DECISION

RATIFYING THE OVERALL PLAN FOR SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN EASTERN SOUTH VIETNAM FROM NOW TILL THE YEAR 2010

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government of September 30, 1992;
Pursuant to the Draft Overall Plan for Socio-Economic Development in the Eastern South Vietnam elaborated by the Development Strategy Institute under the Ministry of Planning and Investment;
At the proposal of the Chairman of the State Council for Evaluation of Investment Projects in its Official Dispatch No. 5834/HDTD of September 18, 1997,

DECIDES:

Article 1.- To ratify the overall plan for socio-economic development of Eastern South Vietnam, encompassing 9 provinces and cities directly under the Central Government (Ho Chi Minh City and the provinces of Dong Nai, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Tay Ninh, Lam Dong, Binh Thuan and Ninh Thuan), in the period from now to the year 2010, with the following principal contents:

I. MAJOR DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES:

1. On the economic plane:

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- To attain an average annual economic growth rate of 12.93% for the period from now to the year 2000 and 12.3% for the 2001-2010 period.

- To achieve an average annual export and import value growth rate of 29% - 31% for the whole period from now to the year 2010.

- To achieve an annual GDP accumulation rate of over 24% by the year 2000 and over 27% by the year 2010.

2. On the social plane:

- To reduce the annual birth rate so as to ensure an average annual population growth rate of 2.3% from now to the year 2000, then only 1.6% from there to the year 2010.

- To satisfactorily meet the demands for electricity, water, gas, travel, information and communications, to raise the living standard of the people in the nucleus urban centers and the rural areas to above the national average. To build the cultural families along with the development of villages or hamlets, urban civilization and the elimination of social evils.

- To diversify the forms of training so as to raise the people�s educational level, to raise the percentage of trained laborers to 25% by the year 2000 and 50% by the year 2010. To strive to complete the eradication of illiteracy and the universalization of primary education by the year 2000. To develop the medical services and community-based healthcare; to invest in the medical centers specializing in the treatment of serious diseases for people in the southern provinces.

- To increase economic growth rate in parallel with the protection of the ecology and with sustainable development.

3. On the plane of national security and defense:

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II. THE MAIN DEVELOPMENT TASKS:

1. Regarding the industrial development:

To achieve an industrial growth rate of 14.7% - 15% for the period from now to the year 2000 and of 13.3% - 13.5% for the 2001-2010 period.

To develop such industries as: oil and gas exploitation, electricity, engineering, metallurgy, informatics and electronics, chemistry, textile and garment, shoes and leather, paper, plastics, ceramics, pottery and glass, food and foodstuff processing, etc. To invest modern equipment in sectors making spear-head products, yielding high efficiency and promoting export. To invest in the industrial parks and export processing zones in order to create a change in the economic structure. In the immediate future, priority shall be given to the export processing zones of Tan Thuan and Linh Trung and 26 industrial parks of Hiep Phuoc, Thu Duc hi-tech zone, Cat Lai, Northern Thu Duc, Tan Phu Trung, Bien Hoa I, Bien Hoa II, Ho Nai, Song May, Long Binh, Tuy Ha, Go Dau, My Xuan-Phu My, Long Huong, Song Than, Binh Duong, Binh Hoa, Thuan Giao, An Phu, Tan Dinh, Bau Beo, Ham Tan, Phan Thiet, Tuy Phong, Bao Loc and La Nga.

2. Regarding the development of commerce and service sectors:

The development of commerce and service sectors must be associated with the development of other economic sectors in order to achieve the socio-economic objectives of the region. To restructure the commerce, service, port service, banking, finance and technology transfer sectors. To strive for an annual growth rate of 12.93%-13.2% for the period from now to the year 2000 and over 12% for the 2001-2010 period. To promote export, build a number of trade centers and department stores, thus creating a favorable environment for the exchange and dissemination of knowledge and experience in modern business and management.

To raise the quality of the tourist services and diversify the forms of tourism, to establish the regional and inter-regional tourist lines. To develop two modern tourist centers at Da Lat and Vung Tau and establish a close link between these two centers and Ho Chi Minh City. To bring into full play the advantages of the region, to establish tourist links with countries in the region and around the world. To build the material and technical bases and infrastructure; to combine exploitation with renovation, the maintenance and development of tourist resources, to preserve the national traditions and cultural identity.

3. Regarding the development of agriculture, forestry and fishery:

To develop agriculture so as to turn out more commercial products, to bring into full play its advantages with a view to high economic, social and environmental efficiency; to diversify crops and husbandry, and to practice intensive farming at a high level and with stability. To focus on the development of perennial industrial plants such as rubber, coffee, tea, cashew, fruit trees, etc. To develop the farming products to be used as raw materials for the processing industry and export. To develop husbandry to meet the demand of production and the people�s life. To achieve an agricultural growth rate of 4.5% for the period from now to the year 2000 and 4% for the 2001-2010 period.

