HCMC’s ten most significant events in 2021

1. The successful organization of election of deputies to the 15th National Assembly and People's Councils at all levels for the 2021-26 tenure.

In May, HCMC successfully organized the election of deputies to the 15th National Assembly (NA) and People's Councils at all levels for the 2021-26 tenure with the election turnout rate of 99.6 percent. The city had 30 newly-elected deputies of NA and 94 deputies of the HCMC People’s Council.

2. Thu Duc City- the first “city-within-city” of HCMC

On December 9, 2020, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly issued the Resolution 1111/NQ-UBTVQH14 on arranging administrative units at district and commune levels and establishing Thu Duc City that is the first city using the city-within-city model in the country. The forming of Thu Duc City is a change of the Government's organizational structure with the implementation of the Resolution No.131/2020/QH14 (NQ131) in organizing urban administration in HCMC.

3. HCMC has been severely hit by the fourth wave of Covid-19

HCMC has become the country’s epicenter of the fourth wave of Covid-19 outbreak. The city has simultaneously implemented prevention and control measures focusing on media, propaganda, detection of early Covid-19 cases, immediate isolation, contact tracing on suspected cases and effective treatment.

HCMC has mobilized resources with the biggest number ever to fight the disease in the city, including more than 80,000 healthcare workers and offered seven channels of the Covid-19 support hotline 1022 to meet 2.1 million calls during five months. The city imposed stricter social distancing measures under the Directive 16 to contain Covid-19 from August 23-September 15.

4. HCMC's emergency response plan for the pandemic

HCMC is the first locality offering three Covid-19 relief packages and bags of food and essential goods to support people affected by the pandemic, promptly carrying out vaccine campaigns and establishment of mobile healthcare stations and community-based Covid-19 care teams to monitor and treat F0 cases at home.

The municipal People’s Council issued three directives on caring and supporting needy residents and frontline forces.

The municipal government called for the community’s forces to participate in the fight against Covid-19 and built the HCMC Center for Social Security to receive essential commodities and distribute food aid to help the needy amid social distancing order.

Organizations, people and businesses joined hands with the city to participate in pandemic prevention and control activities. Many acts of kindness spread across city amid Covid-19 outbreak, such as “Accompanying healthcare workers” program, Zero-VND markets, Zero-VND stalls, free rice and egg ATMs and free meals for the poor throughout the city along with a lot of donations of medical supplies.

5. The whole country supports HCMC to defeat Covid-19 pandemic

The whole political system, the frontline forces of workers and officers in the sectors of health, police and military along with people took part in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Residents strictly complied with strict social distancing, prevention and control measures.

The Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Health, provinces and cities throughout the country helped HCMC build field hospitals for Covid-19 treatment.

6. The “People Ask, City Answers” program

The HCMC Department of Information and Communications in coordination with the Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information under the Ministry of Information and Communications organized a program called “People Ask, City Answers”. The talks between the city’s leaders and residents about the orientations and plans of the city on the Covid-19 prevention and control attracted more than 50 million views and 220,000 comments.

7. National memorial service held to remember Covid-19 victims

A national Covid-19 remembrance day to commemorate lives lost to the pandemic was held on November 19 in main cities of Hanoi and HCMC along with other localities. The main ceremony took place at the Reunification Palace in HCMC while the event was also organized at Thong Nhat Park in the capital city of Hanoi. The event aims to express sympathy for families who have suffered a loss during this pandemic, encourage Covid-19 victims’ relatives to overcome their grief and difficulties as well as remind people not to neglect preventive measures against Covid-19 and work on economic recovery in the city in the new normal state.

8. Improving investment environment

The city has continuously implemented the dual goal of both economic development and effective anti-epidemic, and carried out the “safe, flexible adaptation to and effective control of Covid-19” program and tasks of supporting enterprises to resume their operation, improving investment environment and accompanying enterprises to overcome difficulties.

Notably, the National Assembly has allowed HCMC to retain 21 percent of its budget revenues equivalent to more than VND41,500 billion (US$1.8 billion) instead of 18 percent.

9. Coordination of People’s Public Security Forces and armed forces in fighting against Covid-19 and ensuring national defense and social security.

The HCMC armed forces have launched many campaigns to defeat the virus and crack down on criminals to maintain social order in the city as well as carried out the procedures of being granted chip-based ID cards and guaranteed important political events of the country and city.

10. Taking advantages of opportunities to strengthen digital transformation and creative foreign affairs

Many high tech solutions have been implemented during the pandemic, such as e-Health Declaration at public points taken via QR Code scanning, Covid-19 vaccination management system, digital map system, video conference between the Government and localities at all levels.

The coverage of 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G mobile networks have been presented in HCMC.

In addition, the city has actively applied technology in promoting Vietnamese images to international markets, improving and strengthening the relationship and cooperation with countries and territories during the social distancing period via virtual and direct contacts.