DECISION

APPROVING THE MASTER PLAN ON SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN BINH PHUOC PROVINCE IN THE 2006- 2020 PERIOD

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the December 25, 2001 Law on Organization of the Government;
At the proposal of the People's Committee of Binh Phuoc province in Report No. 27/TTr-UBND of March 23, 2006;
At the proposal of the Ministry of Planning and Investment in Official Letter No. 3270/BKH-TD&GSDT of May 10, 2006, on the Master Plan on socio-economic development in Binh Phuoc province in the 2006-2020 period,

DECIDES:

Article 1.- To approve the Master Plan on socio-economic development in Binh Phuoc province in the 2006- 2020 period with the following principal contents:

I. DEVELOPMENT VIEWPOINTS:

The Master Plan on socio-economic development in Binh Phuoc province in the 2006- 2020 period is in line with the national strategy on socio-economic development; ensures the relationships between economic growth and settlement of social issues, particularly employment, hunger elimination, poverty alleviation, and assurance of social justice and national unity; between economic development and maintenance of national defense and security, consolidation of the political system and state administration; between sustainable development and environmental protection.

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Socio-economic development will be based on the promotion of the province's strengths and advantages; the utmost mobilization of internal resources and the strong attraction of external resources, particularly investment capital, science and technology. All economic sectors are encouraged to develop production and business.

To make investment in comprehensive development, stepping up urbanization and rural development; to fundamentally complete important socio-economic infrastructure in the province within the planning period.

To materialize the human resource development strategy, raising the people's intellectual level and the quality of human resources; to constantly improve and raise the living standards of people, particularly people in deep-lying areas and policy beneficiaries.

II. DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES

1. General objectives

To achieve fast and sustainable economic development, to restructure the economy and labor, to develop urban centers towards industrialization and modernization. To build Binh Phuoc into a province with allsided social, economic and cultural development, where the ecological environment is protected and national security and defense is maintained; to strive to be a strongly developed province in the region and the whole country.

2. Specific objectives

a/ Economically:

- To achieve an average annual economic growth rate (GDP) of 14% - 15% in the 2006- 2010 period, 15.5% in the 2011- 2015 period, and 13.5% in the 2016-2020 period.

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- To restructure the economy towards increasing industrial and service ratios. The average annual growth rate of the industry- construction sector shall be 29.3% in the 2006-2010 period, 21.9% in the 2011-2015 period and 16.3% in the 2016- 2020 period, corresponding to the following economic structure:

+ By 2010: The agriculture-forestry- fishery sector shall represent 42.9%; the industry-construction: 28.8% and the service sector: 28.3% of the GDP;

+ By 2020: The agriculture-forestry-fishery sector shall represent 19.5%; the industry-construction sector, 43%, and the service sector, 37.5% of the GDP.

- Export turnover shall reach USD 410 million by 2010 and USD 2,700 million by 2020. Budget revenues shall reach VND 1,500 ' 1,600 billion by 2010 and VND 6,370 billion by 2020;

- The average social investment capital annually mobilized for socio-economic development shall account for 20% of GDP.

b/ Socially:

- By 2010, 100% of districts and townships shall complete lower secondary education universalization, of which one district and one township shall complete higher secondary education universalization; by 2020, 100% of districts and townships shall complete higher secondary education universalization.

By 2015, the whole contingent of teachers shall be standardized.

The number of schools reaching national standards shall represent 42% - 43% by 2010 and 100% by 2020.

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- By 2010, 100% of communes shall have medical doctors, with 7 doctors and 18 hospital beds for every 10,000 inhabitants; by 2015, 10 doctors and 22 hospital beds for every 10,000 inhabitants; and by 2020, 15 doctors and 25 hospital beds for every 10,000 inhabitants.

To reduce the rate of malnourished children from 26.5% in 2005 to 20% by 2010, under 15% by 2015 and under 10% by 2020. To reduce the mortality rate of newborns from 0.18% in 2005 to 0.1% by 2010.

