80th National Day: Vietnam’s journey for independence, peace, development
The Tehran Times has recently published an article by Vietnamese Ambassador to Iran, Nguyen Luong Ngoc, highlighting Vietnam’s 80-year journey of struggle for independence, safeguarding peace, and fostering national development.
According to the article, in 1945, as the Vietnamese revolutionary movement reached its peak, the people rose and reclaimed power during the August Revolution. On September 2, 1945, in Hanoi, President Ho Chi Minh declared the country’s independence, giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam – the first workers’ and peasants’ state in Southeast Asia.
In 1986, the 6th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam adopted a landmark resolution that launched the Doi Moi (Renewal) – a comprehensive reform program, transforming the centrally planned economy into a socialist-oriented market economy. It promoted private enterprise, granted autonomy to farmers, opened the economy, expanded foreign relations, and pursued a policy of friendship with all nations, regardless of political system.
Over nearly four decades of Doi Moi, Vietnam has emerged as a developing country deeply integrated into the global political and economic landscape. The nation now maintains diplomatic ties with 194 countries and has established strategic partnerships and comprehensive strategic partnerships with dozens of them. Vietnam is an active, responsible member of more than 70 international organizations.
Between 1986 and 2024, Vietnam’s GDP grew at an average of 6–7% per year, rising from 8 billion USD to 476.3 billion USD – nearly sixtyfold. GDP per capita climbed from under 74 USD to 4,700 USD, a sixty-three-fold increase. Foreign direct investment reached nearly 520 billion USD from 151 countries and territories in the 1987 – 2025 period, according to VNA.
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| A firework display in Hanoi to celebrate the 80th National Day (Photo: VNA) |
From 2024 onwards, the Party has identified the country as standing at the threshold of a new stage of development – a decisive “era of rise” aimed at overcoming the middle-income trap. The goal is to become an upper middle-income country with a modern industrial base by 2030 and a high-income country by 2045. To this end, in just the first half of 2025, Vietnam streamlined its administrative apparatus, reducing the number of ministries and central agencies from 22 to 17, merging 63 provincial-level administrative units into 34, and establishing a two-tier local administration system nationwide. These reforms have cut around 100,000 civil service and administrative posts.
Science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation have been defined as “strategic breakthroughs”, while the private sector is recognised as the chief driver of the national economy. Green transition is regarded as an inevitable trend, with renewable energy targeted to account for 28–36% of GDP by 2030 and 75% by 2050. By 2030, the Vietnamese Government also aims to provide universal free healthcare services.
On Vietnam–Iran relations, the article underscored the considerable potential for cooperation. Vietnam expressed its wish to deepen ties with Iran across all fields, particularly in politics, economy, culture, and people-to-people exchanges.
Vietnamese, Cuban defense leaders reinforce 65-year special friendship
General Phan Van Giang and Senior Lieutenant General Álvaro López Miera reaffirmed the deep, long-standing solidarity between Vietnam and Cuba, highlighting comprehensive defense cooperation, high-level delegation exchanges, and joint initiatives such as the documentary Two Hearts, One Beat.
General Phan Van Giang, Politburo member, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, and Minister of National defense on September 3 hosted a welcome ceremony for a delegation of the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba (MINFAR), led by Senior Lieutenant General Álvaro López Miera, Politburo member and Minister of the MINFAR.
The visit takes place from August 31 to September 6, 2025, on the occasion of Cuba’s top defense official attending the celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and Vietnam’s National Day.
Both sides held talks immediately following the welcoming ceremony. Welcoming Senior Lieutenant General Álvaro López Miera and his delegation, General Phan Van Giang said that this visit of the Cuban Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces to Vietnam is particularly significant as it comes during the Vietnam–Cuba Friendship Year, marking the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations (1960- 2025).
The visit further contributes to reinforcing the special solidarity and traditional friendship between Vietnam and Cuba, and to enhancing cooperation between the two defense ministries.
Affirming the “pure, loyal, and strong” nature of the Vietnam–Cuba relationship, the Vietnamese Minister of National defense emphasized that over the past 65 years, this relationship has become a model symbol of international pure, loyal, and strong solidarity. Despite being separated by half the globe, the peoples of both countries have always stood shoulder to shoulder, supporting each other at every moment.
Vietnam has never forgotten Cuba’s enormous, sincere, and devoted support during the most difficult years of its struggle for national independence, reunification, and in the current efforts to build and safeguard the country. The immortal words of leader Fidel Castro “For Vietnam, Cuba is ready to give even its blood”, have become a shining symbol of the special traditional solidarity and friendship between the two nations, Giang went on.
