Decision No. 1018/1997/QD-TTg on approving the overall planning for the development of the economy and society in the central key economic region from now until 2010.

Pursuant to …;

Regarding the approval of the overall planning for economic and social development of the central coastal economic zone 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 Appraisal Council under the Ministry of Planning and Investment regarding investment projects in Document No. 6854/HĐTĐ dated October 28, 1997,

DECISION:

Article 1. Approve the overall planning for economic and social development of the central coastal economic zone comprising four provinces and centrally governed cities (Da Nang city, Thua Thien-Hue province, Quang Nam province, Quang Ngai province) during the period from now to 2010 with the following contents:

I. MAJOR DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES

1. On economy:

- Strive to achieve a per capita GDP of 406 USD by 2000; and reach 1,337 USD by 2010.

- The average annual economic growth rate should reach 14.5% from now until 2000 and 15% during the period 2001-2010.

- The value of import and export trade should increase by an average of 25% to 30% annually throughout the period from now until 2010.

- The savings ratio from GDP should strive to reach 10% by 2000 and exceed 19% by 2010.

Social aspects:

- Strive to reduce birth rates, improve human resource quality through diversified training forms to enhance literacy and educational levels, increasing the number of trained workers to 16% by 2000 and reaching 35% by 2010, to meet the requirements of industrialization and modernization of the country.

- Strive to increase the proportion of children of preschool age who are enrolled in kindergartens and nurseries; ensure that all children aged 6 to 14 years old attend school.

- Develop primary healthcare networks and focus on health care for the population.

- Ensure adequate electricity, water, transportation, communication needs, meeting basic living conditions for the people, especially rural residents, mountainous areas, islands, and coastal regions. Promote civilized lifestyles, build cultural families linked with communities, eradicate social evils.

- Strive to basically resolve employment issues for workers, effectively implement poverty reduction goals.

- Economic and social development must be closely linked with environmental protection and sustainable development.

3. On national security and defense:

- Economic development must go hand in hand with strengthening national defense and ensuring political security, maintaining national sovereignty through the rational and effective use of potential resources.

- Maintain national discipline, ensure social order and safety. Implement the two strategic tasks of building and defending the country.

II. MAJOR DEVELOPMENT TASKS:

1. On infrastructure construction:

New construction goes hand in hand with upgrading urban and rural infrastructure. Focus on rural and mountainous area transportation networks and border areas, creating favorable conditions for difficult regions, former resistance bases.

Construct coastal corridors connecting with National Highway 1A, Vietnam's transnational railway, seaports, airports, establishing transportation hubs from ports to the Central Highlands via National Highways 14B, 24, linking Laos, northeastern Thailand, and northeastern Cambodia along the Trans-Asia highway.

Develop port systems: Thuận An, Tiên Sa, Song Han, Ky Ha, Sa Ky; gradually construct and modernize three deep-water ports: Dung Quat, Lien Chieu, Chan May.

Gradually modernize airports: Da Nang, Phu Bai, renovate Chu Lai airport to serve the cause of industrialization and modernization.

Upgrade and construct new water supply and drainage systems for industrial zones and clusters: Dung Quat, Da Nang, Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Nam, Chan May. Pay special attention to providing clean water for urban and rural areas.

Renovate and construct new upstream water conservancy works on some rivers to retain fresh water, regulate floods, prevent salinity intrusion, and ensure irrigation and domestic water needs for production and daily life.

On power grid: Invest in constructing substations for industrial zones, develop power grids for provinces and regions in conjunction with the national power grid. Simultaneously develop power grids to serve processing industries and rural consumption.

On postal and telecommunications: Complete and modernize the telecommunications network to meet communication needs within and outside the region and international exchanges. Strive to reach 3.5 telephones per 100 people by 2000; and reach 13.4 telephones per 100 people by 2010.

On territorial spatial organization: Upgrade and develop existing cities, towns, and townships. Construct new cities, focusing on preserving, restoring, and developing Hue and Da Nang cities. Organize urban space according to development corridors; simultaneously organize the development of rural residential areas in remote and ethnic minority regions, creating conditions for balanced development within the region and nationwide.

2. On agricultural, forestry, and fisheries development:

Strive to achieve an agricultural and forestry growth rate of 4.5% during the period from now to 2000, and over 4% during the period 2001-2010.

Develop agriculture to form concentrated production areas based on crop rotation, structural adjustment of crops and livestock, high-intensity investment suitable to the ecosystem and environment, disaster prevention, and flood control; link agriculture with food processing industry to create sustainable development. Particularly focus on short-cycle cash crops such as sugarcane, peanuts, tobacco, etc., suitable to the climate and soil conditions of the region to provide raw materials for processing and export.

Develop animal husbandry towards diversification: lean pig breeding, dairy cow and beef cattle development, poultry farming to serve daily life and food processing industry for export.

Agricultural development must be closely linked with the construction of new rural areas.

Forestry: Focus on management, protection, regeneration, and repair of natural forests, implementing strategic goals to maintain landscape and environmental conditions, sustain and develop water sources, and prevent erosion. Closely integrate forestry with water conservancy. Vigorously plant trees in barren hills and mountains, and strengthen scattered tree planting, protective forests, and coastal vegetation. Pay particular attention to headwater forests, ecological tourism areas, national parks, and nature reserves. Gradually implement land allocation and forest assignment.