- By 2010, 100% of communes shall be covered with radio and television broadcasting.

- To reduce the poverty rate to 5% by 2010 and basically zero (by the new poverty line) by 2020.

III. BRANCH AND DOMAIN DEVELOPMENT ORIENTATIONS

1. Agriculture, forestry, fishery

To step up the restructuring of agriculture and rural economy towards commodity production. To develop production in couple with the protection of ecological environment, ensuring sustainable agricultural development. To accelerate agricultural and rural industrialization and modernization. To develop agriculture in the direction of intensive and specialized farming in order to raise productivity, quality and efficiency; to form concentrated and specialized production zones suitable with the province's potential and comparative edges, including long-term industrial tree (rubber, pepper, cashew) zones; the fruit tree zones; pasture zones in service of cattle (buffalo and cow) raising. To strive to restructure the sector: by 2010, the husbandry production value shall account for 11.96% and by 2020, 19.9% of the total value of the sector.

The annual average growth rate of the agriculture-forestry-fishery sector shall be 8.6% in the 2006- 2010 period; 7.6% in the 2011- 2015 period; and 6% in the 2016- 2020 period.

2. Industry, cottage industry and handicraft

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3. Trade- service sector

To expand trade with localities inside and outside the southern key economic region and with foreign countries.

For foreign markets, to focus on development of key commodities in the export strategy of the province, such as rubber, cashew, fine-art wood articles,'; to expand trade with Cambodia and regional countries together with the development of economic activities at Hoa Lu border gate.

To strongly develop tourism and services with a view to further contributing to the province's general growth, whereby introducing the province's potential to domestic and foreign investors.

The production and trade value of the trade-service sector shall annually grow on average by 16% - 17% in the 2006- 2010 period; 15.5% in the 2011-2015 period; and 14.7% in the 2016-2020 period.

4. Budget revenue and expenditure

To increase the province's budget revenue on the basis of boosting production and business development in the locality in both scale and efficiency. To continue tapping with efficiency revenues from the land fund and housing fund. To strive for the goal that the total remittance into the state budget in the province shall achieve 17.9% of GDP by 2010, 22% by 2015, and 23% by 2020.

In the coming years, state budget expenditure shall rationally focus on urgent issues such as healthcare, education, traffic, a number of social issues, particularly in rural, ethnic minority, deep-lying and remote areas.

5. Social development orientations

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- Education and training

To attach importance to the education and training of human resources, particularly scientific and technological human resources of high qualifications, outstanding managerial officials and skilled workers. To raise the quality and efficiency of education and training.

To intensify training and adopt preferential policies to strongly attract teachers, meeting the quantitative and qualitative requirements. To increase investment in school and classroom material foundations, supplement equipment and facilities in service of teaching and learning. From now till 2010, to solidify primary, lower secondary and higher secondary schools. To draw up schemes on training of officials for branches, districts and communes, ensuring a rational structure between managerial officials, technicians and labor forces directly engaged in production and business. To accelerate and raise the quality of socialization of training. To diversify forms of training, raising the percentage of trained laborers.

- Healthcare

To enhance, consolidate and perfect the healthcare network from the provincial to grassroots level to well perform the tasks of protecting, caring for and improving the people's health. To constantly raise the quality of medical services, properly providing primary healthcare for people. To consolidate and develop the preventive medicine system. To invest in the upgrading and construction of medical examination and treatment establishments, particularly the provincial general hospital. To attach importance to developing sources of materia medica in service of treatment, particularly in the field of traditional medicine.

To well implement the population- family planning program; to strive for the goal of only 1- 2 children for each family.

