I - PERIOD OF NATIONAL CONSTRUCTION AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF DOI MOI (FROM 1975 TO PRESENT)
The Provincial People's Congress on August 23, 1975, affirmed the determination of the people of Thua Thien Hue to build their homeland in a socialist way led by the Party. Thirteen years in the consolidated province of Binh Tri Thien, officials, Party members and people of Thua Thien Hue have actively contributed to the construction of the province, united to heal the wounds of war, build and protect the Fatherland, initially carried out the renovation, creating promising changes for the good momentum of Binh Tri Thien province.
After the redefinition of administrative boundaries (1989), the Party Committee and people of Thua Thien Hue faced great challenges in the context of the world, domestic and provincial situations; especially the hostile forces considered Hue as one of the focal points for them to carry out the plot of "peaceful evolution" and "subversive riots" in our country.
From the 10th Congress (1991) to the 13th Congress (2006) of the Provincial Party Committee, it was a process of concern to explore the appropriate economic structure of the industry - tourism, services - agriculture in the direction of industrialization and modernization. Provincial Party Committee focused on leading economic restructuring, clearly defining key sectors, economic regions and industrial zones, setting out four economic spearheads, key socio-economic programs, goals and targets to strive for implementation.
In the context of the extremely complicated world and domestic situation with more natural disasters and extreme weather, Thua Thien Hue Party Committee and people are united in one heart, upholding the will to self-reliance, striving to overcome all difficulties and obstacles to promote the renovation cause, gaining many important achievements in many aspects: economic growth, economic structure with a shift in the direction of potential development, strengths of the province, economic sectors to promote the effect, has formed Phu Bai and Tu Ha industrial zones; Chan May economic zone, striving to implement the orientation of urban development, socio-economic development program in the hills, lagoons and coastal areas. Some key programs and projects are implemented such as: the North-South gateway program of Hue city, the afforestation program, Truoi lake, upgrading Phu Bai airport, Thuan An port, Thao Long dam, Ta Trach Lake...
After thirty years of economic construction and development, Thua Thien Hue province has built Hue city as a class I urban area directly under the province, and in 2008 was recognized as a Festival city. Since 1990 the province's economy has grown rapidly and quite comprehensively (an average of 8,4%/1year, much higher than the rate of 7,4%/1year in the 1976 - 1889) period), the period 2001 - 2005 averaged 9,5%/1year, in 2007 reached 13,6%. The economic potential has been enhanced in an important step, the size of the whole economy has increased 2,5 times compared to 1990, of which industry increased 4,3 times, services increased 2,5 times, and agriculture increased 1,2 times. GDP per capita in 2007 reached US 560 2,5 times higher than in 1990.
The structure of the economy changed towards industrialization and modernization; the proportion of industry-construction increased from 19,7% 1990) to 34,1% (2004), the service sector increased correspondingly from 36,1% to 43,7%, the proportion of agriculture decreased rapidly from 44,2% to 22,2%.
Culture and society have achieved remarkable achievements. Continue to promote its position as a cultural and tourism center, a center of education, training, and science and technology, and a specialized medical center of the Central and Central Highlands. The complex of Hue's ancient capital relics, Hue royal court music is recognized as a masterpiece of humanity's heritage. The poverty reduction program has many changes, giving priority to 15 extremely disadvantaged communes and 27 other poor communes, reducing the poverty rate to 8%. The program to remove temporary houses for poor people was implemented and initially brought good results. Most communes have gradually built rural roads, creating material facilities for education, especially primary schools, kindergartens, and commune health centers. Cultural villages have been built and developed in districts. National defense and security have been maintained and politics have been stable, and have well implemented the policy of socio-economic development combined with strengthening national defense and security in the new situation. The campaign to build a new lifestyle in the residential area was actively participated by the people, with many good models. The block of great solidarity of the whole people is increasingly expanding, working together to build a richer and more beautiful homeland.
The Party, army, and people of Thua Thien Hue will constantly promote their glorious revolutionary traditions, unite in one heart, and strive to write new pages for the cause of renovation, construction, and defense of the socialist Vietnamese Fatherland.
II - THUA THIEN HUE - THE NEW POSITION AND STRENGTH IN THE 21ST CENTURY
The twentieth century left in the history of Thua Thien Hue a deep imprint on the long and arduous struggles, along with the whole country to complete the national and democratic revolution to move towards socialism. Entering the Doi Moi period, with the virtue of diligence, bravery, hardship, solidarity, and loyalty, the Party Committee, the government, and the people of Thua Thien Hue together "fight back" against the violent waves of the sea, struggle against the floods and drought when the summer comes to turn their potentials and strengths into new strength and force in the 21st century - the century of integration and development.
Thua Thien Hue is an interesting area located in the North Central Coast, where Hue city - one of the famous big cities of Vietnam. Proud to be a cultural land with a long history and culture, a unique and patriotic tradition of glorious revolutionary struggle. Thua Thien Hue with its special strategic position was once the "fourth fence to the South" of Dai Viet, the "great capital of a direction".