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Fishery: To step up aquaculture and nursery, and the exploitation and processing of aquatic products. To make full use of aquatic resources in all three ecological areas: saline water, brackish water and fresh water. To encourage the exploitation of marine potentials and off-shore fishing. To mobilize the capital and technical support and investment in technological renewal so as to increase products for export.

4. Regarding infrastructure development:

To improve and modernize the system of sea ports, land roads, railways and airports according to plan in order to promote goods exchange, to create favorable conditions for the development of deep-lying and remote areas and former revolutionary bases. To gradually improve the mass transit system in large cities.

To renovate and upgrade the existing water supply systems and build new ones in urban centers, industrial zones and export processing zones, so as to meet the demand for clean water for production and business activities and daily life of the people. To improve the living conditions and environmental hygiene in both urban and rural areas.

To modernize the information and communications network to make it a complete national information network and to integrate it with the international and regional community; to meet the information demand of production and life.

Regarding the development of electricity generation and grid: To invest in the construction of a number of power projects such as the thermo-electric power plants of Phu My A and Phu My B, the fuel oil-operated power plant in Hiep Duc, and the hydro-electric power plants of Ham Thuan-Da Mi, Thac Mo and Dai Ninh. To strive to generate 10-11 billion Kwh per year from now to the year 2000 and around 35-36 billion Kwh from 2001 to 2010. The development of the electricity grids shall be carried out simultaneously with the development of electric power sources to meet the growing demand in the coming period.

Regarding waste disposal: Together with the development of the production and improvement of living conditions, the treatment of waste water, solid waste and exhaust must be conducted in a serious manner in order to combat environmental pollution and protect natural landscapes.

Regarding the organization of urban space: To build large cities, at the same time to organize the space for development of rural areas and areas meeting with difficulties in order to gradually narrow the gap between the urban areas and rural areas, as well as areas of ethnic minorities and mountainous areas.

The construction of residential quarters shall comply with the plan, with attention to the rest centers and space for recreation and entertainment for the people, especially children.

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To reform education and training and raise its quality and efficiency so as to raise the peoples intellectual level and develop human resources meeting the requirements of the national industrialization and modernization and raising the people�s living standards.

To consolidate and develop the existing medical establishments in service of the primary healthcare and disease examination and treatment; to renovate and upgrade the existing hospitals, to build a number of medical centers and specialized clinics in urban centers in the region in order to provide healthcare for the people.

To renovate and upgrade the scientific centers, apply advanced and modern technologies to create the motive force for socio-economic development in the region and the whole country. To develop the forms of experimental research and demonstration of agricultural, forestry and fishery promotion in the region.

To develop culture, information, radio and television broadcasting, sports and physical training with a view to attaining a high level and modernity comparable to the other countries in the region. To train and foster artists and master craftsmen, create favorable conditions for the development of various types of art; to give priority to the national traditional arts.

III. THE PRINCIPAL SOLUTIONS:

To ensure the implementation of this planning, there should be a system of synchronous solutions so as to fully mobilize the local potentials as well as domestic and foreign resources in service of socio-economic development in the region. It is necessary to creatively apply solutions and take appropriate steps specified in long-term and short-term plans, development programs and specific projects.

The capital sources, human resources, market, science and technology must be specified through mechanisms and policies suitable to the characteristics of each region and each locality in order to achieve socio-economic development objectives and targets set forth in the overall plan.

To properly invest in the renovation of the existing production establishments, to equip them with proper technologies, to relocate the pollution-causing enterprises to areas far from population areas. To build industrial zones of high efficiency. To focus on the development of building industry so as to meet the requirements of economic development and life.

On the basis of the ratified plan, the localities in the region shall have to revise their master plans, programs, plans and projects for socio-economic development so as to arrange them in a proper priority order through annual plans and sub-projects.

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Article 2.- The ministries, the ministerial-level agencies, the agencies attached to the Government, the Peoples Committees of provinces and cities in Eastern South Vietnam shall have to closely inspect and monitor the implementation of the planning, work out five-year and annual plans, development investment programs and projects in conformity with the region�s planning.

The ministries and branches at central level shall have to coordinate with and support the provinces and cities in the Eastern South Vietnam in the course of revising and organizing the implementation of the set programs and projects with a view to ensuring consistency between planning in each province or city and between the region and the whole country.

Article 3.- This Decision takes effect 15 days after its signing. The presidents of the Peoples Committees of provinces and cities in Eastern South Vietnam and the concerned ministers, heads of the ministerial-level agencies, heads of the agencies attached to the Government shall have to implement this Decision.

THE PRIME MINISTER OF GOVERNMENT




Phan Van Khai