Mr. Dinh La Thang becomes Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City

Politburo member and Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang was assigned by the Politburo to be Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee.

On the afternoon of February 5, the Politburo delegation led by Politburo member and Permanent Secretary of the Secretariat Dinh The Huynh presented the decision assigning Mr. Dinh La Thang - Politburo member and Minister of Transport - as Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee.

Speaking at the ceremony, the new Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee slowly stood up and said that he was honored and moved to be entrusted by the Party and the Politburo with the important responsibility of working at the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee. "From this moment on, my whole mind will be devoted to one thing only, which is to, together with the Party Committee, the government and the people of the city named after Uncle Ho, worthily continue the glorious career built by our predecessors," Mr. Thang affirmed.

According to Mr. Thang, his biggest pressure at the moment is having to take responsibility for leading a large center of economy, culture, education, science and technology, a locomotive with great attraction and influence in the Southern region, a focal point for international integration and exchange... However, he considers himself lucky to inherit the tradition of solidarity and creativity, maintained by previous leaders.

"Inheriting the work of my predecessor, comrade Le Thanh Hai, is a source of great pride for me. What the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee and predecessors such as comrade Le Thanh Hai and Vo Van Thuong have contributed to the city will be a great motivation and confidence for me to complete my tasks," said Mr. Thang.

Mr. Dinh La Thang received the decision to become Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Huu Cong

56 years old, Mr. Dinh La Thang (from Nam Dinh) has a PhD degree,was elected to the Politburo at the 12th Central Executive Committee Conference held at the end of January.

Mr. Thang is famous for his strong statements during his time as Minister of Transport. When he took office, he said: "As the commander of the industry, I must be given full authority to make decisions. A commander on the battlefield must decide whether to fight, advance or retreat."

After that, he "went undercover" to supervise a series of key projects, constantly attracting attention because of the "beheading" of slow-progressing projects. At the Noi Bai - Nhat Tan road construction site, Minister Thang once reminded the Director of the Project Management Board: "Your seat is shaky. Only high work efficiency can keep you in the position of general director."

During this time, Minister Thang alsodismissed a series of officials under his authority. Including thesuspending the position of Director of the Railway Department Nguyen Huu Thang for irresponsible statements related to the Cat Linh - Ha Dong railway project, monthApril 2014. Two months later, Mr. Thang dismissed Mr. Nguyen Dat Tuong from his position as General Director of Vietnam Railways because "A good General Director who lets the industry stagnate must be replaced."

Most recently, on February 3, Mr. Thang requested the dismissal of the General Director of Hanoi Railways immediately after the news that Vietnam Railways wanted to import hundreds of old train cars from China.

Mr. Thang also left many marks during his time as commander of the Transport sector when he had a series ofProjects completed ahead of schedule include the Noi Bai - Lao Cai Expressway, the Ho Chi Minh Road through the Central Highlands, National Highway 1 from Thanh Hoa to Can Tho... In addition, many new airports have been put into operation such as Phu Quoc, Tho Xuan, Da Nang, Vinh, especially Terminal T2 of Noi Bai Airport... bringing the total clearance capacity through airports from 42 million passengers in 2010 to 70 million passengers in 2015.

New Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Dinh La Thang speaks at the inauguration ceremony. Photo: Huu Cong

Previously, starting his career as an accountant, Mr. Thang worked for 5 years (1983-1988) at the Material Supply Company under the Song Da Hydropower Construction Corporation. The next 5 years (1989-1994) he was Deputy, then Chief Accountant of the Song Da Hydropower Construction Corporation, and also held the position of Secretary of the Youth Union there.

Mr. Thang also served as Party Secretary and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Song Da Corporation until October 2003, then was transferred to hold the position of Deputy Secretary of the Thua Thien - Hue Provincial Party Committee until the end of 2005.

Early the following year, Mr. Thang became Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group until the end of 2008. He then became Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the Board of Members of the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group.

At the 11th National Congress of the Party (2011), Mr. Thang was elected to the Party Central Committee and a member of the 13th National Assembly. At the 1st Session of the 13th National Assembly, he was approved by the National Assembly to be the Minister of Transport until now.

List of 19 Politburo members (see details)

Moving from the position of commander of the Transport sector to the role of head of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee in the next 5 years, Mr. Thang is expected to face many advantages but also many challenges. Ho Chi Minh City, as the economic locomotive of the country (contributing more than 20% of GDP and 30% of national budget revenue), is facing a series of weaknesses such as: economic growth is not commensurate with the position and role of the city; growth quality and competitiveness are not high.

In particular, Ho Chi Minh City is facing complex problems of a large developing city with a rapid mechanical population growth rate, such as: urban planning and management have not kept up with the development speed; infrastructure still has many shortcomings; hospital and school overload, lack of high-quality human resources; traffic congestion; flooding, environmental pollution; qualifications and capacity of a number of civil servants have not met requirements...

On the same day, Politburo member, Deputy Prime MinisterHoang Trung Haiassigned by the Politburo to be Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee, Mr. Dinh The Huynh is in charge of the Standing Committee of the Secretariat, Mr. Pham Minh Chinh is Head of the Central Organization Committee, and Mr. Vo Van Thuong is Head of the Central Propaganda Committee.

According to VNE