(VOVworld) – The national flag was raised on the roof of the Independence Palace 39 years ago, marking the collapse of the puppet regime and opening a new era of development in Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh city. VOV reports on changes in the city since its liberation day April 30th 1975.


These days, lots of people visit the Independence Palace to get a glimpse of the development of Ho Chi Minh city after nearly 4 decades. Le Van Thoa from Binh Dinh province says: “Ho Chi Minh city has seen an unprecedented change. It has become more beautiful with many factories, companies and modernized infrastructure. This breakthrough has been a result of hard work and creativity.”

Thoa is particularly interested in the city’s development because he was engaged in the struggle to liberate it 40 years ago. Thoa says that between 1975 and 1985, the city made it easier for production by establishing new management mechanisms models. It embarked on renovations from 1986 to 1995 in line with the resolution of the 6th National Party Congress. After Vietnam joined the World Trade Organization in 2006, Ho Chi Minh city has been able to maintain its rapid and sustainable growth and has been among the country’s top investment destinations. War veteran Tran Anh Kiet from Dong Nai province says he is impressed by the city’s development over the last few years: “I see great changes whenever I visit Ho Chi Minh city. This city develops even more than Hanoi and Da Nang in terms of the economy and social welfare. Leadership at all levels has been consolidated and people’s living standards have improved considerably.”


Kiet says that upgraded and expanded infrastructure is vivid evidence of Ho Chi Minh city’s growth. Meanwhile, according to teachers and students of Binh Duong University of Economics and Technology, Ho Chi Minh city has the highest growth rate in Vietnam. During the 2001-2005 period, its GDP growth rate was 12%, even higher than the national level. 30-year-old lecturer Tran van Bien says: “The infrastructure has been modernized and young people have more job opportunities.”

Changes since liberation day have given residents of Ho Chi Minh city the hope that the city will be on par with other cities in the region in the near future.