A ceremony was held nationwide at 9am on August 19 to simultaneously inaugurate and launch work on 250 projects in celebration of the 80th anniversary of the National Day.

The event took place at the Vietnam Exposition Centre as the main venue, connected with 79 other sites across the 34 provinces and cities via teleconferencing.

Present at the ceremony held at the main venue in Hanoi were Party General Secretary To Lam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, former Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Bui Thi Minh Hoai, and many other senior officials.

Meanwhile, former President Nguyen Minh Triet, former President Truong Tan Sang, former National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, and many other high-ranking officials, including Politburo Member and Standing Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh, General Phan Van Giang, Politburo Member and Minister of National Defense, and General Luong Tam Quang, Politburo Member and Minister of Public Security attended the event teleconferencing at other sites.

Speaking at this especially significant event, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said that the simultaneous groundbreaking and inauguration of 250 projects and works across the country on August 19 will serve as a catalyst, and generate momentum for double-digit growth in the years to come.

The Government leader emphasized that 80 years ago, under the brilliant and wise leadership of the Party and beloved President Ho Chi Minh, the Vietnamese people carried out the historic August Revolution - one of the "glorious feats" and greatest victories of the Vietnamese nation in the 20th century which helped its people seize power.

On September 2, 1945, at the historic Ba Dinh Square, on behalf of the Provisional Government, President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence, officially founding the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, thus ushering in a new era for the nation: an era of independence, freedom, and socialism, the PM noted.

According to the PM, looking back on the 80-year journey, the Vietnamese people are even more proud of the nation’s historical traditions and the heroic past of its forefathers. Reflecting on the past allows all of them to deeply cherish and truly understand the value of independence, freedom, peace, and national unity.

It is a reminder to honour and be grateful for the heroic sacrifices of previous generations, the Government leader said, adding that it is by looking back that the nation gain strength to move forward, to become stronger, more confident, and prouder as it heads into the new era.

The PM said that in the recent past, under the leadership of the Party, the Government, and the PM, decisive efforts have been made to make the three strategic breakthroughs to accomplish fast and sustainable growth, including the development of strategic infrastructure to unlock all resources for national development.

A series of key national highways and expressways have taken shape, along with large-scale important projects and numerous internationally significant works. Investments and constructions have been made in industrial zones, urban areas, healthcare, education, and social infrastructure, axccording to the PM.

The goal by the end of 2025 is to have at least 3,000 kilometres of expressways and 1,000 kilometres of coastal roads nationwide, basically complete Long Thanh International Airport and Terminal 2 of Noi Bai International Airport, complete at least 100,000 social housing units, commence construction on the high-speed railway, gradually perfect the urban metro systems, build major seaports such as Can Gio and Hon Khoai, and implement strategic infrastructure projects connecting with Laos, Cambodia, and others in ASEAN, he noted.

These are important stepping stones for the country’s strong infrastructure development in the new phase, the PM affirmed.

The PM underscored the strategic significance of the newly inaugurated and launched projects to transforming the national infrastructure, advancing the Party and State’s vision of developing harmonious and modern foundation that will unlock new development space, create breakthroughs in economic and regional connectivity, develop attractive business and investment climate, and drive the nation’s development.

The projects, he stressed, demonstrate the Party’s determination and support from the whole political system, people, and enterprises in building the national infrastructure, as well as the confidence, self-reliance, and technological mastery of the Vietnamese people, while inspiring and promoting national pride and patriotism through tangible achievements that directly benefit the people.

He expressed his hope that each project will serve as a mosaic to the painting of an independent, free, peaceful, unified, integrated, prosperous, and civilised Vietnam, calling for development of more iconic works recognised regionally and globally and more creative spaces for the people.

PM Chinh urged competent sides to accelerate the project implementation, ensuring the works will not face delays and cost overruns to bring joy to the citizens and momentum for the nation’s development. Localities, investors, contractors and relevant organisations must focus on removing legal bottlenecks, mobilise resources, and resolve administrative procedures in a prompt manner, striving to complete the projects ahead of schedule.

He laid stress on the significance of power delegation, clear accountability, solidarity, steely determination, and drastic actions to assuring the efficiency of the projects, urging efforts to complete procedures for the simultaneous inauguration and groundbreaking of key projects on December 19 in celebration of the 14th National Party Congress.

Recalling the spirit of the historic August Revolution, the Government leader called for boldness in completing strategic projects, particularly high-speed railway, nuclear power plants, and science-tech centres to bring the nation to the pinnacle of glory alongside the world powers as President Ho Chi Minh desired.

He voiced his confidence that with special atmosphere, special momentum, and special efforts, Vietnam will achieve significant outcomes laying the groundwork for double-digit growth in the subsequent years.

Among the 250 projects,  89 have been inaugurated, and 161 others launched on this occasion. Invested with VND1.28 quadrillion ($48.7 billion) in total, they are expected to contribute over 18% to the country’s GDP in 2025 and more than 20% in the following years.8

They comprise 59 transport projects, 44 civil and urban projects, 57 industrial projects, 36 on technical infrastructure, 22 on social housing, six on agriculture and rural development, three on culture and sports, 12 on education, one on national defense, and 10 on health care.

Notable projects inaugurated today  include the National Exposition Centre in Hanoi  and Rach Mieu Bridge that connects the two Mekong Delta provinces of Dong Thap and Vinh Long . Meanwhile, work started on such outstanding projects as the research and development center of Viettel in the Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park in Hanoi, and Ca Mau – Dat Mui Expressway, and Dat Mui – Hon Khoai Port Road in the southernmost province of Ca Mau.

The ceremony to inaugurate and start work on 250 projects nationwide is a significant political event held in celebration of the 80th anniversary of the National Day. It reflects the country’s growth, strength, and self-reliance in developing socio-economic infrastructure, efforts by the entire political system and relevant stakeholders, as well as the solidarity and consensus of the people in implementing the projects, thereby further enhancing national pride and patriotism, reinforcing the determination in national construction and safeguarding, and creating momentum for the country to advance to a new era – that of the nation’s rise and prosperous development.