DECISION

APPROVING THE MASTER PLAN ON SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF HAU GIANG PROVINCE UP TO 2020

THE PRIME MINISTER OF GOVERNMENT

Pursuant to the December 25, 2001 Law on Organization of the Government;
At the proposal of the People's Committee of Hau Giang province in Official Letter No. 1550/UBND of July 11, 2005, and Official Letter No. 2587/UBND of November 11, 2005, approving the master plan on socio-economic development of Hau Giang province up to 2020,
At the proposal of the Ministry of Planning and Investment in Official Letter No. 8918-BKHfTD&GSDT of December 23, 2005, on the master plan on socio­economic development of Hau Giang province up to 2020,

DECIDES:

Article 1.- To approve the master plan on socioeconomic development of Hau Giang province up to 2020, with the following principal contents:

The master plan on socio-economic development of Hau Giang province in the 2006-2020 period shall conform with the master plan on socio-economic development of the Mekong river delta region and the national socio-economic development strategy; ensure the relationship between economic growth and proper settlement of social problems, especially hunger eradication and poverty reduction; between production development and expansion of markets for product consumption; between economic development and assurance of security and defense; and between sustainable development and environmental protection.

To speed up economic growth and economic restructuring toward industrialization and modernization, improve product quality and raise commodity proportion; to increase products with high gray-matter contents through enhancing the role of science and technology; improve the economy's quality, efficiency and competitiveness, creating the premise for achieving the objective of industrialization and modernization. To strive to raise the province's average per capita income to equal the average regional and national level and improve human development index (HDI).

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To encourage all economic sectors to develop production and business activities, mobilize to the utmost internal resources and attract external resources, quickly develop science and technology in order to diversify products and improve their quality in service of the people's life and export expansion.

To materialize the human development strategy through coordinated development of economic, cultural and social infrastructure; to build an equitable, democratic and civilized society; to constantly improve living conditions for the people, especially inhabitants in remote areas and social policy beneficiaries; continue with hunger eradication and poverty reduction, job creation and reduction of social evils.

To accelerate the coordinated establishment of socialist-oriented market economic institutions, proactively integrate into the global economy in combination with firmly maintaining political security and social order and safety.

With its favorable geographical position, natural conditions and socio-economic development potential, Hau Giang plays an important role in economic exchange in the sub-region southwest of Hau river and north of Ca Mau peninsula in the domains of development of hi-tech agriculture, training, healthcare and cargo transportation services, and development of agricultural, aquatic and husbandry product processing industry.

1. General objectives

To generate economic growth and development in a sustainable manner, carry out economic and labor restructuring and urban development toward industrialization and modernization, increase industrial, construction and service ratios while relatively reducing agricultural, forestry and aquaculture ratios in the economic structure. To build Hau Giang into a province with a comprehensively developed socialist-oriented market economy, a civilized society, a protected ecological environment and firmly maintained security and defense, becoming a vigorously developed province in the region and the country as a whole.

2. Specific objectives

a/ Economically:

- To strive to achieve average economic growth (GDP) rate of 12.6% per year during the 2006-2010 period; 13.6%/year during the 2011-2015 period; and 14.4%/year during the 2016-2020 period.

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+ In the 2006-2010 period, the economic structure shall be industry-service-agriculture;

+ In the 2011-2015 period, the economic structure shall gradually switch to service-industry-agriculture;

+ In the 2016-2020 period, the economic structure shall vigorously switch to service-industry-agriculture (by 2020, industry and construction ratio shall account for about 40% of the province's GDP; service 48%; and agriculture, forestry and aquaculture 12%.

- Export value shall reach USD 942 million by 2020, with an annual average increase rate of 12.8%.

- Average per capita income shall reach USD 694 by 2010, USD 1,214 by 2015, and USD 2,153 by 2020.

b/ Socially:

- HDI shall reach 0.875 by 2020.

- The natural population growth rate shall drop to below 1% by 2020.

- Annually, jobs will be created for 20,000-25,000 laborers, including an average of 2,000-3,000 exported laborers. By 2020, the underemployment rate shall fall to below 5%, and the rate of poor households by new poverty line shall be reduced to under 10%.

