Resolution No. 20/1998/QH10 on Tasks for 1999

RESOLUTION

REGARDING THE TASKS FOR THE YEAR 1999 OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM

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BASED ON ARTICLE 84 OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM IN 1992;

Based on the examination of the Government's report, reports from relevant agencies, and the opinions of National Assembly deputies;

RESOLUTION:

THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY APPROVES THE EVALUATION OF THE SITUATION IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE TASKS FOR THE YEAR 1998 AND THE DIRECTION AND TASKS FOR THE YEAR 1999 AS STATED IN THE REPORT OF THE GOVERNMENT AND THE RELATED ORGANIZATIONS; AT THE SAME TIME, EMPHASIZES THE FOLLOWING POINTS:

I. EVALUATION OF THE SITUATION IN 1998

IN 1998, WITH THE OUTSTANDING EFFORTS OF THE PEOPLE, THE REFORM PROCESS CONTINUED TO ACHIEVE IMPORTANT ACHIEVEMENTS, THE ECONOMIC GROWTH RATE REACHED ABOUT 6%, THE LIVING STANDARD OF THE PEOPLE WAS BASICALLY STABLE, CULTURE AND SOCIETY CONTINUED TO DEVELOP, NATIONAL DEFENSE AND SECURITY WERE CONSOLIDATED, AND THE POSITION OF OUR COUNTRY IN THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY WAS ENHANCED.

HOWEVER, COMPARED TO PREVIOUS YEARS, THE GROWTH RATE DECREASED, PRODUCTION AND BUSINESS FACED MORE DIFFICULTIES, EXPORT VOLUME DID NOT INCREASE, INVESTMENT WAS REDUCED, COMPETITIVENESS WAS WEAK, INTERNAL ACCUMULATION FROM THE ECONOMY WAS STILL LOW; THE LIVING STANDARD OF THE PEOPLE IN SOME REGIONS REMAINED DIFFICULT; CORRUPTION AND SOCIAL EVILS HAD NOT BEEN ELIMINATED.

II. MAJOR TARGETS FOR THE YEAR 1999

DOMESTIC GROSS PRODUCT (GDP) TO GROW BY 5% TO 6%.

AGRICULTURAL OUTPUT VALUE TO GROW BY 3.5% TO 4%.

GRAIN PRODUCTION EQUIVALENT TO 32 MILLION TONS OF RICE.

INDUSTRIAL OUTPUT VALUE TO GROW BY 10% TO 11%.

VALUE OF SERVICE SECTORS TO GROW BY 4% TO 5%.

EXPORT VOLUME TO GROW BY 5% TO 7%.

INFLATION UNDER 10%.

BUDGET DEFICIT TO BE ABOUT 3.5% OF GDP.

THE NUMBER OF POOR HOUSEHOLDS TO DECREASE BY 300,000.

TO CREATE NEW JOBS FOR BETWEEN ONE AND 1.2 MILLION PEOPLE.

TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF PROVINCES COMPLETING UNIVERSAL PRIMARY EDUCATION AND ERADICATING LITERACY TO 50 PROVINCES.

THE RATE OF POPULATION GROWTH TO DECREASE BY 0.08%.

 III. MAIN TASKS AND SOLUTIONS

1. ECONOMY

a. AGRICULTURE

FOCUS ON DEVELOPING AGRICULTURE AND RURAL ECONOMY TO BE THE FOUNDATION FOR STABILITY AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE ECONOMY AND SOCIETY. THE STATE BUDGET INVESTMENT IN AGRICULTURE TO INCREASE BY 50% COMPARED TO 1998. PRIORITY IS GIVEN TO BUILDING IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE PROJECTS IN DIFFICULT AREAS. ATTENTION IS GIVEN TO STRENGTHENING THE SYSTEM OF DAMS AND WATER CONTROL STRUCTURES THAT ARE SEVERELY DEGRADED. INCREASE INVESTMENT IN SELECTING, BREEDING, INTRODUCING, AND QUICKLY MULTIPLYING HIGH-YIELD AND QUALITY CROP AND ANIMAL VARIETIES AND POST-HARVEST TECHNOLOGIES.

STRONGER PRODUCTION OF GRAIN TO ENSURE NATIONAL FOOD SECURITY AND EXPORTS. EXPAND THE AREA OF INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND VEGETABLES AND FRUITS. DEVELOP CONCENTRATED RAW MATERIAL PRODUCTION AREAS LINKED TO PROCESSING INDUSTRIES. STRONGER ANIMAL RAISING, AIMING TO REACH 1.7 MILLION TONS OF MEAT.

