The national flag was raised on the roof of the Independence Palace 39years ago, marking the collapse of the puppet regime and opening a newera of development in Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City, said a report onnational radio VOV.
These days, lots of people visit theIndependence Palace to get a glimpse of the development of the cityafter nearly four decades.
“ Ho Chi Minh City has seen anunprecedented change. It has become more beautiful with modernisedinfrastructure. This breakthrough has been a result of hard work andcreativity,” Le Van Thoa from Binh Dinh province, said.
Thoa is particularly interested in the city’s development because hewas engaged in the struggle to liberate it 40 years ago.
Thoasaid that between 1975 and 1985, the city made it easier for productionby establishing new management mechanisms models. It embarked onrenovations from 1986 to 1995 in line with the resolution of the 6thNational Party Congress.
After Vietnam joined the WorldTrade Organisation in 2006, the city has been able to maintain its rapidgrowth and has been among the country’s top investment destinations.
War veteran Tran Anh Kiet from Dong Nai province was impressed by the city’s development over the last few years
“Isee great changes whenever I visit the Ho Chi Minh city ,” Kiet said,adding that the city’s development growth was faster than Hanoi andDa Nang . Leadership at all levels has been consolidated and people’sliving standards have improved considerably.
Upgraded and expanded infrastructure is vivid evidence of the city’s growth, he affirmed.
Meanwhile,according to teachers and students of Binh Duong University ofEconomics and Technology, the city has the highest growth rate inVietnam.
During the 2001-2005 period, its GDP growth rate was 12 percent, even higher than the national level.
“The infrastructure has been modernised and young people have more job opportunities,” said 30-year-old lecturer Tran van Bien.
Positivechanges since liberation day have given residents of the city the hopethat the city will be on par with other cities in the region in the nearfuture.-VNA