Delegates visit the exhibition showcasing Hà Nội’s outstanding OCOP products.

HÀ NỘI The Party Committee, People’s Council and People’s Committee of Hà Nội, and the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee, Hà Nội branch on September 26 solemnly held a ceremony to announce the Prime Minister’s decision recognising the capital city for completing the New Rural Development Programme and to receive the First-Class Labor Order. This marked an important milestone affirming the persistent efforts of the Party, government, and people of the capital over nearly 15 years of implementing the National Target Programme on New-Style Rural Development.

Attending the ceremony were former Politburo member and former Secretary of the Hà Nội Party Committee Phạm Quang Nghị; members of the Party Central Committee: Lê Minh Hoan – Vice Chairman of the National Assembly, Nguyễn Thị Tuyến – Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee and Chairwoman of the Vietnam Women’s Union, and Trần Đức Thắng – Acting Minister of Agriculture and Environment.

Delegates visit the exhibition showcasing Hà Nội’s outstanding OCOP products.

Also present were former Central Committee members and former ministers of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Đức Phát and Nguyễn Xuân Cường; Deputy Head of the Government Office Phạm Mạnh Cường, among others.

On Hà Nội’s side, attendees included Central Committee member, Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee and Chairman of the People’s Committee Trần Sỹ Thanh; Standing Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee Nguyễn Văn Phong; Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee and Chairman of the City People’s Council Nguyễn Ngọc Tuan; former Central Committee member and former Standing Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee Ngô Thị Thanh Hằng; former Standing Deputy Secretaries Bùi Duy Nhậm, Nguyễn Công Soái, and Đào Đức Toàn; Standing Committee member and Chairwoman of the Hanoi Fatherland Front Committee Nguyễn Lan Hương; Heroic Mothers of Việt Nam, Labor Heroes during the resistance wars, Heroes of the People’s Armed Forces, among others.

Acting Minister of Agriculture and Environment Trần Đức Thắng presents the Certificate recognizing Hanoi’s completion of the New Rural Development Programme in 2024 to the city’s Party, government, and people.

Since launching the programme in 2010, Hà Nội started with 401 communes, averaging just one criterion per commune. After nearly 15 years of implementation, the programme has become a widespread movement, strongly resonating throughout society, mobilising the strength of the entire political system and the people. Rural areas in the capital have undergone fundamental and comprehensive changes. Average rural income increased from VNĐ13 million per person per year (2010) to VNĐ74.3 million per person per year (2024) – the highest in the country. Hà Nội has eradicated poverty.

Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Lê Minh Hoan presents the First- Class Labour Order to the Party, government, and people of Hà Nội.

Rural infrastructure has also been comprehensively developed: 100% of commune and inter-village roads have been concreted or asphalted; 100% of commune health stations meet national standards; over 95% of residents have health insurance; more than 96% of schools meet national standards; more than 95% of households use clean water; and the irrigation system ensures water supply and drainage for over 95% of agricultural land. From 2010 to 2024, Hà Nội mobilised over VNĐ185 trillion for new rural development, with people contributing more than VNĐ21 trillion.

Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Lê Minh Hoan presents the Third- Class Labour Order of the President to Hà Nội Vice Chairman Nguyễn Mạnh Quyền for his outstanding achievements in the city’s New Rural Development movement.

Alongside infrastructure, Hà Nội’s rural areas have also achieved strong cultural and social progress, with improved living environments. Today, 98% of villages and hamlets are recognized as cultural communities; living spaces are bright, green, clean, and beautiful; Bát Tràng and Vạn Phúc craft villages have become members of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. Grassroots political systems remain strong, and political security is stable. Movements such as “All People Unite to Build a Cultural Life” and “All People Protect National Security” have been widely implemented.

By the end of 2024, all communes in Hà Nội met new rural standards, including 229 communes meeting advanced standards (60%), 109 communes meeting model standards (29%), and 18/18 districts and towns completing the new rural development mission (100%), with 6/17 districts meeting advanced rural standards (35%). Hà Nội also leads the country in the OCOP programme with 3,463 products (21% nationwide), including 9 five-star products.