EFFECTIVELY PROTECT CURRENT FORESTS AND PLANT 260,000 HA, NATURALLY REGENERATE 350,000 HA IN THE 5-MILLION-HECTARE FOREST PLANTING PROJECT.

DEVELOP AQUACULTURE AND INTEGRATED INVESTMENTS TO STRENGTHEN MARINE FISHERIES. AIM TO REACH A PRODUCTION OF 1.8 MILLION TONS.

AIM TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS ALLOCATED AGRICULTURAL LAND AND ISSUED LAND USE RIGHTS CERTIFICATES TO 85%. IMPLEMENT NEW POLICIES ON LAND. ENCOURAGE THE DEVELOPMENT OF FAMILY FARMS AND LARGE SCALE FARMS TO EFFECTIVELY UTILIZE BARREN MOUNTAINOUS LANDS, ABANDONED LANDS, AND DEGRADED LANDS. IMPLEMENT THE LAW ON COOPERATIVE ORGANIZATIONS WELL. ENCOURAGE THE DEVELOPMENT OF INDUSTRIES AND SERVICES TO CREATE MORE JOBS.

AIM TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF VILLAGES WITH ELECTRICITY TO 71%. ISSUE THE REGULATIONS ON THE ELECTRIC POWER INDUSTRY TO DIRECTLY MANAGE RURAL POWER NETWORKS.

b. INDUSTRY

FOCUS ON PRODUCING INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS WITH ADVANTAGES, COMPETITIVE STRENGTH, AND MARKETS, ESPECIALLY EXPORT MARKETS. PRIORITY IS GIVEN TO DEVELOPING PROCESSING INDUSTRIES FOR AGRICULTURAL, FOREST, FISHERY, AND MARINE PRODUCTS, WITH SPECIAL ATTENTION TO SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZED ENTERPRISES THAT CAN ACCESS CAPITAL FROM THE PUBLIC, ORGANIZE FLEXIBLE PRODUCTION, USE LABOR INTENSIVELY, AND QUICKLY GENERATE PROFITS. STRENGTHEN AND DEVELOP THE MACHINE INDUSTRY, FOCUS ON DEEPENING INVESTMENT, IMPROVING MANUFACTURING, ASSEMBLING, AND REPAIR CAPABILITIES TO BETTER SERVE THE DEVELOPMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, FISHERIES, TRANSPORTATION, CONSTRUCTION, AND CONSUMER MACHINERY.

STRONGER PRODUCTION IN KEY INDUSTRIES. AIM TO REACH 14.5 MILLION TONS OF CRUDE OIL AND 1.2 BILLION CUBIC METERS OF GAS; 24.38 BILLION KWH OF ELECTRICITY GENERATED; 10 MILLION TONS OF CLEAN COAL; 1.3 MILLION TONS OF STEEL; 11.3 MILLION TONS OF CEMENT.³ AIM TO REACH 350 MILLION METERS OF SILK CLOTH, 270 THOUSAND TONS OF PAPER, 700 THOUSAND TONS OF SUGAR, 165 MILLION CARTONS OF MILK.

FOR STATE ENTERPRISES, PROMOTE THE SUMMARIZATION OF THE OPERATIONAL MODELS OF GROUP COMPANIES; ACCELERATE THE REORGANIZATION AND STOCK EXCHANGE LISTING OF ENTERPRISES; ISSUE THE REGULATIONS ON CONTRACTUAL MANAGEMENT, LEASE, AND TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP.

c. DEVELOPMENT INVESTMENT

MAXIMIZE PRIVATE CAPITAL FOR INVESTMENT IN PRODUCTION AND BUSINESS. ISSUE SPECIAL INCENTIVE POLICIES FOR ALL CASES OF INVESTMENT NOT RELYING ON STATE CAPITAL.

SPEED UP INVESTMENT IN KEY PROJECTS IN THE ELECTRICITY, COAL, AND OIL AND GAS INDUSTRIES TO ENSURE SUSTAINABLE GROWTH AND CREATE NEW INTERNAL RESOURCES AFTER THE YEAR 2000. OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE (ODA) FUNDS WILL BE FOCUSED ON AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT, INFRASTRUCTURE, AND EDUCATION, HEALTH, AND SOCIAL TARGETS. IMPROVE THE MANAGEMENT OF ODA FUNDS TO INCREASE EFFICIENCY AND ENSURE DEBT REPAYMENT ABILITY.

