On December 30, the 18th Hanoi Trade Union Congress for the 2025–2030 term opened its formal session at the Vietnam–Soviet Friendship Labor Cultural Palace.

The congress served as a broad and democratic political event and a major gathering for trade union officials, members and all levels of the capital's trade unions, guided by the motto "Solidarity – Democracy – Discipline – Innovation – Development."

Attendees included former Politburo member and former Hanoi Party Secretary Pham Quang Nghi, Party Central Committee member, Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor Nguyen Dinh Khang, Party Central Committee member, Vice Chairwoman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and President of the Vietnam Women's Union Nguyen Thi Tuyen.

From Hanoi, Standing Vice Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Nguyen Van Phong, Standing Committee member of the Hanoi Party Committee and Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Hanoi Bui Huyen Mai, Standing Committee member and Head of the Hanoi Party Committee's Internal Affairs Commission Tran Dinh Canh, and Standing Committee member and Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen Manh Quyen attended the congress.

Also attending were members of the Presidium, representatives of departments and units, members of the working group guiding the congress from the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, members of the Hanoi Party Committee Standing Committee, leaders of the Hanoi People's Council, Hanoi People's Committee and Vietnam Fatherland Front of Hanoi, and 550 official delegates representing nearly 600,000 trade union members.

In his opening speech, Nguyen Van Thang, President of the 17th-term Hanoi Federation of Labor, said trade union activities during 2023–2025 took place amid post-Covid-19 impacts, complex global economic and political developments and the strong influence of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

At the same time, the labor market faced job pressures that directly affected the lives and incomes of tens of thousands of workers and union members.

With the approach of "taking grassroots units as the operational base and workers and union members as the center", Hanoi's trade unions turned challenges into motivation and met or exceeded most targets set by the 17th Congress resolution.

Trade unions strengthened their role in representing and protecting workers' rights in a more substantive and effective manner. They also renewed and diversified their content and methods in creative ways.

The most notable achievement of the past term was the effective implementation of grassroots democracy regulations, which helped build harmonious and stable labor relations.

Trade unions have proactively contributed to policymaking and worked closely with the Hanoi People’s Committee to organize dialogue forums. These efforts have enabled the timely receipt and resolution of nearly 1,600 worker petitions on key issues, including social insurance, housing, education, and welfare.

Each year, 78% of enterprises organized workers' conferences, while more than 82% of units established grassroots democracy regulations.

Collective bargaining and the signing of collective labor agreements also received strong attention. A total of 4,707 enterprises with grassroots unions successfully signed agreements, reaching 82.3% and secured benefits for workers that exceeded legal requirements on wages, bonuses and working conditions.

With more than 31,000 occupational safety officers at 4,015 workplaces, trade unions effectively protected workers' health and safety. They also expanded legal consultation and assistance, reinforcing their role as a trusted representative of the working class.

During 2023–2025, Hanoi's trade unions supported more than 2.1 million workers, civil servants and employees, with total funding exceeding VND877 billion (US$33.3 million).

The key programs included "Tet Reunion", "Trade Union Tet Markets" and free transport to help workers return home for Tet (Lunar New Year).

The Worker Capital Support Fund disbursed nearly VND229 billion ($8.7 million) to 6,340 union members to support household economic development.

Solidarity and mutual support were widely fostered through the construction of 93 “Trade Union Shelters” and the mobilization of VND1.8 trillion (US$68.4 million) in social resources to support disadvantaged workers.

Programs such as "Trade Union Meals", cancer screening health checks for more than 15,900 female workers and the installation of 116 breast milk storage rooms at workplaces showed the union's close attention to specific worker needs.

At the same time, Hanoi's trade unions actively streamlined their organizational structure, especially under the two-tier local government model, to improve leadership efficiency.

They also began applying digital transformation in member management, financial administration and worker engagement.

Patriotic emulation movements such as "Excellent Workers", "Creative Workers", innovation initiatives and the "Capital's Outstanding Worker" title spread widely and contributed significantly to economic growth and social stability.