- Culture, information, physical training and sports

To step up cultural, information, physical training and sport activities, to raise the quality and efficiency of socialization of cultural, physical training and sport activities among people, paying special attention to rural areas. To build and upgrade cultural and sport establishments of rational size in villages and hamlets. To preserve revolutionary, historical and cultural relics. To step up the socialization of investment in the development of cultural and information activities. To build a complete network of libraries in the province and districts. To quickly and efficiently develop the radio and television network, satisfying the local people's demand. To create steps of quantitative and qualitative development of mass physical training and sports morements.

- Employment, hunger elimination, poverty alleviation, raising of people's living standards

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6. National defense and security

To closely combine two strategic tasks of national construction and defense and economic development with the maintenance of national security and defense. To heighten the integrated strength of the people's war posture, building firm defense zones together with the strong people's armed forces and ensuring high combat readiness. To consolidate border posts, ensuring border security in association with the maintenance of political security, social order and safety in the locality.

To consolidate and develop the relations of friendship between Vietnam and Cambodia, to build the allsidedly strong border areas, contributing to the maintenance of national independence and sovereignty.

7. Development of socio-economic infrastructure

To step by step upgrade and construct communications infrastructure, meeting the province's socio-economic development requirements, giving priority to main roads and communications networks in administrative centers of districts, townships, industrial parks and border gates. At the same time to pay attention to the development of rural communications.

To expand and modernize the postal and telecommunication network. To strive to achieve the goals that 100% of townships and district capitals will be covered with mobile phone waves and there will be 23-24 telephone sets for every 100 inhabitants by 2010, which will rise to 35 telephone sets for every 100 inhabitants by 2020.

To accelerate rural electrification. By 2020, 100% of communes and wards will be supplied with electricity.

To raise the percentage of electricity-using households to 90% in 2010 and 100% in 2020.

IV. TERRITORIAL DEVELOPMENT ORIENTATIONS

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- Zone I (central zone): which lies to the south of the province, covering: Dong Xoai provincial town, Chon Thanh district, An Loc township; communes south of Binh Long district; Tan Phu district township and Tan Lap commune of Dong Phu district. It is oriented to concentrate on development of industry- tourism-services in association with important communications axes: Ho Chi Minh road, highway 14, highway 13, road 741, Chon Thanh-Dac Nong railway line, Chon Thanh-Loc Ninh-Cambodia railway line. This will be a region of dense population and high rate of urbanization, which will generate a driving force for the general socio-economic development of the province.

- Zone II: which lies in the heart of the province, covering: southern and southeastern communes of Loc Ninh and Bu Dop districts; northern communes of Binh Long district; southern communes of Phuoc Long district, part of Bu Dang district and the remaining communes of Dong Phu district. It is oriented to develop agriculture, industry, services and tourism.

- Zone III: which lies to the west and east of the province, covering: northern communes of Loc Ninh, Bu Dop and Binh Loc districts; eastern and southeastern communes of Bu Dang district and an eastern part of Dong Phuc district. This region has great potential for economic development of agriculture and forestry in association with eco-tourism.

2. Orientations for development of urban centers and rural population quarters

- Development center zones

+ Zone 1: covers Dong Xoai provincial town, the district towns of Chon Thanh and Tan Phuc and the satellite townships of Nghia Trung, Minh Lap, Nha Bich and Phu Rieng.

+ Zone 2: covers An Loc and Loc Ninh district towns.

+ Zone 3: covers the district towns of Thac Mo, Phuoc Binh, Thanh Binh and Duc Phong.

- Growth corridors

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+ Highway 13 corridor

+ Road 741 corridor.

3. Orientations for planning on administrative units towards 2020

It is projected that by 2020, Binh Phuoc province shall have 12 administrative units at district or provincial town level including 3 provincial towns (Dong Xoai, Binh Long and Phuoc Long) and 9 districts, with 130 communes, wards and townships.

V. MAJOR SOLUTIONS TO REALIZATION OF THE MASTER PLAN

1. Building strong administrations at all levels

To accelerate administrative reform, raise the capabilities of officials and public servants and clearly define the competence of agencies of all levels, enhance administrative discipline, to fight red tape, corruption and waste while ensuring the people's mastery, thereby raising the efficiency of socio-economic management by administrations at all levels, creating a favorable environment for attraction of various resources for development investment.