General Phan Van Giang emphasized that, in the context of Cuba currently facing unprecedented difficulties, Vietnam deeply shares its concerns and is ready to accompany, support, and cooperate with Cuba to the extent of its capacity.
According to the Vietnamese Minister of National defense, in the overall framework of bilateral relations, defense cooperation has always been one of the key pillars, contributing to the promotion of cooperation in other sectors.
Military and defense cooperation between the two countries has increasingly been carried out in a comprehensive, substantive, and effective manner, with the exchange of delegations at various levels, particularly high-level delegations, being maintained regularly.
Party and political work within the armed forces has been actively promoted based on the signed Memorandum of Understanding, with prominent activities, including close coordination and effective dissemination regarding the Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Year on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of both nations’ diplomatic ties (1960-2025) and the 64th anniversary of Cuba’s historic Hiron victory (April 19, 1961 – April 19, 2025).
The two sides also successfully coordinated the screening and handover of episodes 4 and 5 of the documentary series Two Hearts, One Beat. Cooperation in training, defense industry, air defense – air force, military medicine, and exchanges and twin relationships continues to be implemented effectively.
During the talks, both sides exchanged views on the global and regional situation, as well as on each country’s armed forces. General Phan Van Giang emphasized that, as a nation having endured numerous sufferings and losses through wars, Vietnam consistently pursues an independent, self-reliant, peaceful, friendly, cooperative, and development-oriented foreign policy, diversifying and multilateralizing its international relations, according to VOV.
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| Overview of the talks (Photo: qdnd.vn) |
Vietnam is ready to cooperate with other countries and international organizations for peace, cooperation, and development; it upholds the “Four No’s” defense policy, adheres to the principle of resolving all disputes and disagreements by peaceful means based on international law, and respects multilateral mechanisms, especially those led by the United Nations and ASEAN.
The Cuban Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces stated that the achievements of the Vietnamese people over the past 80 years serve as a tremendous source of encouragement and motivation for the Cuban people at the present time. Cuba takes pride in having Vietnam as a fraternal nation and is always ready to strengthen the relationship between the two countries’ armed forces as a contribution to the development of the special traditional friendship between Vietnam and Cuba.
In the coming period, based on the signed agreements, the two sides will focus on several key areas of cooperation, including: strengthening exchanges of delegations at all levels, particularly high-level ones; maintaining exchanges among young officers and rest delegations; organizing exchanges of experience and expertise in areas of mutual interest; promoting party and political work within the armed forces, including proactively disseminating information and educating the public, youth, and international friends about the relations between the two countries and their armed forces on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of Vietnam–Cuba relations; closely coordinating in the production of episode 6 of the documentary series Two Hearts, One Beat; and stepping up cooperation in human resource training and defense industry.
At the conclusion of the talks, the two ministers signed a three-year cooperation plan for the 2026-2028 period.
Vietnam, Russia strengthen military ties at 8th defense dialogue
On September 3 in Hanoi, Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, Deputy Minister of National Defense of Vietnam, and Senior Lieutenant General Alexander Vasilyevich Fomin, Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, co-chaired the 8th Vietnam-Russia Strategic Defense Dialogue.
During the session, both sides discussed global and regional developments as well as issues of mutual concern. Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien emphasized that Vietnam remains steadfast in its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation, development, multilateralization, and diversification of international relations. He affirmed Vietnam’s commitment to cooperating with nations and international organizations for regional and global peace and development, while upholding the "four no’s" principle in defense policy.
Regarding the East Sea, Vietnam reiterated its consistent stance of resolving disputes through peaceful means based on international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), along with international and regional agreements such as the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC). Vietnam also supports the early adoption of a substantive and effective Code of Conduct (COC) for the region.
According to General Chien, defense cooperation between Vietnam and Russia has been actively and effectively implemented across several key areas. Vietnam also supports activities jointly hosted by Russia and Laos under the ADMM+ Expert Working Group on Humanitarian Mine Action for the 2024-2027 cycle.
Looking ahead, the two sides agreed to request that their respective agencies effectively implement signed cooperation agreements, focusing on exchanges of delegations at various levels and enhanced cooperation in military training, reported VNN.
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| Photo: VNN |
The two parties also plan to deepen cooperation between military services and arms branches, promote collaboration between agencies, units, academies, and military schools; and engage in the exchange of expertise, military medicine, and scientific research under the framework of the Vietnam-Russia Tropical Center. They also agreed to maintain coordination and consultation in international and multilateral defense forums, especially those led by ASEAN.