Thua Thien Hue used to be the capital of the land of Dang Trong, the capital of Dai Viet during the Quang Trung - Nguyen Hue and Nguyen Dynasty (1802 - 1945). This place always holds a strategic position, a land that plays the role of connecting the North and the South. These factors bring Thua Thien Hue a very typical tradition, the glorious revolutionary tradition in the process of building and protecting the homeland today; also marked by many historical landmarks such as Duong Hoa war zone, Hoa My, A Luoi, Ho Chi Minh road,... four golden words were given by the Central Committee: "Forward, uprising, brave, resilient".
Thua Thien Hue is also proud to be a place to nurture the soul of the great son of the Vietnamese nation - President Ho Chi Minh and at the same time a place where many places still have traces of him such as Quoc Hoc Hue High School, the house in Duong No, Phu Duong - Phu Vang and at 112 Mai Thuc Loan Street.
Today, Thua Thien Hue is also known as a cultural - tourism center, intensive medical center, and high-quality multidisciplinary training center in Vietnam. Hue - the city of peace - festival - class I urban area in the province - is the pride and love of the people of the country.
That tradition and pride have always been recorded by generations of Thua Thien Hue people and are increasingly promoted as a driving force for development in the Doi Moi period and the construction of the homeland.
Promoting available potentials and strengths
Identified as one of the five provinces in the Central Key Economic Zone, Thua Thien Hue is located on the main traffic axis, has Chan May port, Thuan An port with a large scale serving the Central, Central Highlands and Mekong sub-region; Phu Bai airport is located on National Highway 1A, the trans-Vietnam railway runs along the province, with 86km border with Laos. With this position, Thua Thien Hue is identified as an important economic development pole of the central key economic region, a gateway to the East-West trade corridor connecting Myanmar, Thailand and Laos with the East Sea. With this favorable location, Thua Thien Hue has conditions to develop goods economy, and expand economic exchanges with localities in the country and the world.
Not only that, but Thua Thien Hue is also a convergence of cultural and economic factors of Dong Son and Sa Huynh cultures; of Indian culture, Chinese culture later became Western culture, creating a unique Hue cultural region in diversity and richness, contributing to creating a cultural identity of Vietnam. The complex of Hue Ancient Capital relics with masterpieces of royal architecture, cultural works, and mausoleums has been ranked by UNESCO as one of the world's great cultural heritages including tangible and intangible culture, where there are many famous historical, cultural and scenic relics such as Huong River, Ngu Mountain, Hai Van, Bach Ma Mountain, Lang Co Beach, Thuan An, Canh Duong and hundreds of pagodas with unique ethnic architecture such as Thien Mu Pagoda, Bao Quoc, Tu Dam,...
Besides the tangible cultural heritage, Thua Thien Hue also has a rich intangible culture. The types of arts, food festivals, traditional handicrafts and customs of Hue are diverse and unique. Hue Royal Music has been recognized by UNESCO as a masterpiece of intangible cultural heritage and traditions of humanity. As UNESCO Director said: "Hue is a masterpiece of poetry, of urban architecture, an exclusive city with priceless treasures, a strange museum of the material and spiritual culture of Vietnam".
With two ranked cultural heritages, Thua Thien Hue is the center of the journey path of Vietnam's world cultural heritage: Ha Long - Phong Nha - Hue - Hoi An - My Son - Ho Chi Minh Road has created a link in tourism with tourist routes in Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Da Nang, Quang Nam,... This is a great advantage of the province, allowing the development of tourism into a spearhead economic sector at national and international levels.
In addition to the assets that can be easily seen, in the deep ground, Thua Thien Hue is also endowed with rich and diverse resources, with more than 100 mineral sites with large reserves such as limestone, and black and gray granite that can be exploited and processed tens of thousands of m3/year, kaolin mines, peat, bentonite, oxyttiane, mineral water, forest, and marine resources.
In particular, Thua Thien Hue has the advantage of developing fisheries in all three regions: the sea, lagoon, and freshwater areas. The system of brackish lagoon in Tam Giang lagoon with a length of 70km, and an area of 22.000 hectares is the largest lagoon area in Southeast Asia, capable of cultivating and fishing a variety of special seafood for export. These factors create conditions for Thua Thien Hue to build models of integrated marine economic exploitation.
However, perhaps, the new human factor is decisive, creating the strongest attraction for investors to Hue. The people of Thua Thien Hue are civilized, polite, have a long tradition of studiousness and each person has a deep peculiarity of Hue culture. Hue University consists of 7 member universities (University of Education, University of Science, University of Medicine, University of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Arts and Technology, University of Economics, University of Foreign Languages), together with Phu Xuan University of Civil Affairs and a system of Colleges and Professional High Schools are the training centers of quality human resources for the Central and Central Highlands provinces. Hue Central Hospital is one of the three largest hospitals in the country, with high qualifications, and advanced techniques in medical examination and treatment, and is the nucleus of the Specialized Medical Center of the Central and the whole country. The information technology center has been operating effectively. These advantages allow Thua Thien Hue to build a knowledge economy for which the development strategy of the information technology and software industry is the first step.
