President Truong Tan Sang on October 30 conferred the Independence Order (second class) upon Hai Duong city in the northern province of the same name on the occasion of its 210 th founding anniversary.

The city received the award for a number of excellent accomplishments achieved over the past decades.

In 1804, under the reign of the Nguyen Dynasty’s King Gia Long, the main town of Hai Duong was moved from Mao Dien, in today’s Cam Giang district, to Han village, where the major citadel Thanh Dong (present-day Hai Duong city) was built.

The city now comprises 21 communes and wards, and a population of 187,000.

Located in the heart of the northern economic region, Hai Duong city enjoys an annual growth rate of 10 percent. It is home to 3,200 companies, three industrial parks, and five industrial clusters with 150 projects, providing jobs for 40,000 people.

At the ceremony, President Truong Tan Sang asked local authorities and residents to review the city’s socio-economic achievements and shortcomings in order to attain sustainable growth.-VNA