PAY ATTENTION TO BUILDING TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE. UPGRADE AND MAINTAIN 1,650 KM OF ROADS WITH ASPHALT SURFACES. UPGRADE AND BUILD 15,000 KM OF RURAL ROADS. COMPLETE THE FIRST PHASE OF THE RECONSTRUCTION OF HAI PHONG PORT AND HO CHI MINH CITY PORT. CONTINUE TO UPGRADE THE NORTH-SOUTH RAILWAY, AIMING TO SHORTEN THE TRAIN TRAVEL TIME BETWEEN NORTH AND SOUTH.

ISSUE POLICIES TO SUPPORT THE PUBLIC IN BUILDING HOUSING, ESPECIALLY FOR OFFICIALS, WORKERS, AND LOW-INCOME PERSONS.

THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD SOON REVIEW REGULATIONS ON INVESTMENT AND CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT TO OVERCOME LOOSE MANAGEMENT THAT LEADS TO WASTAGE, LOSS, AND FAILURE TO MEET QUALITY REQUIREMENTS; CORRECT INAPPROPRIATE DIVISIONS AND LEVELS OF AUTHORITY, AND BUREAUCRATIC PROCEDURES. IMPLEMENT THE PUBLIC DISCLOSURE OF INVESTMENT PROJECTS. STRICTLY MONITOR AND INSPECT COST SAVING IN INVESTMENT AND CONSTRUCTION FROM THE INITIAL DECISION MAKING AND PLANNING STAGE TO PROJECT APPLICATION AND BIDDING.

d. MARKET

d- Market

Develop strategies for domestic and international market development. Focus on developing the domestic market to increase consumption capacity, stimulate production and service development.

Consolidate and expand commercial and service networks in rural areas. Implement support policies and incentives for the people to purchase production materials and consumer goods such as installment purchases, loans for purchasing domestic production machinery and equipment, and construction of housing.

Vigorously promote exports, considering this as an important outlet for the economy. Establish export support funds. Implement policies to assist enterprises in enhancing product competitiveness and export capabilities, especially new products, labor-intensive products, and those using local raw materials. Enhance the responsibility of overseas representative offices in promoting exports and seeking markets. Maintain and develop traditional export markets while opening up new ones.

Temporarily suspend or reduce imports of goods that can be produced domestically. Strengthen market management, combat smuggling and fraudulent trade, particularly in border regions and at sea.

Strive to achieve a total export turnover of 10 billion USD.

The trade deficit should not exceed 18% of the export level.

d- Finance - Monetary

Organize the implementation of the National Assembly's Resolution on the state budget plan for 1999.

Promptly issue Decrees to effectively implement the Law on the State Bank of Vietnam and the Law on Credit Organizations. Urgently implement projects to consolidate the system of state-owned commercial banks and reorganize joint-stock commercial banks. Reduce cumbersome procedures, expand business autonomy, and emphasize the responsibility of commercial banks in loan decisions. Improve credit quality, reduce overdue debts. Strengthen state management, inspection, and supervision, establish comprehensive mechanisms to prevent risks, ensuring the soundness and safety of the banking system.

Vigorously diversify capital mobilization to meet the needs of socio-economic development. Increase the proportion of medium and long-term loans for investment development. Prioritize the agricultural and rural areas. Extend loan terms and amounts, ensure reasonable interest rates for poor households.

Handle interest rates and exchange rates cautiously and flexibly, improve the balance of payments, maintain macroeconomic stability, control inflation. Effectively limit and mitigate the negative impacts of regional and global financial and monetary crises on the country.

2- Culture - Social Affairs

a- Culture, Information, Sports

Enhance the quality of cultural, information, and sports activities. Effectively implement the Cultural Program, Radio Coverage Program, Television Coverage Program, and Physical Education and Sports Development Program.

Promote socialization alongside strengthening state management, while addressing negative manifestations in cultural, information, and sports activities.

Better meet the growing cultural, information, and sports needs of highland, remote, border, and island areas.

Widespread implementation of mass movements "All People United to Build a Civilized Life" and "All People United to Build a New Life in Residential Areas."

b- Education

Implement the Education Law. Gradually address the shortage of teachers in general education, especially in mountainous regions.

