Decision No. 146/2004/QĐ-TTg On Main Directions for the Development of the Southern Key Economic Region to 2010 and Vision to 2020

 

Pursuant to …;

On the main directions for the development of the economy and society in the Southern Key Economic Zone until 2010 and vision until 2020

PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government dated December 25, 2001;

Pursuant to the proposal of the Minister of Planning and Investment in Circular No. 7349/BKH-CLPT dated December 1, 2003,

DECISION:

Article 1. Approve the main directions for the development of the economy and society in the Southern Key Economic Zone (KKTZ) until 2010 and vision until 2020 for seven centrally governed cities and provinces, including Ho Chi Minh City and the provinces of Dong Nai, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Binh Duong, Tay Ninh, Binh Phuoc, and Long An, to leverage the potential and advantages of geographical location, natural conditions, and infrastructure systems to build the Southern KKTZ into one of the most dynamic economic regions with high and sustainable economic growth rates, truly becoming a driving force for the national economy, maintaining its decisive role in contributing to the overall economic growth of the country. Leading the industrialization and modernization process of the entire country and in some important fields, contributing to improving the quality, efficiency, and international competitiveness, leading the trend of international economic integration, creating momentum for the development of the Southeast region.

Article 2. Main objectives for development

1. The average annual GDP growth rate during the period 2006-2010 will reach about 1.2 times, and during the period 2011-2020 will reach about 1.1 times the average national growth rate. Increase the proportion of the region's contribution to the national GDP from the current 36% to approximately 40-41% in 2010 and 43-44% in 2020.

2. Increase the average export value per capita per year from US$1,493 in 2005 to US$3,620 in 2010 and US$22,310 in 2020.

3. Increase the region's contribution to the national budget revenue from 33.9% in 2005 to 38.7% in 2010 and 40.5% in 2020.

4. Accelerate the pace of technological innovation to achieve an average of 20-25% per year in the modernization process, gradually increasing the proportion of trained labor to over 50% by 2010.

5. Form high-quality service and social centers reaching international standards and Southeast Asian levels sufficient to meet the needs of the entire southern region and international visitors.

6. Strive to reduce the poverty rate below 4% by 2010 and below 1% by 2020, the unemployment rate around 4% by 2020.

7. Stabilize the population in the region at about 15-16 million people by 2020. Ensure discipline, social order, security, and defense; ensure environmental sustainability in both urban and rural areas within the region.

Article 3. Tasks and main solutions to promote the development of key industries and sectors

1. New tasks with breakthrough nature.

Build an integrated urban area in the West-West North of Ho Chi Minh City belonging to Long An Province, Tay Ninh Province, and Ho Chi Minh City. Develop high-quality training centers in Binh Duong, high-quality medical centers, high-level vocational training centers in Ba Ria-Vung Tau, an industrial research and technology improvement zone (specializing in researching and improving technology for all of Southern Vietnam), and establish a central transfer warehouse in Dong Nai.

Construct expressways from Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau, Trung Luong, and Tay Ninh; simultaneously prepare for the construction of Long Thanh Airport.

2. Regarding planning adjustments.

a) Quickly adjust the economic structure towards developing industries with high-quality products, advanced technology, and high labor productivity.

Service industries need to develop rapidly and with high quality to ensure a high growth rate, comprehensive, and sustainable development for the entire region.

Focus on comprehensive development of high-quality service industries, particularly financial services, banking, tourism, entertainment, technology services, telecommunications, international transportation; develop real estate markets, capital markets, stock markets; effectively utilize financial organizations, educational institutions, healthcare services, and scientific research agencies at national, regional, and international levels.

Build Ho Chi Minh City into a high-quality service center in telecommunications, transportation services, finance, banking, and tourism at the national level and internationally.

Trade must rise to international standards and become a driving force for the development of the entire South.

Leverage the advantage of the maritime port system, intensify domestic and international maritime transport services, aiming to handle 30-40% of the region's import and export goods. Develop a fleet of specialized large-capacity sea transport vessels. Intensify various types of international maritime services at Saigon ports, Thi Vai ports, and Vung Tau ports.

Diversify postal and telecommunications services, expand the activities of various economic components in the region, especially international postal and telecommunications services. Expand the postal and telecommunications system in rural and island areas, ensuring one post office serving 20,000 to 28,000 people in major cities, 14,000 to 18,000 people in small cities, and 4,000 to 5,000 people in rural areas.