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- In the 2010-2015 period, to strive to attain the major education and training targets set for the Mekong river delta region in terms of universalization of higher secondary education (by 2010), rates of enrolment in nurseries and kindergartens, primary, lower and higher secondary schools, and in intermediate professional training schools. To implement the human resource training strategy according to planning, trained laborers shall account for about 41.6% of people of working age by 2020.

- By 2020, the child malnutrition rate shall be reduced to below 10%.

- By 2020 cultured families shall account for 98% and wards, communes and townships that meet cultural standards shall account for over 75%, contributing to repelling social evils.

III. TERRITORY-BASED DEVELOPMENT ORIENTATIONS

1. Zone I (area along Hau river) covers a natural area of 36,000 ha, with an expected population of 387,000 and a population density of 1,075/km² by 2020. With the advantage of development along national highway 1 and Hau river and proximity to Can Tho city, this zone shall be a key industrial development and service area.

2. Zone II (central area) covers a natural area of 124,800 ha, with an expected population of 615,000 and a population density of 493/km² by 2020. This zone is capable of rapidly developing trade, service and industry.

IV. BRANCH AND DOMAIN DEVELOPMENT ORIENTATIONS

1. Agriculture-forestry-aquaculture

During the 2006-2020 period, to strive for an annual average growth of 6.6%, contributing to ensuring national food security and creating a source of raw materials for processing industry and export. To form stable areas specialized in different crops, especially key crops such as rice, sugarcane, pineapple and fruit trees, practice intensive cultivation and apply new technologies, particularly biotechnology, in order to improve productivity and output, reduce cost and raise competitiveness of products. To quickly develop pig and sind cow herds, restore poultry herds, carry out research into and rear other animals of economic value. To develop aquaculture and aquatic product processing along the line of fully tapping local potential and strengths and reducing local exploitation to protect natural aquatic resources.

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2. Industry-construction

To strive for an annual average growth rate of 15.2% in industry and construction during the 2006-2020 period. Industrial development shall aim at achieving the objective of economic growth and restructuring toward industrialization and modernization. To reorganize and consolidate existing industrial production establishments, giving priority to investment in new technologies, source technologies and post-harvest technologies.

To concentrate on developing industries to support agriculture and rural areas, with a view to processing and selling all agricultural, forestry and aquatic products for farmers. To attach importance to developing existing industries which have advantages and large shares, employ great numbers of laborers and produce goods for export, such as agricultural and aquatic product processing. To quickly increase the share of key industries already identified during the plan period, such as mechanical engineering in service of agriculture, construction materials, new materials, consumer goods, leather footwear, garments, etc.; to increase the share of refined goods items while manufacturing more and more industrial products with hi-tech contents up to national and international standards; to develop cottage and handicraft industries and restore traditional ones.

3. Services

To encourage all economic sectors to participate in trade activities, step by step expand domestic and overseas markets as well as rural markets, meeting local consumption and export demands and promoting economic exchange. To enter into joint venture and align with trade organizations and other provinces in the Mekong river delta region and in the whole country for exchanging goods and products to boost demand and develop production. To make investment to develop Vi Thanh and Tan Hiep towns into trade centers in the sub-region west of Hau river and north of Ca Mau peninsula.

To develop tourism along the line of green tourism and eco-tourism combined with tours to cultural and historical relic areas, making use of river and garden landscapes in the Mekong river delta region to meet sightseeing, recreation and rest needs. To step by step align tourism businesses inside and outside the region to meet tourists' diversified needs. To repair, embellish and conserve existing historical and cultural relic areas and tourist attractions, and build combined eco-tourist and recreation resorts.

To strongly develop financial, banking, insurance, and post and telecommunications services to serve the cause of industrialization and modernization.

To strive for an annual average growth rate of 18% in the service sector during the 2006-2020 period.

4. External economy

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To encourage foreign investment in the domains of application of biotechnology, post-harvest technologies, information technologies, new material technologies, etc.; to efficiently use ODA capital sources, giving priority to big infrastructure projects needed in a newly established province, mobilize as much as possible FDI and NGO resources and other foreign capital sources, considering them as important resources for accelerating socio-economic development.

