Ceremony marks 40th anniversary of the day Saigon-Gia Dinh named after President Ho Chi Minh

A ceremony was held in Ho Chi Minh City on July 2 to mark the 40th anniversary of the day Saigon-Gia Dinh was officially named after the great Vietnamese national leader, President Ho Chi Minh (July 2, 1976 - 2016).

Party and State leaders attend the ceremony.

The ceremony, jointly organised by the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, People's Council, People’s Committee, and the Fatherland Front Committee saw the presence of State President Tran Dai Quang, former State Presidents Nguyen Minh Triet and Truong Tan Sang; former Prime Ministers Phan Van Khai and Nguyen Tan Dung; Politburo members: Truong Hoa Binh, Deputy Prime Minister, Vo Van Thuong, Secretary of the Party Central Committee (PCC) and Head of the PCC Commission for Communication and Education; Dinh La Thang, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee; together with many other officials.

In his speech, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee said the Party Committee and people of Ho Chi Minh City have ceaselessly endeavoured to build the city into the nation's leading economic hub and a pioneer in the reform process, contributing to building a civilised and prosperous country.

The city’s economy has expanded strongly, reaching VND975 trillion (nearly US$44 billion) at present from just over VND2.5 billion (US$112,500) 41 years ago.

The city’s citizens earned an average per capita income of US$5,538 per year as of the end of 2015, up 73% compared to 2010. The gap in the standard of living among population groups has been narrowed to 6.6 times in 2014 from 10 times in 1992.

The people and authorities of the city will make every effort to develop the city, contributing to the cause of national construction and defence, Secretary Thang added.

Addressing the ceremony, State President Tran Dai Quang praised the city for its great achievements in socio-economic development over the past 40 years, especially in economic growth, investment attraction, and urban management and development.

The president emphasised that Ho Chi Minh City should continue exert efforts to fully tap its potential and continue growing as a major centre of economics, finance, commerce and sci-technology in Southeast Asia.

(Source: NDO)