Party General Secretary To Lam speaks at the Politburo’s working session. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA

Mr. Lam said Hanoi should focus on promoting the unique cultural values of the thousand-year-old capital, while shaping elegant, civilized, modern, and humane Hanoians. Hanoi, a political and cultural center of Vietnam, must build an image of a green, smart, livable capital, which is appealing both domestically and internationally, he noted.

For Ho Chi Minh City, the Party leader stressed the need to establish a new growth model based on science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation; develop a knowledge-based economy with high added value to become a civilized, modern urban area. The city must be a center for innovation and development and a leader in national industrialization and modernization with a prominent position in Southeast Asia, he said.

Party General Secretary To Lam chaired the Politburo's working session with the Hanoi Party Committee Standing Board. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA

HCM city’s vision toward 2045 is to stand on a par with major cities worldwide; to be a leading economic, financial, and tourism center in Asia; to be an attractive destination where the economy, culture, and society thrive in a distinctive, sustainable way, with high quality of life and deep international integration. It should rank among the world’s top 100 smart and sustainable cities; and to become a model socialist city of Vietnam. The Party leader emphasized the need to build Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City into orderly, secure, and welcoming destinations for the world.