Develop tourism in conjunction with the protection and enhancement of historical, cultural sites, and natural reserves. Emphasize the development of key tourist routes. Link tourism among provinces and cities in the region with other regions in the country. Improve the quality of tourism products and diversify tourism forms, intensify the development of tourism information and advisory centers, and link this with the establishment of a tourism safety and security system to welcome about 10 million tourists to the Southeast region by 2005, including 2 million international tourists, and about 13-14 million tourists by 2010, including 3.2 to 3.5 million international tourists.

Accelerate high-tech industries, clean industries, and supporting industries.

Prioritize the development of key industries with high knowledge and advanced technology content (information technology, telecommunications, new materials technology, biotechnology), clean industry, and basic industry as a foundation for overall development and international integration, serving as a core to accelerate the industrialization and modernization process of the region and adjacent areas. At the same time, develop supporting industries to increase localization rates linked to component production, raw material processing, repair, maintenance, etc. Leverage the role of small and medium enterprises, aiming directly at modern technology while protecting the environment.

Vigorously develop some major industries such as: oil and gas exploitation; electronics and software manufacturing; mechanical engineering; electricity generation, fertilizer, petrochemicals, agricultural, forestry, aquatic, and food processing; develop the textile, footwear, leather, plastic, construction materials industries. Increase the proportion of manufacturing.

Adjust the direction of industrial distribution on the territory based on exploiting the resources and potential of underdeveloped provinces like Long An, Binh Phuoc, Tay Ninh (with low concentration of industrial production), suitable to the characteristics of each industrial production sector.

To promote rapid large-scale development, it is necessary to prioritize the development of the electronics and information technology sectors as a basis for other sectors to develop. The priority direction is to directly enter modern technology and take advantage of the latecomer's advantage. Leverage the potential labor force of the region to enhance international cooperation to tap into new capital and technology sources. Strive for the electronics and information technology industry to become a leading sector oriented towards exports by 2010, gradually developing both hardware and software, prioritizing software development. Make the Southern Key Economic Zone a strong center for electronic component production, software, and telecommunications in Southeast Asia. Promote investment in high-tech industrial parks and software production in Ho Chi Minh City. Strive to raise the value of software production to about 18,000 billion VND by 2005 (equivalent to approximately 150 to 160 million USD).

Vigorously produce commercial agriculture to meet the needs of industry, urban consumption, and export.

Strengthen intensive agriculture to provide raw materials for industrial processing in localities and industrial zones to continuously increase domestic added value in exported agricultural products. Form regions of commercial agricultural products for export (rubber, coffee, pepper, cashew nuts), including:

Rubber plantation areas mainly located in Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai (Thong Nhat, Long Thanh, Xuan Loc, Long Khanh districts), Ba Ria-Vung Tau (Xuyen Moc, Tan Thanh, Chau Duc districts), Cu Chi district (Ho Chi Minh City).

Coffee plantation areas in Dong Nai, Ba Ria-Vung Tau. Pepper plantation areas concentrated in Xuan Loc, Long Khanh districts, Dong Nai province; Chau Duc district, Ba Ria-Vung Tau province. Cashew nut plantation areas in Long Thanh, Long Khanh districts, Dong Nai province; Chau Duc district, Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, and districts in Binh Phuoc province. Green vegetable plantation areas concentrated in Ho Chi Minh City, Tan Thanh, Long Dat districts, Ba Ria-Vung Tau province; Bien Hoa city, Dong Nai province.

Fruit tree areas in La Thieu (Binh Duong), Tan Trieu pomelo, Bien Hoa city, banana, durian in Long Khanh district, Dong Nai province; lychee, mangosteen in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province.

Increase forest coverage, create a "green lung" for cities and industrial zones, improve ecological environments, create scenic tourism landscapes, use land reasonably, increase long-term trees on forest land. Protect upstream forests, rapidly increase and stabilize coastal protective forests, especially mangrove forests in Can Gio district of Ho Chi Minh City and along the coast of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, timber forests, Nam Cat Tien National Park, Dong Nai province. Re-green bare hills and mountains in Tay Ninh, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, and Binh Phuoc provinces, linked to afforestation programs to form eco-tourism and resort sites.

Focus investment on offshore fishing vessels by replacing hulls of 100-200 CV with new materials that are durable and wood-saving. Construct port systems, dredge channels, and fishery service facilities in Con Dao, Ba Ria-Vung Tau province.

Develop intensive shrimp farming and freshwater fish farming in irrigation works. Vigorously process aquatic products, upgrade and modernize export processing facilities in Ho Chi Minh City, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, and Dong Nai.

b) Ensure balanced development, leading in the development of economic and social infrastructure systems.

Regarding the economic infrastructure system.

