Decision No. 01/1998/QD-TTg on approving the overall plan for economic and social development in the Mekong Delta region from now until 2010.

 

Pursuant to …;

Regarding the approval of the overall planning for economic and social development in the Mekong Delta region from now until 2010

PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the Government Organization Law dated September 30, 1992;

Considering the proposal of the Chairman of the State Investment Project Appraisal Council at Document No. 6921/HĐTĐ dated October 31, 1997

Pursuant to …;

Article 1. Approve the overall planning for economic and social development in the Mekong Delta region comprising twelve provinces (Long An, Tien Giang, Dong Thap, Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, Can Tho, Soc Trang, Ben Tre, An Giang, Kien Giang, Bac Lieu, Ca Mau) with the following main contents:

I. MAIN DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES:

1. On economy:

Strive to increase the average GDP per capita by 1.5 times from now until 2000 and by 3.54 times compared to 1994 by 2010.

Develop foreign economic relations, striving to achieve an average growth rate of 18% per year from now until 2010; export turnover reaching 1.49 billion USD in 2000 and 8.6 billion USD in 2010.

Implement the internal accumulation investment ratio from the economy to reach 11.6% of GDP during the period from now until 2000; and reach 15.5% of GDP during the period 2001-2010.

Strive to innovate technology and equipment, with an innovation rate of 15% per year for existing equipment and technology; equip advanced technology for new facilities; create agricultural and industrial products and services competitive on the market.

2. On society:

Create jobs, reduce the number of unemployed workers, strive to increase the proportion of industrial, construction, and service labor to 50% of the region's workforce; by 2005, basically eliminate poverty; by 2000, electrify rural areas 100%, with 90% of rural households using electricity and 100% of rural residents having access to clean water, more than 90% of the population living in sturdy and semi-sturdy houses.

Strive to universalize primary education for children by 2000, universalize junior secondary education in cities and towns by 2010; diversify vocational training forms, bringing the technical labor ratio to 30% by 2010.

Consolidate and develop the healthcare network, focusing on primary health care for the people; ensure basic needs for the people, focusing on improving living conditions in remote, border, and island areas. Build a fair and civilized society; build a healthy community culture, eradicate social evils.

Strive to develop the economy and society in conjunction with improving the ecological environment and sustainable development.

3. On national security and defense.

Ensure discipline, maintain social order and safety, closely link economic development with national defense consolidation, ensuring political security, and safeguarding national sovereignty.

II. MAIN DEVELOPMENT TASKS:

1. On developing agriculture, forestry, and fisheries:

On agriculture: Strive to achieve an annual growth rate of 5% for the agricultural sector from now until 2010.

Strive to increase the production of high-quality rice and specialty crops, aiming for an export volume of 3.5 to 4 million tons of rice per year by 2010.

Shift the agricultural structure, raise the livestock share from the current 20% to 37% by 2010, making livestock farming the main production industry; build an ecologically sustainable agricultural foundation; increase the commercialization rate of agricultural products, expand markets to serve exports. Develop agriculture to provide raw materials for processing industries. Change crop patterns, emphasizing intensive cultivation of rice, researching seasonal changes in some crops to prevent natural disasters and floods. Focus on land fund usage and structural changes towards diversified products, specialized high-yield areas, ensuring quality; by 2010, agricultural land should reach 3.5 to 4 million hectares. Concentrate on exploiting the Dong Thap Muoi area, West Song Hau, and the Ca Mau Peninsula.

On forestry: Carry out afforestation and forest protection work to restore and protect the ecological environment, forming a defensive line along the East Sea. Plant new trees and protect protective forests in the Seven Mountains area, stabilize the area of melaleuca trees, and maintain the area of water coconut trees, protecting mangrove forests. Promote scattered tree planting, closely combining agricultural, forestry, irrigation, and aquaculture development. Gradually implement land allocation and forest management contracts to combine garden cultivation and production, integrating shrimp farming with forest planting.