5. Building of socio-economic infrastructure

To accelerate and basically complete the construction of big projects which are decisive to the speed of socio-economic development in the province, especially in the first ten years of the plan period. Specifically:

- Communication: To build a new national highway 61B linking Vi Thanh town to Can Tho city, Bon Tong -Mot Ngan route (the section running across Hau Giang province), Quan Lo - Phung Hiep section, the route south of Hau river; to upgrade national highways 1A and 61 to grade-II urban roads; to build and upgrade the province's trunk roads, creating conditions for the development of sub-regions. To build and upgrade the networks of district and urban roads, car stations, bridges and culverts, and waterways; to build motorways to commune centers in localities where such motorways do not yet exist. To further improve the irrigation network together with developing waterways and roads, especially those in rural areas, build soon a system of bridges to serve socioeconomic exchange with neighboring provinces.

- Urban centers: To upgrade and expand urban infrastructure in central Vi Thanh and Tan Hiep towns, district capitals and townships with domestic and foreign investment capital.

Water supply: To build and expand water plants in Vi Thanh and Tan Hiep towns, water plants in other district capitals, and daily-life water supply systems in rural areas.

Water drainage and garbage treatment: To build a system of water drainage and rubbish dumps for industrial parks and clusters, and for medical establishments according to separate processes.

Industries: To give special attention to completing soon infrastructure in Song Hau industrial park, Tan Phu Thanh industrial cluster, Vi Thanh industrial cluster; and industrial, handicraft and cottage industrial clusters in districts and towns.

Agriculture: To complete and put into effective operation the provincial Agricultural Seed Station, make investment in developing high-quality rice, raw-material sugarcane, pineapple and aquaculture areas and concentrated fruit tree areas according to planning.

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- Electricity: To make investment to further improve the electricity system in service of socio-economic development.

- Tourism and trade: To make investment to further improve potential and advantaged tourist points and routes, construct more trade centers, supermarkets and key markets.

- To arrange and build concentrated population areas and resettlement areas for ground clearance, resettlement and population redistribution purposes.

- Post and telecommunications: To build a complete optic fiber cable line, expand the suspended cable line for signal transmission, and upgrade the central post office. To implement the strategy on development of high-speed and modern telecommunications to meet information and communication demands at home and abroad.

- Healthcare: To build a new provincial general hospital with 500 beds and provincial-level specialized hospitals with high technologies and techniques; to upgrade and expand the grassroots healthcare network in districts, towns, communes, wards and townships. To give priority to building new district health centers and commune health stations in newly divided localities which are still lacking such healthcare facilities; to increase the number and improve the quality of health workers at all levels.

- Education, cultural and social affairs: To build a provincial job training school, job training centers in districts and towns, a community college, an ethnic minority boarding school, a sport center, a cultural and art center, a tradition museum, a library and a radio and television station of provincial level, and other important facilities with investment from the central and provincial governments.

- To ensure essential infrastructure facilities for the poor, poor communities and poor communes: Renovating, upgrading, expanding and building essential infrastructure facilities such as small irrigation projects, schools, commune health stations, roads, electricity for public lighting, daily-life water, marketplaces, commune post and cultural points, meeting houses, etc., ensuring that 100% of poor communes shall have such essential infrastructure facilities by 2010.

- To build modern working offices for party, state and mass organizations within the 2006-2010 period.

6. Education and training

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7. Healthcare, culture, sports and social affairs

To properly perform the task of providing primary healthcare for the people, step by step socialize and improve the quality of health services. To build a grassroots healthcare network in association with implementing the rural development and urbanization program. To step by step improve the professional capabilities and ethics of doctors and health workers while upgrading physical foundations and equipment of the health service. To properly carry out population and family planning work coupled with maternal and child healthcare.

To properly implement the movement "All the people unite to build a cultured lifestyle in population quarters," expand communication efforts with a view to building an advanced culture deeply imbued with national identity. To preserve, conserve and restore cultural works and historical relics, and conserve national cultural heritages.

To socialize physical training and sport activities, organize traditional and mass sport movements, select and develop sports suitable to local characteristics.

Regarding employment generation and social policy implementation: To accelerate the process of industrialization in agriculture and rural areas in order to switch from agricultural labor to industrial, trade and service labor, creating jobs for the poor. To continue properly implementing "show of gratitude" and other policies. To encourage the people to get rich in a legitimate manner, and multiply the model of mutual assistance to overcome difficulties, reduce hunger and eradicate poverty.