Continue to complete and upgrade National Highway 50, 20, 22b, N2 route... connecting the Southern Key Economic Zone with the Mekong Delta and Central Highlands regions, and develop new connection routes.

Invest early in expressways from Ho Chi Minh City to Can Tho, which is an important traffic axis ensuring communication between Southeastern Vietnam and the Mekong Delta.

Invest in building the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Vung Tau expressway, which also serves as a route to Long Thanh International Airport. By 2005, build the Long Thanh - Ho Chi Minh City section with four lanes. From 2006 to 2010, continue building the Long Thanh - Vung Tau section. Upgrade National Highway 13, with plans to complete upgrading the section from Binh Phuoc junction to Thu Dau Mot by 2005, covering 30 km with four lanes.

Continue to renovate and move towards modernizing the transportation network in cities within the region. Develop plans to complete the transportation network for Ho Chi Minh City, particularly focusing on planning and investing in public passenger transport, researching the construction of river bridges, elevated trains, or underground trains. Plan transportation development in conjunction with the planning of civilized urban areas (avoiding uncontrolled construction along roads).

Complete the modernization of Tan Son Nhat International Airport, study and develop the second international airport in Long Thanh to prepare for when Tan Son Nhat International Airport becomes overloaded. Study the renovation of Co Ong and Con Dao airports to serve tourism and economic and social development on the island. The implementation of construction projects will be based on the overall effectiveness of developing Con Dao.

In the short term, it is necessary to effectively utilize the ports in the region in Ho Chi Minh City, including Sai Gon Port and a series of ports and wharfs of various Ministries, sectors, localities, joint ventures, etc., along the Sai Gon River and Nha Be; at the same time, implement construction with appropriate levels of new ports in Cat Lai and Hiep Phuoc areas.

Implement Resolution No. 20-NQ/TW dated November 18, 2002 of the Politburo on the development of Ho Chi Minh City until 2010, quickly complete the plan and scheme to reasonably, tightly, and appropriately schedule the relocation of river ports on the Sai Gon River out of the city center to avoid congestion, waste, and minimize negative impacts on production, business, national defense, and security. Gradually invest in building the Ca Mau - Thi Vai port cluster to ensure transportation needs for the entire southern region and serve as the gateway to the sea for the trans-Asian route.

Construct a comprehensive transfer warehouse to meet the increasingly high demands of development for the entire region. Study the construction of a comprehensive transfer warehouse where goods can be consolidated from seaports and transported conveniently and quickly.

Improve and upgrade the routes connecting to the Mekong Delta, particularly the two routes: Sai Gon - Ca Mau City; Sai Gon - Kien Luong implemented with ODA funds.

During the period of 2004-2005, renovate the railway hub in Ho Chi Minh City, during the period of 2006-2010, study and construct railway lines from Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau, build a railway system connecting seaports with industrial zones along Highway 51, Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh, the Mekong Delta, and the Central Highlands according to planning.

Upgrade water supply and drainage facilities, gradually develop the water supply system according to regional and area planning towards modernity, matching technological and management organization standards of advanced cities in the region and the world. Renovate the drainage system, treat wastewater, and resolve flooding issues in urban areas, especially in Ho Chi Minh City.

When constructing factories and industrial zones, simultaneously construct waste treatment facilities to ensure no environmental pollution. Plan and construct urban waste treatment systems and industrial zone waste treatment systems to ensure a green, clean, and beautiful environment for urban areas.

During the period of 2006-2010, invest in new 40 km of 500 kV power transmission lines and one 500 kV substation with a capacity of 450 MVA, 181 km of 110 kV power transmission lines, and 105 110 kV substations with a total capacity of 4,100 MVA.

- Regarding the social infrastructure system.

Construct cultural activity centers to revive traditional cultural activities and integrate them into regular routines. Invest in upgrading existing television towers in the area to improve the quality of broadcast programs.

Develop healthcare facilities, equipment, and services to meet diverse needs not only of the local population but also of foreigners working in joint ventures and tourists. Construct high-quality medical centers, ensuring advanced and modern medical equipment, avoiding concentration in Ho Chi Minh City. Organize and consolidate the community health network, ensuring 100% of villages and communes have health workers; 100% of primary health stations and commune health centers have doctors.

c) Urban development and industrial zones.

Develop satellite cities around major cities linked with industrial zones, thereby forming large-scale urban clusters. Form new cities with a population of about 700,000 to 1 million people in Phu My, Long Son, Long Hai (Ba Ria - Vung Tau), Dau Tieng - Tan Uyen (Binh Duong), Tam Phuoc, Nhon Trach (Dong Nai). Construct a new urban area of approximately 6,000 hectares in the border region between Ho Chi Minh City, Long An Province, and Tay Ninh Province (Duc Hoa, Trang Bang, Cu Chi districts). For other major cities, simultaneously carry out renovation, beautification, and modernization of the downtown area and coordinated investment in infrastructure development.

