Resolution No. 31/1999/NQ-QH10 on tasks for the year 2000

RESOLUTION

On the tasks for the year 2000

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NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM

Pursuant to Article 84 of the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 1992;

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

RESOLVES

Agreeing with the assessment of the situation regarding the implementation of tasks in 1999; the direction and tasks for 2000 with the targets and solutions presented in the Government's report and the reports of relevant sectors.

The National Assembly emphasizes the following issues:

I. ASSESSMENT OF THE SITUATION IN 1999

With the extraordinary efforts of the entire people, we have strived to achieve and exceed most of the main targets set for 1999 by the National Assembly. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased by 5%. The rice equivalent yield of food production reached 33.8 million tons, the highest level ever. Export turnover reached 10.7 billion dollars. Employment was created for 1.2 million workers. Over 400,000 households living in poverty were reduced; cultural and social fields made progress. People's lives were stable. Foreign relations were expanded. National defense and security were maintained.

However, our economy still has many weaknesses. The growth rate continued to decline compared to the previous year; competitiveness and efficiency remain low. Consumption of products is difficult, the market is less active, credit capital is stagnant. Investment structure has some unreasonable aspects, is scattered, and has low effectiveness. State-owned enterprise sector changes slowly. There is still a large number of unemployed workers, social evils and crime have not decreased. The state administrative apparatus is still cumbersome and ineffective. Corruption, bureaucracy, and privilege have not been eliminated.

II. GENERAL OBJECTIVES AND MAIN TARGETS FOR 2000

1. General objectives:

Accelerate economic development at a higher rate than in 1999; strive to achieve the targets set out in the ten-year strategy (1991-2000) and the five-year plan (1996-2000). Create a strong shift towards enhancing the competitiveness and efficiency of the economy, scientific and technological development. Cultivate human resources and address urgent social issues. Improve the material and cultural life of all social strata. Ensure social stability. Expand foreign relations, consolidate national defense and security.

2. Main objectives:

- Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increase from 5.5% to 6%;

- Agricultural production value increase from 3.5% to 4%;

- Rice equivalent yield of food production reach from 33.5 million to 34 million tons;

- Industrial production value increase from 10.5% to 11%;

- Value of service industries increase from 5.0% to 5.5%;

- Total export turnover increase from 11.0% to 12%;

- Inflation around 6%;

- Budget deficit not exceeding 5% of GDP;

- Create new jobs for 1.2 to 1.3 million workers;

- Train skills for approximately 780,000 people;

- Reduce the poverty rate to about 10%;

- Decrease the birth rate by 0.05%.

(Specific targets of each industry and field are recorded in the attached annex table)

III. TASKS AND SOLUTIONS

1. Mobilize all resources, remove difficulties and obstacles to promote production and business, stop the decline in growth rate, improve the efficiency and competitiveness of the economy.

1.1. Continue to increase investment in agriculture and rural economy, prioritizing irrigation, high-yield crop and livestock varieties; develop processing industry, services. Encourage the development of household economy, farm economy, and cooperative forms of economy in rural areas. Enact mechanisms and policies and focus on effectively solving the problem of agricultural product consumption.

1.2. Reorganize, reform, and enhance the operational efficiency of state-owned enterprises. Implement plans for shareholding, leasing, and transferring state-owned enterprises while continuing to expand autonomy and responsibility. Support industries producing competitive products, especially large-scale export products such as crude oil extraction, textiles, footwear, seafood... Develop small and medium-sized enterprises to absorb more labor.

1.3. Adjust the investment structure and economic structure to improve quality and competitiveness of the economy. Cease unproductive investment projects that cannot recover capital. Focus funds on feasible projects. Immediately correct unreasonable bidding mechanisms. Directly manage and organize the implementation of national target programs at local levels, central ministries and sectors are responsible for guiding and strictly supervising. Encourage various economic components and the public to invest idle capital in production development. Promptly resolve difficulties and obstacles to attract foreign investment. Speed up disbursement progress and strictly manage the use of official development assistance (ODA) funds.

1.4. Continue to exploit and expand markets, focusing on domestic commodity circulation, especially in rural areas. Promote exports. Encourage and create conditions for enterprises to seek markets and directly export. Firmly combat smuggling and commercial fraud.

1.5. Effectively implement the National Assembly's resolution on the state budget estimate for 2000. Increase autonomy and enhance the role and responsibility in financial and budget management at local government levels.

