Directive No. 05/1999/CT-TTg On organizing the reception of the Year of the Goat 1999 Tet Festival.

DIRECTIVE
Regarding the organization of welcoming the Year of the Metal Rabbit in 1999

In order to organize the welcoming of the Year of the Metal Rabbit joyfully, healthily, civilly, safely, and thriftily, creating a cheerful atmosphere during the New Year holiday for the people and igniting a nationwide movement to strive to complete the economic and social tasks in 1999, the Prime Minister requests that central ministries and sectors, local authorities at all levels coordinate with political-social organizations and mass organizations to perform the following tasks:

1. Ministries, sectors, and People's Committees at all levels need to direct agencies and units within their sectors and localities to organize joyful, healthy, safe activities with a spirit of thorough thrift.

State agencies, Party organizations, mass organizations, and production and business units must not use state or collective funds for gifts, bribes, or rewards outside regulations and policies. Those who violate must be strictly dealt with and required to compensate for losses to public funds. Key cadres at all levels, especially those at central and provincial levels, must strictly implement these requirements to set an example for lower-level cadres.

The Ministry of Finance, the State Bank of Vietnam, and People's Committees at all levels must closely monitor year-end bonuses of enterprises and government agencies to ensure compliance with current financial regulations.

Annual summary meetings in agencies and units must have practical content, avoid ostentatious forms, and strictly prohibit using meeting organization as a pretext for giving gifts under any form or wasteful banquets.

2. The Ministry of Commerce and People's Committees of provinces and centrally-administered cities are responsible for ensuring smooth circulation of goods, meeting essential needs for the holiday of the people in each locality; paying attention to key areas, large cities, concentrated industrial zones, remote areas, and places affected by natural disasters; taking measures to ensure rice and pork supply for the people during the Tet holiday.

The Government Price Control Board, the Ministry of Commerce, and localities must closely monitor market conditions and prices; promptly address abnormal market developments to prevent sudden price increases before and after Tet for essential goods. Any attempt to exploit the implementation of the Value Added Tax Law or the occasion of Tet to artificially inflate prices and disrupt the market must be strictly dealt with. Strengthen inspection and supervision to detect, prevent, and deal with severely any acts of producing and circulating counterfeit goods and food products that do not meet safety standards.

3. Local authorities at all levels should cooperate with mass organizations to repair and visit martyrs' cemeteries; visit and give Tet gifts to war invalids, disabled veterans, families of martyrs, families with meritorious service to the revolution, and military personnel on duty at borders, islands, remote areas.

Mobilize all strata of the population to promote the tradition of mutual assistance, participate in charitable work to help poor families, elderly people without support, and orphaned children, so that everyone can welcome Tet joyfully and warmly. Pay special attention to people in regions recently affected by floods. For this region, the Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs sector, together with local authorities, must grasp the situation of extremely difficult farming households, mobilize villagers to concentrate on helping these families.

4. The transportation sector must ensure sufficient passenger transport means of good quality to meet the travel needs of the people during the Tet holiday; prevent waiting and congestion at train and bus stations; coordinate with the Public Security sector to take measures to ensure traffic safety, crack down on individuals who harass and extort passengers at train and bus stations, and prevent fraudulent transportation vehicles from "selling off" passengers along the way.

The electricity sector must plan production and supply of electricity sufficiently and continuously to meet all production, service, and living needs of the people.

The healthcare sector must ensure good medical care and treatment for patients, while also implementing preventive education measures to maintain food hygiene and avoid food poisoning; hospitals must organize continuous shifts and be ready for emergency care during the Tet holiday.

People's Committees at all levels should mobilize all strata of the population to organize street and village cleaning, making them clean and beautiful, and organize tree planting during the new spring.

5. The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism and the Sports Management Committee should direct subordinate units and local authorities to organize healthy cultural and sports activities suitable for ethnic customs and the entertainment needs of the people.

Radio and television agencies should have rich and high-quality broadcasting programs during the Tet holiday to meet the cultural and spiritual needs of the people.

Depending on the specific circumstances of each locality, it may be appropriate to organize drumming, gong beating, bell ringing at churches, temples, pagodas... at the transition moment, creating a solemn and lively atmosphere when entering the new year.

6. Customs, Border Defense, Public Security, and Market Management sectors should closely coordinate with local People's Committees in anti-smuggling and commercial fraud efforts, focusing particularly on cigarettes, alcohol, beer, pastries, candies, fireworks, explosives, dangerous toys for children.

7. The Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of National Defense, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism should coordinate with local authorities to effectively manage household registration, especially in cities and residential areas, manage weapons and explosive materials; develop plans and measures for fire prevention and extinguishing; prevent and deal with illegal motorcycle racing; dismantle drug trafficking, gambling, lottery, and superstitious groups; mobilize the people to continue implementing Prime Minister's Directive No. 406/CT regarding the prohibition of setting off firecrackers and illegally transporting explosives. Alongside propaganda, education, and mobilization work, strict handling of violations of public order and security must be carried out to prevent theft, robbery, the spread of pornographic culture, disruption of public order, and serious crimes during the Tet holiday.

8. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Public Security, the General Department of Customs, the Border Guard Force, the Tourism Administration, and the Ministry of Transport shall create favorable conditions for overseas compatriots to return to the country to celebrate Tet and welcome spring.

9. Administrative agencies and units, as well as armed forces, must arrange duty personnel, proactively handle any unusual developments during the Tet holiday period, and report promptly to higher authorities and the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister requests the Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies and government-affiliated agencies, Chairpersons of People's Committees of provinces and centrally governed cities to develop specific plans to implement the tasks mentioned above and disseminate them widely to all citizens; he also urges political organizations, socio-political organizations, and people's mass organizations to lead and direct their members to cooperate and assist state agencies in effectively implementing this Directive./.