Standing Deputy Secretary of the Hà Nội Party Committee Nguyễn Văn Phong and Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee, Chairman of the City People’s Council Nguyễn Ngọc Tuấn present the City People’s Committee’s Certificates of Merit to collectives and individuals with outstanding achievements in the New Rural Development movement.

At the ceremony, Hà Nội also announced the President’s Decision and presented Certificates of Merit from the Prime Minister and the Chairman of the City People’s Committee to outstanding individuals and collectives in the city’s new rural development movement.

On behalf of the Party and State, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Lê Minh Hoan congratulated Hà Nội’s Party, government, and people on receiving these noble titles, emphasising that this achievement is not only Hà Nội’s pride but also a shared achievement of the whole country.

According to NA Vice Chairman Lê Minh Hoan, while urban areas may share similarities, each rural region retains its own unique identity. If cities measure the present, then rural areas measure the cultural essence of a nation. As the thousand-year-old capital, Hà Nội has pioneered creative approaches in its journey of rural development, such as linking model rural villages with tourism, developing organic agriculture associated with ecology, and promoting movements like “roads with flowers, numbered houses, and named streets.” Rural development is not just about modern infrastructure but also about fostering new vitality—new ways of thinking and acting among farmers and communities, embracing change and prosperity.

Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Lê Minh Hoan delivers a speech at the ceremony.

He stressed that the programme should not stop at building rural infrastructure but aim for comprehensive transformation, making rural areas livable and worth returning to. Completing the programme at the city level, Hà Nội should move toward higher goals: ecological agriculture, modernised rural areas, and cultured farmers—ensuring depth, sustainability, and strong cultural identity.

He suggested that after implementing the two-tier local government model, Hà Nội should review, supplement, and update its overall planning to maximise its potential in developing craft villages, eco-tourism, and creating added value linked with green and circular economies. Economic development in rural areas must go hand in hand with environmental protection and cultural preservation.

Chairman of the Hà Nội People’s Committee Trần Sỹ Thanh delivers a speech at the ceremony.

Closing the ceremony, Hà Nội People’s Committee Chairman Trần Sỹ Thanh emphasised that the recognition of Hà Nội’s completion of the program and the awarding of the First-Class Labor Order testify to the sound policies of the Party and State, as well as the unity and determination of the entire capital’s people. The New Rural Development Programme has truly become the “will of the Party and the people,” driving profound changes in the economy, society, culture, environment, and quality of life, laying a firm foundation for a new phase of development. Completion of the programme is not an endpoint but the beginning of a new journey.

He affirmed that Hà Nội will continue to prioritise agriculture, farmers, and rural areas as the foundation of development in the context of administrative restructuring under the two-tier local government model. Key tasks ahead include: fully implementing Party and State policies; issuing specific mechanisms to improve rural development quality in line with urbanisation; promoting sustainable rural economy and agricultural restructuring; fostering ecological, organic, and circular agriculture linked with tourism; investing in education, healthcare, culture, and science-technology; shaping a modern, cultured farming community adapted to digital transformation; protecting the environment; developing green, clean, and beautiful living spaces; ensuring harmony with nature; safeguarding national defense and security; strengthening grassroots political systems; and promoting people’s participation in governance.

Central and Hanoi delegates announcing the Prime Minister’s Decision recognising Hà Nội’s completion of the New Rural Development Programme and the awarding of the First-Class Labor Order.

Chairman Trần Sỹ Thanh expressed deep gratitude to the Party Central Committee, the National Assembly, the Government, ministries, sectors, international organisations, the business community, and all citizens for their companionship and contributions. With this strong foundation, Hà Nội will continue on its path toward becoming a capital rich in identity, modern, civilised, and happy—where development is measured not only by economic growth but also by quality of life and people’s happiness. VNS

The article is published under the coordination of the Coordination Office of the New-Style Rural Development Programme in Hà Nội.