8. Urban development and rural construction

On the basis of the master plan on Vietnam's urban development up to 2020 already approved by the Prime Minister, to form an urban development corridor along national highways 1A, 61 and 61B, including upgrading and expanding Vi Thanh town into grade-Ill urban center and Tan Hiep town into grade-IV urban center with synchronous, civilized and modern urban infrastructure, ensuring security, defense and sustainable ecological environment for promoting their role as central urban centers with pervasive effect in the urban corridor. To restore order in architecture and urban construction, proactively control urban development according to planning, plan and law. To focus on directing the elaboration of detailed construction plannings and land use plans, and intensify urban land management and use. To strive to increase the urbanization rate to about 37% by 2020.

Regarding rural construction: To further speed up the construction of townships, especially town lets in deep-lying areas, former revolution bases, ethnic minority areas and rural socio-economic infrastructure. To complete the network of rural roads, build motorways running to the centers of all communes, the systems of electricity supply, water supply, information and communication, environmental sanitation, educational and medical establishments, cultural, physical training and sport centers; to step by step diversify forms of job training to suit rural labor characteristics. To complete infrastructure in population clusters and lines under the Government's programs to stabilize the people's life in flood-stricken areas.

9. Science and technology

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10. Environment and sustainable development

To research, forecast and propose solutions to sustainable socio-economic development in the context of accelerated industrialization, modernization and international economic integration. To build a database of environment-related scientific and technological information accessible by all; to recommend environmental protection measures to ensure sustainable economic development. To consider sustainable development as the common responsibility of the entire society, incorporate environmental education into schools, and establish environmental protection organizations; to promote the popularization and monitoring of the implementation of the Environment Law among all establishments and individuals.

11. Strengthening of defense and security

The major defense and security task in the plan period is to continue implementing the Political Bureau's Resolution No. 21-NQ/TW of January 20, 2003, on orientations, tasks and solutions for socio­economic development and security and defense assurance in the Mekong river delta region in the 2001-2010 period, and other resolutions, decisions and directives of the Party and the Government, with a view to firmly maintaining political security and social order and safety, considering this a crucial factor in socio-economic development and international integration.

In order to attain the objectives of this master plan, it is necessary to work out a set of coordinated measures to tap all resources in the province and attract resources from the country and abroad.

On this basis, the province shall work out a plan on mobilizing resources in each period with specific and rational measures to attract domestic and foreign investment capital, ensuring the attainment of the set objectives. To continue studying, formulating and promulgating or submitting to the Prime Minister (matters beyond its competence) for promulgation mechanisms and policies in compliance with the province's development requirements in each period with a view to attracting and mobilizing all resources for the implementation of the master plan.

To develop levering mechanisms and policies on land use; human resource training and talent attraction; scientific and technological development; market, circulation, distribution and services; business management and equitization; administrative reform and macro-policy adjustment, enhancement of socio­economic management and urban management capacity of the local administration at all levels; and management decentralization.

To formulate key socio-economic development programs and determine investment phases for priority projects identified in the master plan, serving as suitable development orientations in each period.

Article 2.- This master plan shall serve as the basis for the elaboration, submission for approval and materialization of specialized plannings and investment projects in the province according to regulations.

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- Elaborating a planning on socio-economic development of districts and townships, a planning on development of the system of urban centers and population areas, construction planning, land use planning and plan, branch and domain development plannings, with a view to ensuring comprehensive and coordinated development.

- Studying, formulating, promulgating or submitting to competent state agencies for promulgation mechanisms and policies in compliance with the province's development requirements in each period in order to attract and mobilize resources for the materialization of the master plan.

- Drawing up long-term, medium-term and short-term plans, key development programs and specific projects for concentrated investment or incremental and reasonable priority investment.

- Submitting to the Prime Minister for consideration and decision amendments to this master plan which are timely and suitable to the province's socio­economic development in each plan period.

Article 4.- Ministries, ministerial-level agencies and Government-attached agencies are hereby assigned to assist the People's Committee of Hau Giang province in studying and formulating the above-said plannings; study, formulate and submit to competent authorities mechanisms and policies in response to the province's socio-economic development requirements in each period. To step up investment in building projects which are of inter­regional impact and significant to the province's development for which investment decisions have been made. To study and submit to competent authorities for approval amendments to branch development plannings and investment plans of investment projects stated in the master plan. To assist the province in seeking and arranging domestic and foreign investment capital for materializing the master plan.

