General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong chaired the Politburo's working session with the Hanoi Party Committee Standing Committee.

Also attending were: Politburo member, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc; Politburo member, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan; Politburo members; leaders of many central departments, branches and agencies.

After listening to the report of the Standing Committee of the Hanoi Party Committee, the Politburo unanimously assessed: The Hanoi Party Committee has carefully, meticulously, seriously and scientifically prepared both documents and personnel work to submit to the 17th Congress of the City Party Committee, ensuring compliance with the requirements of Directive 35-CT/TW and the Central's guiding documents.

The Hanoi Party Committee has organized a preliminary and final review of eight major work programs for the 16th tenure; solicited opinions from many ministries, central agencies, cadres, party members, and people, demonstrating the spirit of openness and democracy within the Party and among the people.

The Politburo basically agreed on the theme of the Hanoi Party Congress for the 2020-2025 term, ensuring completeness, succinctness, clearly demonstrating the political determination of the Party Committee and people of the city, ensuring the inheritance and development of the results of the previous term.

The draft Political Report is highly general, closely following 14 main tasks and solutions, assessing quite fully and comprehensively the results achieved in all fields; pointing out 7 groups of limitations and shortcomings, 5 lessons learned. The directions, goals, and tasks for the 2020-2025 term, the development goals of the Capital until 2025, orientation to 2030, vision 2045 focus on 14 issues, in which affirming the leading role and importance of the task of strengthening Party building and rectification, building a clean and strong City Party Committee.

The Politburo believes that the Draft Political Report needs to be analyzed, summarized, and compared with the region, the whole country, and the previous term, further enhancing its generality and leadership.

During the past term, the Party Committee, government and people of the Capital strictly followed the leadership and direction of the Central Government, had many creative ways of doing things, and were determined to put the Resolutions of the Party and the City Party Committee into practice. The results were quite comprehensive, the city completed and exceeded 16/16 targets of the Resolution of the 16th Congress.

The economy grew quite well, higher than the national average and the 2010-2015 period; the quality of growth was improved. In 2020, the scale of the total product in the area (GRDP) is estimated to reach over 1 million billion VND, the average GRDP per capita is estimated to reach 5,420 USD, an increase of 1.5 times compared to 2015, 1.8 times higher than the national average. Budget revenue in the 2016-2020 period reached nearly 1,200 trillion VND, 1.64 times higher than the 2011-2015 period. Attracting foreign direct investment achieved outstanding results, in the 2016-2020 period it reached 25 billion USD, 3.9 times higher than the 2011-2015 period. The city contributed over 16% of GDP, 18.5% of budget revenue, 20% of domestic revenue nationwide. The appearance of the capital has changed a lot, becoming brighter, greener, cleaner and more beautiful. A number of large-scale, modern projects have been started and completed. Urban civilized lifestyle has changed positively. New rural construction has achieved comprehensive results, by the end of 2020, 10 districts and 371 communes had met new rural standards, completing the target 2 years ahead of schedule.

The City Party Committee has been exemplary in seriously implementing the Central Resolutions on Party building and rectification work in conjunction with studying and following Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and lifestyle. The leadership capacity and fighting strength of Party organizations at all levels, and the quality of cadres and Party members have been improved. The effectiveness and efficiency of government operations have been enhanced. The Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations have been reorganized and consolidated, with streamlined organizational structures, and the content and methods of operation have been innovated to be increasingly practical and effective.

The Politburo analyzed and pointed out the shortcomings and limitations that need to be overcome; at the same time, it suggested a number of contents that need to be studied, adjusted and supplemented in the next term. First of all, it is necessary to review and adjust economic development indicators to suit the actual situation, especially under the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. With an average GRDP per capita of 5,420 USD, Hanoi has entered a new stage of development, qualitatively different, and it is necessary to study and supplement a number of sustainable development indicators such as human development index, life expectancy, environmental sustainability index, etc.

The Politburo noted that Hanoi needs to aim for regional and international development levels; analyze more deeply the reasons why the city has not yet created "major breakthroughs" for economic development; clarify the implementation of specific mechanisms and policies to develop the capital (Capital Law, Resolutions of the Politburo, of the National Assembly, etc.).