On fisheries: Leverage the strengths of the long coastline, wide fishing grounds, and local experience in aquaculture and fishing. Strengthen the capacity of this important economic sector, contributing 50% of the country's seafood export value. Invest in modern equipment for fishing vessels to gradually enhance distant-water fishing.

Develop high-value aquaculture: shrimp, crab, and other specialty products with high export value. Encourage production models suitable for the region's conditions to contribute to economic restructuring, meeting production and living requirements.

2. On developing the industrial sector:

Strive to achieve an average industrial growth rate of 13% per year from now until 2000, and 14% per year from 2001 to 2010.

Focus on developing food processing industries to reach over 60% of the industrial sector by 2010. Develop garment, textile, leather shoe, machinery, electronics, building materials, chemical, animal feed processing industries... producing high-tech products competitive in the market.

Gradually reform to create a shift in the economic structure of the region.

Vigorously attract domestic and foreign investment. Prepare conditions for investing in industrial zones when opportunities arise: Tra Noc, Nam Hung Phu, Vi Thanh, Ben Luc, Duc Hoa, Cau Van, Go Den, Luong Hoa, Can Duoc, Nam Can, Ca Mau, Bac Lieu, Dai Ngai, Dai An, Tra Vinh City, Bac My Thuan, Binh Minh, Bac Co Chieng, Dieu Ga, Tan Quy Tay, Tran Quoc Toan, My Tra, Song Hau, Kien Luong, Ba Hon, Hon Chong, Rach Gia, Tac Cau, Ben Nhut, Phu Quoc, Vam Cong, Chau Doc, Seven Mountains, Chau Thanh (Tien Giang), Cai Lay, Go Cong Dong. Gradually establish industrial zones according to the principle of completing each zone thoroughly, not spreading resources thinly, to achieve high economic efficiency.

Focus on developing industries that can utilize local labor resources and be dispersed with medium and small-sized factories using advanced technology to address employment and contribute to industrializing rural areas.

3. On developing trade and service sectors:

Strive for an average growth rate of 11% per year from now until 2000 and 13% per year during the period from 2001 to 2010.

The development of the trade sector and service industries must promote the development of the entire regional economy to achieve set economic and social goals.

Establish commercial centers, supermarkets, market networks... to create a favorable environment for production and business operations. From now until 2010, build a regional commercial center in Can Tho as the hub for inter-regional trade activities. Simultaneously, construct several provincial-level commercial centers such as Tan An, Cao Lanh, My Tho, Long Xuyen, Rach Gia, Soc Trang, Tra Vinh, Vinh Long, Ben Tre, Ca Mau, Bac Lieu, Ha Tien, Chau Doc, Tan Chau, and Moc Hoa... to provide commercial information, organize and manage import and export activities, and facilitate the circulation of goods for production and daily life.

Adjust the structure of the service industry towards prioritizing tourism, financial services, banking, telecommunications, technology transfer, and encouraging various economic components to participate in service activities.

Leverage geographical advantages to rapidly develop tourism, orchard, ecological, and other industries, connecting with Ho Chi Minh City, key economic zones, and inter-regional tourist routes: Central Highlands, Southeast Region, to attract visitors. Build a comprehensive infrastructure, technical facilities, exploit while preserving and maintaining natural resources, and promoting ethnic cultural identity.

4. On infrastructure:

Develop transportation networks: waterways, roads, and aviation according to planning. Pay special attention to rural transportation networks, remote areas, border regions, creating conditions for difficult regions, former resistance bases, islands.

Upgrade coastal ports and ports along the Mekong River branches, regularly dredge channels, especially the Dinh An, My Tho, Tran De gates.

Upgrade national highways in the region, complete the transportation system of provinces. Link transportation with the completion of irrigation systems, bridges, and flood control works. While combating salinity intrusion and acidification, it is important to focus on maintaining freshwater.