2. Mobilizing investment capital

- With regard to the budget capital source: In addition to investment capital sources for centrally-run projects in the locality, the province shall use the central budget support capital for the construction of essential socio-economic infrastructure, including irrigation works and daily-life water supply facilities and for the expansion of rural traffic networks and power grids.

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- With regard to external capital sources: While well attracting sources of foreign direct investment capital, it is necessary to make full use of the ODA capital sources for investment in key programs and projects, giving priority to rural infrastructure and paying attention to investment in poor communes and areas meeting with exceptional difficulties.

- Adopting mechanisms and policies to mobilize and encourage various economic sectors to invest capital in economic development, particularly rural production and business.

- Accelerating socialization in the fields of education and training, healthcare, culture and information, physical training and sports, aiming to mobilize all social resources for investment in the development of these fields.

It is expected to mobilize around VND 14,134 billion of investment capital in the 2006-2010 period, VND 29,260 billion in the 2011- 2015 period and VND 61,675 billion in the 2016- 2020 period (at the 2005 prices).

3. Planning solutions

To put planning work in order, making it an effective instrument of the State in economic management. To decentralize the elaboration, appraisal, approval, implementation and supervision of plannings. To make investment according to planning and in suitability with the capability of balancing capital and other resources.

4. Renewing, reorganizing and developing various economic sectors

To well implement the Enterprise Law; remove difficulties for enterprises; reorganize production and business activities of state-run agricultural and forestry farms. To study and promulgate preferential policies on development of some spearhead branches; to perfect the policy on industrial development, creating a favorable environment attractive to investors. To encourage and provide support, particularly legal and judicial support, for non-state enterprises to develop.

5. Policies on science, technology and environmental protection

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6. Human resource development policies

To attach importance to education and training, and raising of people's intellectual level; to draw up plans on training of the workforce in compatibility with the production and business development orientations; create motive forces, encouraging laborers to promote their strength and intellect in order to raise labor efficiency. To formulate plannings and plans on training so as to step by step raise the quality of state officials and employees. To adopt policies to attract high-quality laborers from other localities to work in the province.

7. Enhancing cooperation with other provinces and expand markets

To enhance economic cooperation with other localities throughout the country, particularly Ho Chi Minh City and provinces in the southern key economic region, to formulate separate mechanisms to call on investors to come to Binh Phuoc; to draw up a program on mobilization of ODA and FDI capital sources, prioritizing investment in the development of urban and rural infrastructure, healthcare, education, hunger elimination and poverty alleviation.

To pay attention to expanding domestic and foreign markets. To raise the quality and renew patterns of products, raising their competitiveness and developing their outlets in a sustainable manner; to pay more attention to the branding and advertising of commodities with great development potentials.

8. Organization of implementation

To widely publicize the approved Master Plan; to study and implement the Master Plan in a coordinative and comprehensive manner; to draw up plans for materialization of the Master Plan with high efficiency and results; to regularly update information for adjustment of the Master Plan when necessary.

Article 2.- This Master Plan shall serve as the orientation and basis for elaboration, submission for approval and implementation of specialized plannings and investment projects in the province according to regulations.

Article 3.- The People's Committee of Binh Phuoc province shall base itself on the socio-economic development objectives, tasks and orientations of the province laid down in the Master Plan to assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with concerned ministries and branches in, directing the elaboration, submission for approval and implementation of the following according to regulations:

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- A number of mechanisms and policies to be promulgated according to its competence or to be submitted to competent state bodies for promulgation, which meet the development requirements of the province and comply with the laws in each period, aiming to attract and mobilize resources for materialization of the Master Plan.

- Long-term, medium-term and short-term plans; key development programs and specific projects for concentrated investment or gradual investment with reasonable priority.