The Politburo emphasized that it is necessary to evaluate and clarify the central role of the Capital as a leading locomotive, while sharing benefits with localities in the region and the whole country, thereby proposing a strategy for the development of the Capital for the period 2020-2025, as a spreading and nuclear driving force to effectively and sustainably connect and integrate the potential of the Northern key economic region, in the role of a center, an international gateway and demonstrating the nuclear, pioneering and leading role of Hanoi.

Concluding the meeting, General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong welcomed and highly appreciated the preparations for the Congress by the Hanoi Party Committee; at the same time, he noted a major issue that needs to be focused on in the process of leading and directing the implementation of goals and tasks for the upcoming term.

The General Secretary and President hopes that the Party Committee, the government and the people of Hanoi need to have a deeper and more complete understanding of the position, role, status and responsibility of the Capital and the Party Committee of the Capital. Hanoi has a particularly important role and position, because Hanoi is the capital of the whole country, the capital of conscience and human dignity, the face of the nation, the heart of the whole country, the city for peace. Hanoi's position now is much different from the past, it is large in scale, not only 36 streets, not only Co Loa, but now it has expanded a lot. If we say that our country has never had the foundation like today, then Hanoi has never had the scale, position, stature and high requirements like now.

Hanoi has a thousand-year history of civilization, a long-standing culture, a glorious revolutionary tradition; representing the tradition of civilization and heroism, peace and friendship of the Vietnamese people. Co Loa, Dong Do, Thang Long, Hanoi represent the thousand-year history of civilization of the Vietnamese people, a heroic nation, where the soul of the thousand-year-old mountains and rivers rests. Hanoi is sacred and gallant, a source of faith and hope...

The General Secretary and President emphasized the need to arouse the spirit of pride, love, and responsibility for Hanoi, the place where the quintessence of the land and people gather, with many famous places and talents, the spirit of Thang Long, the sacred soul of the mountains and rivers... Hanoi has many opportunities and advantages for development, where the central agencies are headquartered... Hanoians are elegant and gallant: "Even if they are not fragrant, they are still jasmine flowers/ Even if they are not elegant, they are still people of Trang An"; it is necessary to propagate among the people, educate the young generation, in schools, to arouse pride, self-respect, and trust, thereby clearly seeing the responsibility towards Hanoi.

Hanoi has been honored by the State with the title of Heroic Capital and has been awarded the Gold Star Order three times.

Therefore, the requirements for Hanoi cannot be the same as for other localities, but must be higher than other localities. Hanoi must be a pioneer, exemplary, and a role model in all aspects, it has been determined for a long time, this Congress needs to have a new change - this is an objective requirement. When talking about Hanoi, we must talk about all areas, economic development is important, but we must focus on culture, Hanoi must be civilized, elegant, concretize the criteria for building Hanoi people, building the capital, especially the issue of urban management, maintaining political security, order, social safety, ensuring absolute safety of central agencies... Hanoi is first and foremost a political center, a cultural center, representing Vietnamese culture, developing the economy but must have culture, have planning, not develop freely, chaotically... when doing something, it must be done thoroughly, according to plan.

The General Secretary and President pointed out: To do so, we must build the Party, build people, build organizations, discipline, work methodically, have inspections, and clearly assign responsibilities; if we can do it, we will reward, if we can't do it, we will punish, if we violate, we will be punished. The Party organization must be good, the leadership must have high determination, great effort, solidarity, smooth coordination, sensitivity, correct policies, drastic actions, regular inspections, urging, strict handling, absolutely no complacency...

The General Secretary and President especially noted that the capital Hanoi is the face of the whole country, the face of the nation, the image of Vietnam, and needs to expand relations with the capitals of other countries, while at the same time making the most of the assistance from the Central Government.

The General Secretary and President stated that the Central Government has the responsibility to care for and help Hanoi, create favorable conditions in terms of mechanisms, staff arrangement, etc.; at the same time, Hanoi must also apply and develop creatively, from the direction and assistance of the Central Government, take appropriate steps and methods; coordinate with other localities. Each locality has its own strengths, Hanoi needs to strengthen cooperation, take advantage of the strengths of other localities, with the spirit of Hanoi for the whole country and the whole country for Hanoi.

General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong requested the Standing Committee of the Hanoi Party Committee to fully absorb the opinions of the Politburo, complete the draft documents, prepare well and organize the 17th Congress of the Hanoi Party Committee successfully, creating a good impression in the coming term, bringing the capital Hanoi to further development and progress./.