Promote socialization in education. Implement policies to support poor students. Effectively manage the relationship between schools, families, and society. Enhance ideological, moral, and legal education in schools. Strengthen management of textbook publication, printing, and distribution; take measures to ensure stability and move towards uniformity in the use of general textbooks nationwide. Pay attention to building and developing library systems in schools.

Improve the effectiveness of educational inspections. Address negative phenomena in examinations, issuance of certificates and diplomas, collection and use of tuition fees, admission fees, and contributions for school facilities. Prevent and promptly handle social evils, especially drug abuse in schools.

Strive to improve the quality of education and achieve key targets: Increase kindergarten enrollment by 2%, primary school enrollment by 1%, junior high school enrollment by 5%, senior high school enrollment by 15%, vocational high school enrollment by 2%, university and college enrollment by 5% to 6%, and training of skilled workers by 19%.

c- Science, Technology, and Environment

Complete the development of the science and technology development strategy, research on the environmental protection strategy.

Diversify investment in science, technology, and the environment. Increase investment and take measures to use the state budget appropriately and effectively.

Continue implementing 18 national key programs on science and technology. Organize the implementation of projects under the Science and Technology Application Program to serve rural and mountainous development, linked with the implementation of national target programs and other economic and social programs. Enhance the effectiveness of state management of technology, particularly focusing on the appraisal and certification of imported technology and equipment. Implement policies to encourage the application of technological progress in production.

Severely deal with production and business establishments causing serious environmental pollution.

d- Social Issues

Implement multiple solutions to create jobs for workers. Find additional sources of funding for the national target program on job creation. Expand the export labor market. Vigorously train and retrain workers. The Government will soon submit to the National Assembly proposals to amend retirement regulations and age limits. Develop unemployment insurance policies to facilitate the restructuring of labor in agencies and enterprises.

Promptly develop comprehensive policies and mechanisms to mobilize and effectively utilize all sources of capital for the poverty alleviation program. Reduce the national rate of households living in poverty. The provincial People's Committee shall be responsible for submitting to the People's Council the allocation and measures for the effective use of funds from the poverty alleviation fund, and at the same time, publicly announce this information to the people for their inspection and supervision.

Pay attention to implementing social welfare programs well, gradually reducing the situation of children living on the streets.

Promptly promulgate policies for volunteers during the resistance war period, individuals affected by Agent Orange. Implement policies for military personnel and cadres who went to battlefields B, C, and K without direct family support and cadres reassigned to work in the South after the 1954 Geneva Agreement.

Continue to implement the health care program until the year 2000. Strive to reduce the mortality rate of children under five years old, the mortality rate of mothers and malnourished children.

Strengthen equipment and training for grassroots health workers, aiming to have 40% of communes with doctors, 100% of hamlets with community health workers, and 100% of communes with midwives or pediatric nurses by the year 2000. Diversify resource mobilization to ensure medical services for the poor.

Effectively implement the population and sustainable development strategy. Focus on family planning work, reduce the natural population growth rate.

Take resolute and practical measures to curb social evils, particularly drug abuse.

3- Regarding mountainous areas and ethnic minority groups

Efficiently invest in economic and social development programs in 1,715 extremely difficult communes, focusing initially on 1,000 communes. Each commune will complete essential infrastructure projects such as irrigation, drinking water, transportation, schools, health stations, electricity, and markets.

Improve the subsidy system for transporting essential goods and pilot subsidizing the consumption of products in mountainous regions.

Closely coordinate to effectively implement programs and projects on fixed farming and settlement, supporting ethnic minorities in particularly difficult circumstances, eradicating opium cultivation. Develop measures to stabilize the lives of spontaneous migrants, especially those moving to the Central Highlands and Southeast region. Establish commune cluster centers, particularly in border areas and highlands.

Concentrate on eliminating illiteracy. Universalize primary education in the remaining six mountainous provinces. Consolidate boarding schools for ethnic minorities. Rectify the admission process to ensure it adheres to policy and target groups.

Study and gradually address unreasonable regional allowances.

4- Enforcement of laws

Strengthen legal awareness campaigns among the people. Strive to have 100% of communes, wards, and towns equipped with legal libraries. Enhance the quality of legal columns on mass media. Build and consolidate a cadre of legal propagandists and educators down to the grassroots level.

Central state agencies need to promptly issue guiding documents for law enforcement. Increase the responsibility of agencies and units, especially at the grassroots level, in organizing law enforcement. Timely and properly resolve disputes, violations, complaints, and accusations according to the law, contributing to maintaining social stability and security.