- Adjustments and supplements to this Master Plan, to be submitted to the Prime Minister for consideration and decision in time and in accordance with the socio-economic development situation of the province and the whole country in each period of the Master Plan.

Article 4.- To assign concerned ministries and branches to support the People's Committee of Binh Phuoc province in studying and elaborating the above-said plannings; studying, formulating and submitting to competent state bodies for promulgation mechanisms and policies meeting the socio-economic development requirements of the province in each period; stepping up investment in, and implementation of, big works and projects of inter-regional impact and importance to the development of the province, in which investment has been decided; studying and submitting to competent authorities for approval adjustments and supplements to branch development plannings, plans on investment in works and projects mentioned in the Master Plan; to support the province in seeking and allocating domestic and foreign investment capital for implementation of the Master Plan.

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

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

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APPENDIX

LIST OF PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS PRIORITIZED FOR INVESTMENT STUDY
(Issued together with the Prime Ministers Decision No. 194/2006/QD-TTg of August 24, 2006)

I. IRRIGATION PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS:

1. Cam stream reservoir 2 (Dong Xoai provincial town);

2. Irrigation and water supply for the breeding farm (Dong Xoai provincial town);

3. Phen stream reservoir (Loc Ninh district);

4. Klieu reservoir (Loc Ninh district);

5. Binh Giai reservoir (Phuoc Long district);

6. Phuc Chau reservoir (Phuoc Long district);

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8. Hung Phuc irrigation system (Bu Dang district);

9. Van Phong reservoir (Bu Dang district);

10. Heo stream reservoir (Binh Long district);

11. M26 reservoir (Bu Dop district);

II. INDUSTRIAL PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS:

12. Chon Thanh industrial park;

13. Tan Thanh industrial park;

14. Minh Hung-Han Quoc industrial park;

15. Nam Dong Phu industrial park;

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16. Consolidation of general education schools to reach national standards (kn the while province);

17. Water supply systems in the central administrative zone and Nam Dong Phu industrial park (Dong Phu district);

18. Water supply systems in Chon Thanh population quarter and Chon Thanh industrial parks (Chon Thanh district);

19. Investment in construction and development of Bu Gia Map national garden, the 2005-2009 period (Phuoc Long district);

20. Population quarters and headquarters of the agriculture and rural development sector (Dong Xoai provincial town);

21. The wholesale market (Chon Thanh district);

22. Provincial border-gate economic infrastructure (Loc Ninh district);

23. A border-gate trade center (Loc Ninh district);

24. Construction of Cam stream tourist resort (Dong Xoai provincial town);

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26. Bu Dop district hospital;

27. Bu Dang district hospital;

28. Chon Thanh district hospital;

29. Chon Thanh higher secondary education school (Chon Thanh district);

30. Construction of classrooms to replace makeshift or degraded ones (throughout the province);

31. Dong Xoai victory monument (Dong Xoai provincial town);

32. Upgrading of DT750 road (Bu Dang and Phuoc Long districts);

33. Belt road and population quarter of Sa Cat reservoir;

34. Cam stream reservoir belt road (Dong Xoai provincial town);

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36. Upgrading of equipment of the provincial general hospital (German ODA capital);

37. Tan Khai higher secondary school (Binh Long district);

38. Dong Phu higher secondary school (Dong Phu district);

39. An intermediate medical school (Dong Xoai provincial town);

40. A job-training school (Chon Thanh district);

41. An education-labor-employment center (Chon Thanh district);

42. A provincial stadium (Dong Xoai provincial town);

43. UH 10 KW image transmitter, Radio and Television station (Phuoc Long district);

44. A Project on procurement of a mobile television vehicle for the Radio and Television station (Dong Xoai provincial town);

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* Note: The locations, sizes, land areas and total investments of the above-mentioned projects shall be calculated, selected and specifically determined at the stage of formulation and submission of investment projects for approval, depending on the investment capital demand and the balancing capability in each period.-