On September 2, 1945, at historic Ba Dinh Square, President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence, proclaiming the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and opening a new era of independence and freedom for the Vietnamese nation. More than eight decades on, the spirit of that Independence Autumn remains a source of strength inspiring successive generations of Vietnamese people to continue building a prosperous and happy country. For Quang Ninh, this year’s National Day carries even greater significance as the National Assembly adopted the Resolution on the establishment of Quang Ninh City on August 24, 2026.
From the spirit of independence to aspirations for progress
The victory of the August Revolution and the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam on September 2, 1945 marked one of the most glorious milestones in the nation’s history. From the status of a colonial country, the Vietnamese people became masters of their country and their own destiny. National independence was henceforth closely associated with the right to live, work and create, and with the aspiration to build an increasingly prosperous and strong nation.
For Quang Ninh, that spirit has been nurtured through successive revolutionary periods and blended with the Mining Area’s tradition of “Discipline and Solidarity”.
Looking back at the recent period further highlights the value of that strength. During 2021–2025, despite unprecedented impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters and many unpredictable fluctuations in the global economy, Quang Ninh maintained average economic growth of 10.4% a year, 1.7 times the national average.
National Day 2026 comes to Quang Ninh at another moment of historic significance. On August 24, 2026, the National Assembly adopted the Resolution on the establishment of Quang Ninh City, which officially took effect on September 1, 2026. Quang Ninh thus realised its goal of becoming a city before 2030 earlier than planned. Its new status also brings higher requirements for governance capacity, growth quality, infrastructure, culture, human development, social welfare, and national defence and security.
New status, new determination
Quang Ninh identifies socio-economic development and environmental protection as the central task; Party building as the key task; cultural and human development as the foundation; and national defence and security, external relations and international integration as important and regular tasks.
The Resolution of the Quang Ninh Party Congress for the 2025–2030 term sets the following targets: average GRDP growth of 12% a year; GRDP per capita of USD 20,000; processing and manufacturing accounting for more than 18% of GRDP; the digital economy accounting for 30% of GRDP; total factor productivity TFP contributing more than 55% to growth; and the private sector contributing around 40–45% of GRDP.
Alongside economic development, environmental protection has become a criterion for growth quality. By 2030, Quang Ninh targets supplying clean water through centralised systems to more than 99% of the urban population; ensuring that 100% of operating industrial parks and industrial clusters have centralised wastewater treatment systems meeting discharge standards; and maintaining forest coverage above 50%.
In a city with both land and maritime borders, an international border gate, a seaport system and a particularly important strategic position in the northeastern region, development must be closely linked with safeguarding the Fatherland. Quang Ninh identifies the continued maintenance of national defence and security, political stability, and social order and safety; the protection of national sovereignty; and the building of a border of peace, stability, friendship, cooperation and development as key priorities, while proactively advancing international integration and effectively participating in economic corridors.
More than eight decades after the historic autumn of 1945, the country has travelled a long journey. The value of independence today is measured not only by firmly safeguarded national sovereignty, but also by the prosperous, free and happy lives of the people, and by a self-reliant and resilient country with an increasingly prominent position.
For Quang Ninh, National Day 2026 therefore carries special significance. From the land of “Discipline and Solidarity”, and from an industrial locality once heavily dependent on natural resources, Quang Ninh has persistently renewed its growth model, developed infrastructure, expanded its development space and gradually risen to a new stature, worthy of being a source of pride for the northeastern region and the country as a whole.
By Manh Truong