Achievements after 30 years of development (1975 - 2005)
Immediately after the liberation on March 26, 1975, Thua Thien Hue embarked on the reconstruction of the homeland and built a material base for development on the basis of an economy severely damaged through the war. After 30 years of construction and development, the province's economy has achieved important achievements, overcoming the strict and difficult conditions of the country and political and financial crises in the world and in the region; overcoming the difficulties of severe natural disasters. particularly the historical events of the floods in November 1999. Since 1990, the province's economy has grown rapidly and quite comprehensively (an average of 8.4%/year, much higher than the 3.4%/year of the 1976 - 1989 period), and the period 2001 - 2005 averaged 9.5%/year. The economic potential was enhanced in an important step, the size of the whole economy in 2004 increased 2.5 times compared to 1990, of which industry increased 4.3 times, services increased 2.5 times, and agriculture increased 1.2 times. GDP per capita in 2004, reached $509, 2.3 times higher than in 1990.
The economic structure was transformed towards industrialization and modernization; the proportion of industry-construction increased from 19,7% 1990) to 34,1% 2004), the service sector increased correspondingly from 36,1% to 43,7%; the proportion of agriculture decreased rapidly from 44,2% to 22,2%.
Economic sectors are given opportunities and conditions for development. The highlight of the past five years has been the strong growth of the private sector. The number of newly registered enterprises in 5 years (2000-2004) is 5.6 times higher than the previous 9 years (1991 - 1999). The foreign-invested economic sector has only been formed since 1992 but has contributed significantly to the economic growth of the province, generating 40% of the production value of the whole industry, contributing nearly 10% of the province's GDP, 42% of the total local budget revenue.
Dynamic activities in Chan May Economic Zone - Lang Co
The significantly improved infrastructure laid the foundation for the process of industrialization - modernization and improvement of local economic potential. Compared to the 80s, construction investment in the renovation period has developed rapidly in terms of both capital scale and construction volume. Many new production capacities have been invested and are gradually taking effect such as horizontal traffic routes connecting to Hoa Xuan Bridge (Phong Dien), Truong Ha Bridge (Phu Vang), border gates connecting to Laos, Chan May deep-water port, Phu Bai airport, Ho Chi Minh road, Hai Van road tunnel... have created new opportunities for the socio-economic development of the province. Industrial zones, Phu Bai, Huong So, Tu Ha industrial clusters, Chan May economic and commercial development encouragement zone; tourist attractions clusters: Lang Co - Bach Ma - Hai Van; Thanh Tan, Tan My - Thuan An mineral water zone...have been deployed and are attracting investment, creating a new face for Thua Thien Hue in the production of goods and services. Hundreds of technical infrastructure works serving the festivals, physical training and sports at the national level are upgraded and newly built; along with the urban renovation process, many new urban areas are invested in construction, Hue city is recognized by the Government as a class I city directly under the province; institutions of Hue University, Central Specialized Health Center, which is Hue Central Hospital, are being invested and upgraded; projects to solidify schools, concretize rural traffic, solidify canals... are implemented and step by step put into use.
The work of caring for veterans families, martyrs, heroic Vietnamese mothers and those who have contributed to the country continues to be maintained and developed strongly. The movement "Repaying gratitude", "Serving heroic Vietnamese mothers", and building a House of gratitude was positively responded by all classes of people. The implementation of policies and regimes for people with meritorious services to water is timely and adequate, so life in all aspects of these objects is guaranteed.
In addition, Thua Thien Hue has been gradually solving social and urgent issues such as accelerating the campaign to eliminate poverty and reduce the number of poor households in the province to less than 8%. The program to remove temporary houses for poor people was implemented and initially brought good results. Especially in the mountainous districts of the South East and A Luoi, the province is focusing many resources on striving to basically complete the abolition of temporary houses for poor ethnic minorities in 2005, creating conditions for people to have stable lives to develop production and improve their lives. Other national target programs are implemented to contribute to creating a new rural face in remote and ethnic minority areas.
Careers in health, education, training, science and technology, sports and information culture are interested in development. The school system has been built more and more spacious, the whole province has universalized basic general education; 100% of communes, wards, and towns have health centers and doctors; the conservation and promotion of the values of ethnic culture and Hue culture are effectively implemented has contributed to building Hue into a center of national and international cultural exchange. one of the five national-level cities and is a typical Festival City of Vietnam.
The achievements and results of Thua Thien Hue in the process of struggle and creative labor after 30 years of construction and development are the continuation and promotion of the tradition of solidarity and self-reliance, which is the result of the continuous efforts of the Party Committee, all levels of government and all walks of life, under the wise and timely direction of the Party Central Committee and the Government of Vietnam; the help and support of the people throughout the country, Vietnamese people residing abroad, which are the premise to continue to bring the cause of building and protecting the beautiful homeland of Thua Thien Hue to a new and more comprehensive step in the 21st century.