At the congress, grassroots unions discussed and proposed solutions to renew representation work and improve workers' material and spiritual well-being.

They proposed that the National Assembly hold thematic voter meetings with workers to better understand their aspirations and living conditions and to monitor how competent authorities resolve worker petitions.

They also urged the government to prioritize worker housing and cultural facilities when approving industrial zones, alongside synchronized investment in housing, schools, and other social infrastructure.

On behalf of the Presidium of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, President Nguyen Dinh Khang praised and congratulated Hanoi's trade unions for their achievements during the past term.

He expressed strong agreement with the new-term orientation and highlighted five key tasks.

First, trade unions must strengthen their role in representing and protecting workers' legitimate rights, with a focus on essential policies such as housing and childcare.

They should improve both the quantity and quality of collective bargaining and address new issues, such as training rights for digital transformation, to ensure stable and sustainable jobs.

Second, trade unions must renew and diversify communication methods to improve effectiveness and relevance, align with workers' needs and habits, promote cultural values and lifestyles and safeguard the Party's ideological foundation.

Third, Hanoi should lead nationwide in applying science and technology, driving digital transformation and building a flexible "digital trade union" model.

Trade unions should encourage workers to improve skills and digital literacy, innovate actively and join the "digital literacy movement" to master technology as pioneers of digital transformation.

Fourth, the capital's trade unions should improve the quality of patriotic emulation movements and create favorable conditions for workers to contribute ideas and innovations as a leading force.

Finally, developing union membership and establishing grassroots unions in private enterprises and the informal sector must remain a top priority.

Expressing confidence in the new executive committee, President Khang said Hanoi's trade unions would successfully implement the 18th Congress resolution and help build a civilized and modern capital as the country enters a new development era.

Delivering guidance at the congress, Standing Vice Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Nguyen Van Phong said the city achieved comprehensive results across all fields during the 2020–2025 term, with significant contributions from workers and trade unions.

He said Hanoi's economy is developing in a modern and sustainable direction, focusing on digital transformation, science, technology and high-quality services.

The city combines growth with environmental protection, green development and balanced development between the urban core and satellite areas. Hanoi has also introduced a Happiness Index into its Party Congress documents.

"All activities of government at every level must aim at improving the material and spiritual lives of the people and raising the overall Happiness Index of the capital," Phong said.

Workers and employees contribute directly to Hanoi's development every day and every hour. They deserve to fully benefit from the city's growth."

He called on authorities, the city's federation of labor and all trade unions to promptly study, implement and translate the congress resolution into concrete programs and plans for the 2025–2030 term, creating strong momentum in the worker movement and trade union activities.

During implementation, trade unions should proactively propose practical mechanisms and policies to comprehensively improve workers' living standards.

On behalf of the congress presidium and all workers and union members, Nguyen Van Thang, President of the 17th-term Hanoi Federation of Labor, thanked and fully accepted the guidance from Nguyen Dinh Khang and Nguyen Van Phong.

He pledged that the Standing Committee and Executive Committee of the Hanoi Federation of Labor would remain united, uphold absolute trust in Party leadership and translate leaders' guidance into the congress resolution.

Thang also committed that the federation would continue to renew its content and methods and successfully implement the 18th Hanoi City Trade Union Congress resolution for the 2025–2030 term.

With the spirit of "Solidarity – Democracy – Discipline – Innovation – Development", the congress elected 50 members to the 18th-term Executive Committee for 2025–2030 and selected a delegation of 27 official and three alternate delegates to attend the 14th Vietnam Trade Union Congress.

At its first meeting, the new Executive Committee elected a 14-member Standing Committee.

Thang, who is a Presidium member of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, a member of the Hanoi Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Hanoi, was re-elected as President of the Hanoi Federation of Labor.

The meeting also elected Le Dinh Hung, Nguyen Huy Khanh and Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy as vice presidents and selected a nine-member inspection committee.