Organize the implementation of the National Program on Crime Prevention and Control effectively. Closely combine educational, preventive, and proactive counter-offensive measures against crime, primarily in urban areas and key locations.

Investigative agencies, Procuratorates, Courts, and Enforcement Agencies must strengthen cooperation based on clearly defined responsibilities to enforce the law correctly throughout the litigation process, rectifying wrongful convictions, and ensuring citizens' democratic rights. Strengthen inspection, supervision, and timely and severe handling of corrupt and law-breaking officials within law enforcement agencies.

Gradually create conditions regarding funding and necessary means for law enforcement agencies to fulfill their tasks.

5- National Defense and Security

Continue to effectively implement national defense and security tasks, protecting the country's independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and socialist regime. Maintain political stability, social order, and security, creating a favorable environment to contribute to achieving the goal of economic and social development in the new situation.

Implement the State's program on building and developing the economy and society in conjunction with consolidating national defense and security, protecting borders, islands, and strategic areas. Develop preferential policies to promote production and ensure a stable life for the people in border and island areas.

Strictly adhere to regulations on safeguarding state secrets.

Build a strong people's armed force, closely combining the whole-people national defense posture with the people's security posture, meeting the requirements of the new situation.

6- Foreign Relations

Implement an independent and self-reliant foreign policy with a broad, diversified, and multilateral approach, intensifying and closely integrating the Party, National Assembly, Government, and people's organization activities to contribute to consolidating a peaceful and stable international environment conducive to serving the country's construction and protection efforts.

Leverage the role of foreign relations in economic development, expanding markets, international cooperation, attracting foreign investment and technology, and integrating into the regional and global economies.

Pay more attention to external information work.

Mobilize and unite overseas compatriots to support the homeland's construction.

7- Administrative Reform

Rectify the organizational structure of the state administrative apparatus from central to local levels towards efficiency, enhancing effectiveness in operations. Clearly define management authority over the economy and society for localities. Conduct a review to amend laws on the state organizational structure. Organize the election of representatives to the People's Councils at all levels well.

Implement the Regulation on democracy together with the consolidation of grassroots administration. In the first quarter of 1999, issue guiding documents to implement the Ordinance on civil servants and officials in conjunction with the simultaneous implementation of the Ordinance on thrift and prevention of waste and the Ordinance on anti-corruption. Strengthen training and capacity building for administrative management cadres. Continue to study and supplement specific policies for communal, ward, and town cadres.

Implement the Law on complaints and denunciations. Focus on resolving pending and protracted complaints. 

IV- IMPLEMENTATION

The Government and all levels need to improve methods of organization and implementation, further enhance the effectiveness of leadership and management, strengthen discipline and order. Pay attention to solutions to address weaknesses in the economy, ensuring major balances: accumulation and consumption, state budget revenue and expenditure, import and export, and national target programs. In the short term, focus on addressing the aftermath of natural disasters, typhoons, and floods in Central Vietnam and the Central Highlands. Based on closely monitoring developments and impacts of regional and global financial and monetary crises, emerging issues domestically, the Government will promptly report to the National Assembly's Standing Committee for necessary adjustments to suit the actual situation and report to the National Assembly at the nearest session.

The National Assembly's Standing Committee, the National Ethnic Council, the National Assembly's Committees, the Delegations of National Assembly Members, and National Assembly deputies will strictly supervise the implementation of this Resolution, particularly focusing on issues such as thrift and prevention of waste, anti-corruption, anti-smuggling, state budget revenue and expenditure, state borrowing and repayment, increasing savings for investment and production development, handling citizens' complaints and denunciations, and implementing the Regulation on democracy at the grassroots level.

Legal protection agencies must enhance the effectiveness of their operations to ensure strict compliance with laws and the National Assembly's Resolutions.

The Vietnam Fatherland Front and its member organizations should mobilize all strata of the people to effectively implement the National Assembly's Resolution; actively participate in patriotic emulation movements: "All for a wealthy people, a strong country, a fair and civilized society."

Enhance coordination among state agencies and mass organizations from central to local levels; raise awareness of shared responsibility and clearly define the functions and responsibilities of each agency, organization, and individual in organizing the implementation of tasks.

The National Assembly calls upon compatriots and soldiers throughout the country and overseas Vietnamese to uphold the spirit of patriotism, unity, mobilize all resources, overcome difficulties and challenges, and strive to successfully complete the tasks for 1999.

This Resolution was adopted by the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, tenth session, fourth meeting, on December 2, 1998./.