Kindness from the city named after President Ho Chi Minh

(Baonghean) - The connection between Nghe An and Ho Chi Minh City has actually been established for hundreds of years. From Ho Chi Minh City, Uncle Ho departed, beginning his journey to save the country, liberate the nation, and unify the land. This city is steeped in the blood and bones of many heroic martyrs, including many sons and daughters of Uncle Ho. Therefore, cooperation between Nghe An and the city named after him holds profound emotional value and clearly demonstrates the responsibility of each locality towards sustainable development.

TIn August 2003, during his first working trip to Nghe An, Comrade Le Thanh Hai, a member of the Politburo and Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee (at that time, he was the Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City), led dozens of businesses from the city named after President Ho Chi Minh to his hometown. The purpose of this trip was clearly defined as strengthening cooperation and developing President Ho Chi Minh's hometown. Speaking to the Party Committee and people of Nghe An, he affirmed: "The Party Committee, government, and people of Ho Chi Minh City are ready to do everything for Nghe An, President Ho Chi Minh's homeland." With such affection and responsibility, he immediately directed relevant departments and agencies to mobilize businesses to implement cooperation programs and support investment promotion in President Ho Chi Minh's hometown. In particular, the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City created favorable conditions regarding capital and preferential policies for businesses in Ho Chi Minh City to invest in Nghe An.

Comrade Le Thanh Hai - Member of the Politburo, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee - presents gifts to the leaders of Nghe An province.

It was from this point that the "wind" of investment from businesses in Ho Chi Minh City became a crucial driving force for the development of Nghe An province. To date, Ho Chi Minh City has the most businesses, with over 40 units investing in Nghe An. Among the first businesses from Ho Chi Minh City to invest in Nghe An, the New Technology Investment and Construction Joint Stock Company (TECCO) quickly implemented projects that created positive socio-economic effects. In 2004, the company immediately began investing in the construction of the C1 area in Quang Trung (Vinh City). In mid-2007, the 18-story apartment and commercial building project with 227 apartments was put into use, creating a highlight of modern urban architecture in Vinh City. Following this success, TECCO continued to invest in many new urban buildings in Quang Trung, Le Loi, Vinh Tan, and Truong Thi. To date, in Nghe An province, the company has invested in 10 buildings with over 1000 apartments and commercial areas, actively contributing to urban beautification and addressing housing needs for officials, civil servants, and residents.

What is commendable is that the company's managers and executives are all successful individuals from Nghe An province. Therefore, in the process of investing in their hometown, they strive to carry out their projects with both affection and responsibility. Sharing his thoughts on this matter, Mr. Bui Van Quyen, Director of TECCO's Vinh branch, said: “The leadership and staff always prioritize efficiency and quality in their investments in their hometown, aiming to create a new urban landscape. While any business must consider profit when making investment decisions, the projects our company invests in in Nghe An are more importantly focused on the development of our homeland. That is why we receive significant support and assistance from the provincial leadership, departments, and agencies, as well as the positive response from the people…”

For the Central Vietnam Human Resources Training and Development Joint Stock Company, although its investment in Nghe An was slower than some other businesses, it has left a significant mark in human resource training. To date, the company has established Vinh Industrial University, which, along with other units and schools, forms the "Education and Training Center" of the North Central region.

To attract businesses from Ho Chi Minh City, the People's Committee of Nghe An province has been actively involved in administrative procedure reform for many years, issuing numerous preferential policies and providing support for infrastructure, land clearance, and human resource mobilization to serve units and businesses when they have investment projects in the province. According to statistics from the Department of Planning and Investment, from 2003 to the present, 45 businesses and investors from Ho Chi Minh City have invested in Nghe An with a total registered capital of VND 15,377.2 billion, of which 40 projects are still valid and 25 projects have gone into operation with a total capital of VND 13,653.2 billion. Over the past 10 years, businesses from Ho Chi Minh City have created jobs for more than 43,000 Nghe An workers and contributed thousands of billions of VND to the provincial budget. Notable large-scale projects that have invested and operated effectively include the Saigon Beer - Song Lam Brewery and the Sabeco Packaging Factory. Bai Lu Eco-tourism Area; Vinh Tan New Urban Area; Thanh An Saigon Hospital; Mixed-use service and social housing area in Le Loi Ward; Central Park… The provincial leaders have also closely coordinated with the Nghe Tinh Business Association in Ho Chi Minh City.The association has organized numerous seminars and forums on investment activities in Nghe An with the motto: "Trust – Innovation – Cooperation & Development". Mr. Nguyen Canh Nam - Chairman of the Nghe Tinh Business Association in Ho Chi Minh City said: "We, people from Nghe An working, studying, and living far away, always look towards our homeland with both personal affection and responsibility to the community. In recent years, we have received great attention and encouragement from the provincial leaders, so we are confident in investing back home, acting as a positive bridge between Nghe An and Ho Chi Minh City. Besides the successful projects already completed, in the future we will continue to cooperate with the province to attract more domestic and foreign businesses to invest in Nghe An, contributing to job creation and income for workers as well as promoting socio-economic development…".

Over the past 10 years, exchanges between Nghe An and Ho Chi Minh City have been maintained and strengthened. At least once a year, Ho Chi Minh City sends a delegation to visit and work in Nghe An; conversely, Nghe An province sends many delegations of officials to Ho Chi Minh City to exchange experiences in leadership, direction, and management of socio-economic affairs. In 2013, a key delegation from Nghe An, led by Comrade Ho Duc Phoc, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, visited Ho Chi Minh City. Besides evaluating the results and lessons learned from 10 years of cooperation, the leaders of the two provinces agreed to continue strengthening exchange activities and investment promotion to boost socio-economic development in the homeland of President Ho Chi Minh. During this process, Comrade Le Hoang Quan, Member of the Central Committee of the Party, Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee, and Chairman of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, was also present. Ho Chi Minh affirmed: “The Party Committee, the government, and the people of the city are always proud to be a locality named after President Ho Chi Minh. This is the motivation for every citizen to strive to study, work, and produce for the development of the city and make positive contributions to the development of the whole country. The initial successes in cooperation between the two localities will be an important foundation for us to take the relationship to a new level with the goal of achieving greater effectiveness.”

Nguyen Nguyen