**In less than 700 days to go, Thang Long – Hanoi shall embark on the 2nd millennium. Each and every individual from Hanoi today feels the great historic significance. Surprisingly, the ancient capital city, having undergone a thousand years of evolution, remains fresh and ready to fly higher and farther. It is like the Red River that keeps carrying alluvia and embanking Hanoi which is literally translated as “inside river” city.
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**As the capital city, Hanoi has for generations represented the quintessence from all parts of the country. In 2008, Hanoi expanded its administrative boundaries, thus adding up potentials and opportunities for development and to deserve the status of the 1000-years-old capital city. In face of the current global economic downturn and recession, the highest demand is to maintain social stability for the capital city with an area today 3.6 times larger than before expansion and a population of 6.2 million people. Although Hanoi is not yet wealthy, its population’s livelihood is improving day by day. In 2008, the capital city’s economic growth rate reached 10.58%; the total social inputs in particular increased by 19.3%. Per capita income for Hanoi people in 2008 was $1,500 and it’s expected to rise to $1765 in 2009. Yet, the pending problem is the big gap between Hanoi’s urban areas and its rural suburbs. With the new administration boundaries in place, Hanoi gives priority to implementing overall zoning and specific planning for its different regions. A modern new Hanoi will take shape after the completion of the belt road networks, the North-South socio-economic artery roads (in former Ha Tay province), the Nhat Tan, Vinh Tuy and Thanh Tri bridges and their link-up roads.
On October 10th, 2008 (the 998th anniversary of Hanoi), the Prime Minister issued a Directive and approved a scheme of projects to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long – Hanoi. This aims to further enhance economic growth, make Hanoi more modern and civilized with imposing buildings and magnificent projects for future generations.
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All such ambitious projects could only be realized with the people who have relevant lifestyles, ethics, capacity and a strong will to cope with adverse challenges of the renovation process and global integration today. It rests with training the young generations properly to become real masters of the nation and the expanded capital city in particular.
Also in 2008, the local authorities completed the dossier on cultural heritage of the ancient Thang Long royal citadel to submit to UNESCO for recognition as a world cultural heritage site. Hanoi people expect to get positive response for its proposal before the official celebration of the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long – Hanoi. In the spirit of “Hanoi for the entire nation”, the capital city will join Ho Chi Minh City in erecting monuments to President Ho Chi Minh and President Ton Duc Thang in Thong Nhat (Reunification) park in Hanoi, and will join Bac Ninh province to the north in conserving Phat Tich pagoda and the Do Temple relic area dedicated to the 8 Kings of the Ly dynasty. Hanoi will join hands with Ninh Binh province some 100 km to the south to restore and conserve the ancient capital of Hoa Lu and rebuild the citadel gate to the Hoa Lu relic area. The capital city and the port city of Hai Phong will make joint efforts in preserving the Tuong Long national relic site related to the Ly dynasty which was built in 1057 under King Ly Thanh Tong era.
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One important task being undertaken is reviewing all cultural values that have been accumulated after thousands of years on the site of the ancient capital city. This will provide a big picture of what has been done and what remains undone to draw learning lessons and work out plans and programs of action for the future. Many research projects and schemes of institutes, universities and the Hanoi Party Organization shall be presented and evaluated on this occasion. In particular, 100 books and publications on the common theme of “Thang Long of 1000 years of cultural evolution” have been assigned to renowned leading scholars, researchers and writers to compile and complete. The Hanoi Literature and Art Association has submitted overall review works of all of their disciplines of studies from ancient to current topics. Among these publications, the two most prominent are the book “Men of letters of Thang Long”, shedding light on scholars throughout the evolution of ancient Thang Long and the “Dictionary on culture and civilization of 1000-year-old Thang Long”.
At a recent meeting of the National Steering Committee on Celebrations of Thang Long – Hanoi, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung made an observation that instead of choosing only October 10th, 2010 as the official day to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long – Hanoi we should celebrate the event within a decade from 2010 till 2020. He argued that it would be more worthwhile and comprehensive to commemorate the whole history of 1000 years of evolution and development of the capital city within one decade. What’s more, by 2020, Vietnam is expected to basically become a modern industrial nation.
I highly appreciate his idea because as a matter of fact, several projects, which are scheduled to complete by 2010, but for different reasons, are unable to beat the deadline. Meanwhile, several other projects are planned to kick off in 2010. So, once they are completed, it’s already behind the celebrations of the millennium anniversary of Thang Long – Hanoi. For example, among the major projects to commemorate the event, the plan and design of Co Loa Citadel relic area will not be submitted until the second quarter of 2009, how can it finish by 2010? Another important project, the Cultural Village of Vietnamese ethnic groups will be impossible to complete by 2010 as it has not yet started. Another typical project of Hanoi, the Thang Long Opera House, with all the typical features of Hanoi’s architecture and expected to overwhelm the existing Opera House built under the French domination, has not yet decided on the final design.
The commemoration of the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long – Hanoi will be an important event in the nation’s history. It will be an opportunity to highlight the ethic “When drinking water, remember its source” and to educate the nation’s historical and revolutionary traditions. Each and every Hanoi individual, from his or her realistic work, shall contribute to making Hanoi worthy of its stature and status as the capital city and the responsibility and passion “Hanoi for the rest of the nation”.
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