviet homeland.
From the tradition of resilience in the struggle for national liberation to the spirit of innovation and integration in construction and development, Nghe An has been demonstrating its ability to creatively apply lessons from history to today's reality.
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After the country's reunification, along with the whole country, Nghe An has strived to overcome difficulties, mobilizing all resources to rebuild and develop its homeland. From a backward agricultural province lacking food, Nghe An has now basically ensured food security and has export products.
Nghe An's GRDP growth rate in the 2021-2025 period is estimated at 8.3 - 8.5%, significantly higher than that in the 2016-2020 period (6.97%). The scale of GRDP in 2025 is expected to reach 249.2 trillion VND, 1.7 times higher than in 2020, bringing Nghe An to the 10th position in the country. GRDP per capita is estimated at 72 million VND, 1.67 times higher than in 2020.
In the field of investment attraction, the province has made great strides, especially FDI. In the period of 2022-2024, the total registered FDI capital will reach more than 4.8 billion USD, 3.6 times higher than the total accumulated capital before 2020. To date, Nghe An has attracted 150 valid FDI projects, with a total registered capital of more than 5.86 billion USD from 14 countries and territories, making the province one of the top 10 localities in the country in attracting foreign investment for 3 consecutive years.
The new rural development program continues to be promoted, with more than 79% of communes meeting the standards, many of which meet advanced and model standards. Key education maintains its leading position in the region; the administrative reform index ranks 15th out of 63 provinces and cities nationwide. Poverty reduction has many positive changes. The multidimensional poverty rate is expected to decrease to 3.12% by the end of 2025, an average decrease of 1.07% per year.
The province has mobilized over VND500 billion from socialized sources to support the poor. In particular, Nghe An is one of the leading localities in the country in the movement to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses. From February 2023 to present, the whole province has mobilized the construction and repair of a total of 15,246 houses for the poor (of which 11,157 were newly built and 4,089 were repaired), contributing to practically improving people's lives.
Outstanding achievements in socio-economic development in recent years have affirmed Nghe An's increasingly clear position in the North Central region, actively contributing to the overall development of the country.
The strong transformation in planning, investment, infrastructure, human resources and digital transformation is creating a solid foundation to realize the aspiration of becoming the economic - cultural - educational - scientific and technological center of the region by 2030.
Furthermore, according to Resolution 39-NQ/TW of the Politburo, by 2045, Nghe An strives to become a province with rapid, sustainable, comprehensive and modern development; an important growth pole in the North Central region, where cultural - historical - revolutionary values are fully converging, preserved and promoted; people's lives are improved; national defense, security and territorial sovereignty are maintained; the political system is strong and the great national unity bloc is constantly consolidated.
To realize the development aspiration, Nghe An needs to continue to innovate its thinking, promote the leadership role of the Party, the sense of responsibility and pioneering spirit of its cadres. At the same time, it is necessary to build a culture of innovation and creativity throughout society. In which, people - with their mettle, intelligence, dedication and patriotism - remain the central factor of all development strategies.
For Nghe An, the tradition of patriotism, solidarity and a rich culture, formed from the depth of history, revolution and humanity, is an important spiritual foundation for making a breakthrough in the new era. That is a value that has been nurtured through generations, from the arduous years of resistance to the current journey of homeland construction.
The development journey of Nghe An today continues and promotes the tradition of the past, affirming that: tradition is the driving force for development. In the context of integration and transformation, the spirit of "all for the South" needs to be inherited and developed into the spirit of "all for the sustainable development, prosperity and rich identity of the homeland and country". This is the way for each Nghe An citizen to live up to the sacrifice of the previous generation, contributing to building and protecting the Fatherland in a period of peace and deep integration.