Article 5.- This Decision takes effect 15 days after its publication in "CONG BAO."

Article 6.- The president of the People's Committee of Hau Giang province, ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, and heads of Government-attached agencies shall have to implement this Decision.-

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APPENDIX

PROJECTS PRIORITIZED FOR INVESTMENT IN THE 2006-2020 PERIOD
(Promulgated together with the Prime Minister's Decision No. 105/2006/QD-TTg of May 16, 2006)

I. AGRICULTURE-FORESTRY-FISHERIES:

1. Horticulture development.

2. Agricultural mechanization.

3. Husbandry development.

4. Aquaculture development.

5. Irrigation construction.

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7. Building of the provincial Agricultural Seed Center and Agricultural Seed Station.

II. INDUSTRY-CONSTRUCTION:

1. Frozen aquatic product factory.

2. Vegetable and fruit processing establishment.

3. Concentrated fruit juice factory.

4. Wine factory.

5. Animal meat processing factory.

6. Cattle and poultry slaughter factory.

7. PP package weaving factory.

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9. MDF ply board factory.

10. Garment factory.

11. Export footwear processing factory.

12. Pharmaceutical factory.

13. High-grade toothpaste factory.

14. High-grade shampoo factory.

15. Roofing iron factory.

16. Machine factory.

17. Electric equipment factory.

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19. Building Hau Giang printing company.

20. Plastic pipe factory.

21. Paint factory.

22. Aquatic animal feed factory.

23. Feed factory.

24. Sanitaryware factory.

25. Paper package factory.

26. Veterinary medicine factory.

27. Building Hau river industrial complex.

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29. Building Vi Thanh industrial park.

30. Building Vi Thanh industrial, cottage industrial and handcraft complex.

31. Building Long My industrial, cottage industrial and handcraft complex.

32. Building Chau Thanh A industrial, cottage industrial and handcraft complex.

33. Building Vi Thuy industrial, cottage industrial and handcraft complex.

34. Building Phung Hiep industrial, cottage industrial and handcraft complex.

35. Building Cay Duong industrial, cottage industrial and handcraft complex.

36. Building Kinh Cung industrial, cottage industrial and handcraft complex.

III. TRADE-SERVICE:

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2. Development of marketplaces, trade centers and supermarkets.

3. Investment in completing potential tourist points and routes.

4. Development of the service system.

IV. SOCIO-ECONOMIC INFRASTRUCTURE:

1. Vi Thanh port.

2. Hau river port.

3. Phung Hiep port.

4. Landing stages in 7 districts and towns.

5. Upgrading national highways 1A and 61, the section south of Hau river.

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7. Upgrading and building key provincial and district roads.

8. Upgrading and building rural roads.

9. Upgrading and building urban roads.

10. Building new motorways to commune centers in localities where such motorways do not exist yet.

11. Upgrading and building car stations in 7 districts and towns.

12. Upgrading the system of waterways.

13. Building and renovating the medium-tension and low-tension electricity systems.

14. Completing the low-tension electricity system to increase the electrification rate.

15. Expanding the capacity of water plants in districts, towns and townships; expanding the rural water supply network.

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17. Building central post offices; expanding the capacity of transmission lines.

18. Building the rainwater drainage and wastewater treatment systems for towns, and rainwater drainage systems for townships.

19. Building rubbish dumps and rubbish treatment systems for urban centers.

20. Upgrading and building general education and continuing schools and classrooms.

21. Building the provincial job training school, and job-training centers in districts and towns.

22. Building the community college and ethnic minority boarding schools.

23. Building physical foundations for culture, physical training and sports, radio and television broadcasting (provincial-level sport center, cultural and art center, tradition museum, library and radio and television station, etc.).

24. Building a new provincial general hospital with 500 beds, specialized hospitals, obstetrics hospital, pediatrics hospital, traditional medicine hospital, and diagnosis and therapy center.

25. Building, upgrading and expanding the grassroots healthcare networks in districts, towns, communes, wards and townships.

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27. Building working offices for party, state and mass organizations within five years from 2006 to 2010.

Note: The locations, land areas, total amounts and sources of investment capital of the above-listed projects will be calculated, selected and specifically determined at the stage of formulation and submission for approval of investment projects, depending on the demands for and capabilities of balancing and mobilizing investment capital in each period.-