Reform interest rate mechanisms towards applying basic interest rates. Prudently and flexibly manage exchange rates in accordance with needs. Establish mechanisms to generate funds to support the resolution of overdue debts. Address the issue of stagnant capital in commercial banks.

Fully implement the right to autonomy and responsibility in credit activities. End commercial banks lending according to administrative orders. Promptly establish and perfect the model of policy banks, separating policy credit from bank credit, preferential credit from commercial credit.

2. Create a strong shift in cultural and social activities.

2.1. Vigorously promote cultural and educational activities through effective use of state budget funds combined with socialization. Develop vocational schools strongly. Pay attention to training ethnic minority children and mountainous regions in accordance with the education law.

Build and develop community cultural clusters.

Enhance the effectiveness of health care for the people and implement national health programs well. Create conditions for the poor to benefit from medical services. Reduce the natural population growth rate... Focus on investing in developing and applying scientific and technological advances in production. Improve the quality of technology assessment and appraisal, particularly for imported technology and equipment.

2.2. Effectively implement the poverty reduction program, focusing on particularly difficult communes. Properly carry out settlement work, stabilize production and living conditions for mountainous ethnic groups and voluntary migrants.

Promote job creation programs and develop the labor market. Address wage policy issues.

2.3. Proactively and comprehensively implement measures to prevent and promptly address social evils, especially drug trafficking and use. Vigorously carry out HIV/AIDS prevention and control work.

3. Implement broad, diverse, and multilateral foreign relations; consolidate national defense and security, create conditions for economic development, maintain independence and sovereignty, and ensure national security.

3.1. Strengthen friendly cooperation with countries, primarily neighboring and regional ones. Actively promote negotiations on borders and maritime areas with other countries. Further enhance the effectiveness of foreign economic activities, focusing on major markets and partners, and consolidate regional markets and partners. Continue negotiating to sign bilateral and multilateral trade agreements. Proactively integrate into regional and global economies.

3.2. Continuously heighten vigilance, proactively prevent and effectively respond to any complex situations that may arise. Continue to rectify and enhance the combat strength of armed forces. Vigorously promote mass movements for national security protection. Mobilize the whole society to participate in the National Crime Prevention Program, creating significant changes in social security. Link defense and security tasks with economic and social development. Utilize the role of armed forces in disaster prevention and mitigation.

4. Vigorously advance administrative reform and improve the efficiency of state machinery operations.

4.1. Review, amend, and supplement legal documents serving as the basis for advancing administrative reform.

Continue to improve guidance and management work, ensuring practicality, responsiveness, firmness, and effectiveness. Examine the division of responsibilities across sectors between different levels of administration, primarily between the central government and provincial levels, delegating tasks to local authorities where possible. Enhance individual responsibility in management and implementation of tasks. Promptly identify and firmly deal with civil servants at any position who exhibit attitudes and actions that harass, obstruct, or cause difficulties in performing their duties.

4.2. Strengthen the supervisory activities of the National Assembly and People's Councils at all levels. Improve the quality of investigative, prosecutorial, judicial, and case resolution work, addressing complex and long-standing cases decisively. Timely and strictly handle crimes related to corruption, smuggling...

4.3. Enhance the capacity and improve the quality of operations of new-term local governments. Vigorously implement democratic regulations at grassroots levels. Promptly resolve citizens' complaints and reports.

Focus on mitigating the aftermath of floods in Central Vietnam; enhance response capabilities to minimize losses caused by natural disasters.

5.1. Prioritize investment in restoring and reinforcing socio-economic infrastructure, particularly water conservancy projects, transportation, schools, and healthcare facilities. Increase forecasting capacity; ensure technical means and material resources are ready for immediate response when natural disasters occur.

5.2. Promote the spirit of mutual aid, encourage contributions from the entire population, sectors, and levels, support from international organizations, and overseas Vietnamese to quickly stabilize the lives and production of flood-affected residents.

The year 2000 is the final year of the five-year socio-economic plan (1996-2000) and the ten-year socio-economic strategy (1991-2000), with many important holidays. With confidence in the Party's leadership, the nation's strength, the tradition of unity, diligent and creative labor, we will certainly overcome all difficulties and challenges, achieve great successes in implementing the 2000 tasks, and confidently stride into the new century.

This Resolution was adopted by the Sixth Session of the Tenth National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on December 22, 1999.