Fisheries: Combine marine and coastal economies through integrated fishing, aquaculture, processing of aquatic products, salt production; agriculture and afforestation along the coast. Form and develop fish villages that provide both tourism services and high-quality fresh food products. Invest in modernizing fishing vessels, equipment, and infrastructure, especially for distant-water fishing, encouraging export processing.

On industrial development:

Establish key industries based on developing sectors with concentrated investment, resource advantages, labor force, and markets to achieve rapid growth, promoting economic restructuring in the region. Prioritize investment in production industries that are effective and contribute to exports, creating advantages in regional and international integration. Invest in industrial zones such as Dung Quat, Dien Nam - Dien Ngoc, Hoa Khanh - Lien Chieu, Phu Bai, An Don, Chan May, Tinh Phong. Prepare conditions for developing other industrial points mainly in processing agricultural, forestry, and aquatic products; food industry, shipbuilding, and consumer goods industry. Invest comprehensively in infrastructure to attract investment.

Implement small-scale processing industry development in rural areas within sectors such as construction materials, handicrafts, and subcontracting for large industrial zones to create innovation in rural areas.

Strive for an industrial growth rate of 18% - 20% from now until 2000, and 17%-18% during 2001-2010.

4. On trade and service sector development:

Trade and service sector development must be closely linked with the overall development of all economic sectors in the region to effectively achieve economic and social goals.

Build Hue City and Da Nang City as hubs for import and export exchange. Develop transfer stations, form some supermarkets and trading centers in Hue, Da Nang, Quang Ngai, and new urban areas.

From now until 2000, build an international trading center and fair in Da Nang City. Develop imports and exports, transform the structure of trade, tourism, financial and banking services, port services.

Develop tourism in conjunction with the protection and restoration of historical, cultural sites, conservation areas, museums. Combine tourism with aquaculture, coastal tree planting, and national forests. Focus on developing key tourism chains: Hue, Lang Co, Bach Ma - Canh Duong, Da Nang, Hoi An, Co Lu and surrounding areas. Link tourism between provinces and cities within the region with other regions in the country. Improve quality and diversify tourism forms, gradually forming regional Central Vietnam tourist routes. In the long term, connect with the Chiang Mai (Thailand) - Luang Prabang (Laos) - Angkor Wat (Cambodia) tourist route.

Invest in technical facilities, infrastructure, develop tourism resources, promote traditions and preserve ethnic identity. Use various forms and methods to attract investment, joint ventures, and linkages to create comprehensive strength, making tourism one of the key economic sectors of the region.

5. On culture, education, healthcare, and social affairs:

Continue to reform and improve the effectiveness of education and training, balance the scale of disciplines, diversify training forms to enhance human resource quality. Strengthen material infrastructure for general education, achieve universal primary education and eliminate illiteracy to national standards by 2000; universal secondary education by 2010. Renovate and upgrade existing healthcare facilities, consolidate and develop a regional healthcare network capable of treating local residents. Enhance disease prevention efforts, implement combined traditional and modern medicine in treatment; basically eliminate infectious diseases, parasites, and pests affecting children.

Invest in developing culture, communication, radio, television, physical education and sports to modern levels to meet production and living requirements.

Build mountain commune clusters, gradually overcoming poverty.

Effectively address wastewater, solid waste, and air pollution issues to protect the environment and achieve sustainable development goals.

III. MAJOR SOLUTIONS:

Based on the Comprehensive Plan for Economic and Social Development of the Central Region's Key Economic Zone, People's Committees of provinces in the region need to organize implementation and apply a coordinated system of mechanisms and policies to mobilize the maximum potential and resources of each province, the entire region, domestically and internationally. Within each province, creatively apply appropriate measures and steps to concretize the main directions of economic and social development planning in long-term, medium-term, short-term plans, programs, and specific projects to manage development according to the set direction.

Regarding human resource development, market establishment, research and application of scientific and technological progress into production and life, localities in the region and relevant ministries and sectors should propose feasible policies and solutions to the Government to achieve economic and social development goals.

Implement organizational, management reforms, and administrative reforms to create a favorable environment, attracting and encouraging domestic and foreign investment.

Concentrate investment to achieve practical results; prioritize building technical infrastructure to drive development for key industries where the region has strengths: oil refining, transportation, cargo transfer hubs, tourism, and services.

Implement preferential policies for border economic zones to create momentum for the entire region's development.

Based on the Comprehensive Plan for Economic and Social Development of the Central Region's Key Economic Zone approved, localities in the region must review their comprehensive plans, programs, development plans, and projects to reasonably arrange priorities through annual plans and component projects.

Article 2. The Ministries, ministerial-level agencies, agencies under the Government, People's Committees of provinces and cities in the Central Key Economic Region shall be responsible for strictly monitoring and supervising the implementation of the Master Plan for Socio-Economic Development of the Central Key Economic Region, developing five-year plans, annual plans, programs, and investment projects in accordance with the Master Plan.

During the implementation process, the Ministry of Planning and Investment shall coordinate with relevant ministries, sectors, and local People's Committees to conduct summaries, evaluations, and draw lessons to adjust and supplement in a timely manner.

Central ministries and sectors shall be responsible for coordinating and assisting provinces and cities in the Central Key Economic Region during the review and organization of the implementation of proposed programs and projects, ensuring consistency between the Master Plan of each province and city and the Master Plan of the region and the whole country.

Article 3. This Decision shall take effect fifteen days from the date of signature. The Chairpersons of the People's Committees of provinces and cities in the Central Key Economic Region and the Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, and heads of agencies under the Government related to this Decision shall be responsible for its enforcement./.