Develop Trang Noc Airport into a central airport of the Mekong Delta, manage and preserve other airports for potential use when needed.

Upgrade and construct new water supply and drainage systems for urban areas, industrial zones, focusing on addressing the clean water needs of rural residents.

Construct new and upgrade existing school, hospital, and cultural house systems to meet social needs.

Regarding postal and telecommunications: modernize postal and telecommunications towards automation, digitalization, and network synchronization to meet domestic information requirements and international exchanges.

Regarding power grid: invest in building new and upgrading existing thermal power plants at Trang Noc, complete the 220KV and 110KV transmission lines, expand existing substations, and build distribution substations to meet production and living requirements. Emphasize electrifying rural areas and serving industrialization.

Regarding urban networks and territorial space: construct new and renovate to form multi-level urban networks, striving for an urbanization rate of 19% in this region by 2000 and 30% by 2010. Develop three urban areas: the central quadrangle (Can Tho, Long Xuyen, Vinh Long, and Cao Lanh cities); organize the East-South territorial space (My Tho, Tan An, Thu Thua, Ben Luc cities...) and the West-North urban territorial space along the Gulf of Thailand. Pay special attention to organizing the development of rural residential areas, particularly rural urbanization; create conditions for border regions, coastal island areas, flood-prone regions, and address disparities between regions.

5. On culture, education, healthcare, and society:

Develop and improve the quality and effectiveness of the education and training system to raise public awareness and meet human resource needs for industrialization and modernization in the region and nationwide.

Renovate, upgrade, and construct new facilities; consolidate and develop multi-disciplinary hospitals to serve primary health care, disease prevention, and medical treatment for the people, effectively implement population and family planning programs. Gradually socialize healthcare services to combat infectious diseases, promote rational nutrition, and improve living and working environmental hygiene.

Continue to innovate and enhance the effectiveness of cultural work, radio, television, physical education and sports to reach advanced levels worthy of their role as a driving force for development. Study and apply advanced science and technology, modernize the foundation and driving force for the region's economic and social development. Effectively integrate national programs and target programs to achieve poverty reduction goals, especially in remote, difficult regions, and ethnic minority areas.

III. MAJOR SOLUTIONS:

To implement the planning, a comprehensive system of solutions is required to mobilize all domestic and foreign resources to serve the socio-economic development of the Mekong Delta region. At the provincial level, people's committees must concretize the direction of economic and social development in the plan through long-term, medium-term, and short-term plans, specific programs, and investment projects to manage development according to the proposed orientation.

Regarding attracting investment, raising capital, developing human resources, researching and applying science and technology, and expanding markets to serve production and social needs, localities and relevant ministries must propose policies and solutions to the Government to achieve economic and social goals.

Prioritize the construction of technical infrastructure, implement concentrated investment to achieve practical effectiveness, and create a driving force for regional development.

Implement an encouraging economic policy for industries that produce competitive products on the market and focus on exports.

Based on the approved planning, provinces within the region must review their overall local planning, economic development programs, and plans to reasonably prioritize them, reflected in annual plans and specific projects.

Article 2. Ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government agencies, and People's Committees of provinces in the Mekong Delta region have the responsibility to organize, inspect, and monitor the implementation of the Planning strictly, develop five-year plans, annual plans, and programs and projects consistent with the Planning.

Central ministries and sectors have the responsibility to coordinate and assist provinces in the Mekong Delta region during the review and implementation of proposed projects, ensuring consistency between provincial planning and regional and national planning.

During the implementation of the Planning, the Ministry of Planning and Investment will collaborate with relevant ministries, sectors, and People's Committees of provinces in the Mekong Delta region to conduct evaluations and draw lessons learned to make timely adjustments and supplements.

Article 3. This Decision takes effect fifteen days from the date of signature. The Chairpersons of the People's Committees of provinces in the Mekong Delta region and Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, and government agencies related to this Decision are responsible for its enforcement./.