Plan and renovate rural areas in conjunction with the formation of peripheral cities, expanded district towns, and urban residential areas connected with concentrated industrial zones; market towns and townships will also be upgraded and developed.

Develop concentrated industrial zones and high-tech parks, study proposals for constructing an industrial "nursery" area located outside Ho Chi Minh City, near scientific research centers, high-tech parks, and convenient transportation to serve the improvement of technology and processes for enterprises in the south.

Put the high-tech park into operation. Encourage investment in industrial zones and export processing zones that have been granted permits. Review the planning of industrial zones throughout the region to ensure sustainable and balanced development; in particular, develop Ho Chi Minh City's industrial zones towards high-tech industrial zones, increasing the intellectual content in industrial products. Pay attention to the construction of infrastructure outside the fence of industrial zones such as housing, hospitals, schools, vocational training centers, commercial areas, entertainment areas, etc. Have specific plans for constructing residential areas connected with industrial zones to ensure living conditions for those coming from elsewhere to work.

d) Reform mechanisms to attract domestic and foreign investment.

Establish mechanisms and policies to attract domestic and foreign investment capital in a coordinated manner, including policies to mobilize investment capital for high-quality service sectors, high-tech production industries, export promotion policies, personnel utilization policies, and flexible central and local decentralization mechanisms... aiming to enhance cooperation among industries, between regions, and between industries and regions, making it more rigorous and effective, thereby creating a favorable environment to attract investment capital that can compete with other countries in the region.

Adjust the investment structure towards improving efficiency and competitiveness, forming national, regional, and local (province, city) projects managed according to uniform standards; exploit resources, especially internal resources, while creating conditions to attract external capital and technology to enhance the efficiency and competitiveness of the economy, in line with development planning and economic restructuring.

The aforementioned investment capital will be prioritized first for developing high-tech production industries using advanced technology.

Article 4. Training human resources

Training human resources, particularly high-quality human resources to meet the development needs of the Southern Economic Zone and the country. Investing in developing human resources, especially those in production fields and key industries (electronics industry, software production, information technology, and automation...). Expanding the scale of human resource training through various forms, paying special attention to training skilled workers to meet industrialization and modernization requirements. Coordinating human resource training between central areas and peripheral areas, between the Southern Economic Zone and other regions to attract labor forces from outside the zone to participate in economic activities within the region.

Reorganizing the system of educational institutions (universities, colleges, and vocational schools) towards focusing on training economic and technical fields serving modern and high-tech development. Investing to improve the quality and expand the training formats of universities in Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces, taking into account the needs of the Mekong Delta and Central Highlands regions.

Building high-quality training centers and vocational training centers in Dong Nai Province, with plans for joint ventures with foreign partners.

Studying the construction of a national, regional, and international science and technology transfer center for the entire region, located near the high-tech zones of Ho Chi Minh City.

Article 5. Ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-affiliated agencies, People's Committees of provinces and cities in the Southern Economic Zone have the responsibility to strictly monitor and implement the socio-economic development direction of the Southern Economic Zone, build five-year plans, annual plans, programs, and investment development projects suitable for the region.

The Coordination Board for Development of Economic Zones directs the Ministry of Planning and Investment to collaborate with relevant ministries, sectors, and local authorities to review the development planning throughout the area in a practical and highly effective manner. Initially, focus on reviewing the overall socio-economic development planning of the entire Southern Economic Zone, particularly urban development planning, economic corridors, industrial zones, port systems... Reviewing the socio-economic development planning of each province to adjust planning in line with new development situations. After completing the review of overall planning, sectors and localities need to promptly implement detailed planning, ensuring timely notification of planning to grassroots levels and the public.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment leads and collaborates with related ministries, sectors, and localities to implement key investment programs and projects.

Central ministries and sectors have the responsibility to coordinate and assist provinces and cities in the Southern Economic Zone during the review process and organization of implementation of established programs and projects, ensuring consistency between provincial planning and regional and national planning.

Article 6. This Decision takes effect fifteen days after its publication in the Official Gazette and replaces Decision No. 44/1998/QĐ-TTg dated February 23, 1998, of the Government Chairman approving the overall socio-economic development planning of the Southern Economic Zone from now until 2010.

Article 7. Chairmen of People's Committees of provinces and cities in the Southern Economic Zone and Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, and Heads of government-affiliated agencies are responsible for implementing this Decision.