General Alexander Vasilyevich Fomin expressed confidence that the success of this 8th Strategic Defense Dialogue would help chart a sustainable and effective path for bilateral defense cooperation between Vietnam and Russia.
On this occasion, General Hoang Xuan Chien extended his gratitude to General Fomin and the Russian Ministry of Defense delegation for attending the 80th anniversary celebration of Vietnam’s August Revolution and National Day on September 2.
At the dialogue, under authorization from the President of Vietnam, General Hoang Xuan Chien awarded the Friendship Order to General Alexander Vasilyevich Fomin in recognition of his significant contributions to strengthening bilateral defense ties and advancing the traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Russia.
According to General Chien, the participation of the Russian delegation and its military contingent in the National Day military parade underscored the strong role of defense cooperation as a pillar in the longstanding and strategic friendship between the two countries.
He also noted that the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense is building a memorial at the Vietnam Military History Museum to honor Soviet military experts who supported Vietnam’s struggle for independence. This, he said, stands as a powerful testament to the deep bond and longstanding goodwill between the two nations and their armed forces.
Vietnam’s tourism booms over National Day holiday
The four-day National Day holiday from August 30 – September 2 gave a boost to Vietnam’s tourism, with a surge in both domestic and international visitors, contributing to driving the sector’s post-pandemic recovery and growth.
A wide range of cultural events, festivals, and promotional programmes were held nationwide, drawing large crowds of visitors. These positive results bring Vietnam closer to its 2025 targets of welcoming 25 million international arrivals and 150 million domestic tourists.
Hanoi tourism sets new record
As the host of the grand parade celebrating the 80th anniversary of National Day and the Exhibition on national achievements, Hanoi welcomed more than 2.08 million visitors during the holiday, triple the figure from the same period in 2024. Tourism revenue was estimated at 4.5 trillion VND (170.8 million), surging by about 80% compared to the same period in 2024.
The capital city served an estimated 80,000 international visitors, up 35% year-on-year, with top source markets including China, the Republic of Korea, India, the US, Japan, the UK, and Australia, cited VNA.
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| The National Achievements Exhibition themed “80 years of Independence – Freedom – Happiness” at the Vietnam Exposition Center in Dong Anh commune, draws nearly 1.2 million visitors in its first three days. (Photo: VNA) |
According to Truong Quoc Hung, Chairman of the UNESCO Hanoi Travel Club, the surge in international visitors during the National Day holiday is a positive signal for Vietnam’s tourism as it enters the peak inbound season in the fourth quarter. He attributed the result to proactive efforts by localities and businesses in investing in and diversifying tourism products to better meet the demand of international visitors.
During the holiday, inner-city and historical tours boomed, with many travel companies fully booked one to two months in advance. According to tour operators, domestic tours accounted for around 60% of total bookings at many agencies.
Notably, the National Achievements Exhibition themed “80 years of Independence – Freedom – Happiness” at the Vietnam Exposition Center in Dong Anh commune, which features 230 booths from ministries, 34 provinces and cities nationwide, and hundreds of businesses, drew nearly 1.2 million visitors in its first three days and continued to attract massive crowds in the following days.
Bustling tourism across localities nationwide
Many other localities have also reported sharp increases in visitor numbers and rising revenues.
Ho Chi Minh City served 1.45 million tourists during the holiday, up nearly 15% compared to the same period last year, including 45,600 international visitors. The southern hub recorded around 300,000 overnight stays with an average hotel occupancy of 87%. It reported an estimated 4.14 trillion VND (157 million USD) in tourism revenue.
Meanwhile, the central coastal city Da Nang, following its merger with former Quang Nam province, welcomed over 620,000 visitors, up 24% year-on-year, with international arrivals surging 49%. It raked in a over 2.2 trillion VND (83.37 million USD) in revenue, a 28% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
In Hai Phong, tourist arrivals exceeded 1 million, up 8% from 2024, including more than 29,500 international visitors.
Meanwhile, Quang Ninh, home to UNESCO-recognised Ha Long Bay, welcomed about 339,000 visitors, equivalent to 75% of the same period in 2024, including 65,000 foreigners and 274,000 domestic travelers. Its tourism revenue in the period was estimated at 932 billion VND, or 90% of last year’s figure.
Vu Quoc Tri, Secretary General of the Vietnam Tourism Association, said that the early and widespread promotion of the National Day holiday, tied to the country’s historic milestone, helped boost tourist numbers, particularly domestic travelers. Tourism businesses, especially in Hanoi, made strong efforts to accommodate the record surge in visitors.
He noted that this is a positive signal for Vietnam’s tourism sector, providing momentum for the industry to meet its 2025 targets in both visitor growth and revenue.
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