Lam Dong: Resolute to Deliver Rapid and Sustainable Development Goals

1:37:43 PM | 12/11/2018

Unlocking local advantages of abundant natural resources and situated on a prime location adjacent to South East and South Central Coast key economic zones, Lam Dong has achieved many successes in various fields and risen to become a dynamic fast-growing economic engine of the region over the past years. All reaffirmed the province’s remarkable and ground-breaking effects in the period of innovation, integration and development. Around this success, the Vietnam Business Forum has an interview with Mr Nguyen Xuan Tien, Secretary of Lam Dong Provincial Party Committee. Hoang Lam reports.

Looking back on the development path of Lam Dong province, could you please tell us about local advantages and disadvantages?

Located adjacent to Southeast and South Central Coast key economic zones, Lam Dong province has favourable conditions for socioeconomic development. In addition, its pleasant climate and gorgeous landscapes also help the province develop tourism and agriculture, especially hi-tech agriculture.

Along the 30-year journey of doi moi (renewal) with the country, Lam Dong escaped from the status of underdevelopment. Many fields have approached dynamic economic zones in the Southeast. As home to many ethnic groups from various regions throughout the country, the province features a variety of unique cultures and ethnic identities. The administrative apparatus has been modernised with increasing democracy, publicity and popularity to strengthen social consensus. Political security and social order are stable and people’s material and spiritual life has been improved. These basic advantages are motivational for the Party, the government and people of all ethnic groups in Lam Dong province to fulfil targets of the Resolution of the 10th Provincial Party Congress (2015-2020 term) and successfully implement rapid and sustainable development goals.

However, as a landlocked mountainous province, it does not have seaports and railways, resulting certain hardships in transportation and industrial development. Social and economic infrastructure and people’s livelihoods, especially in remote and mountainous areas, are still hard. Economic structuring is slow while the performance and competitiveness of some sectors are not as good as expected. Economic development among regions is uneven. Climate change is exerting an increasingly negative impact on agricultural production. Free migration from other provinces has pressurised solutions to social matters and forest protection management.

Since it carried out the Resolution of the 10th Provincial Party Congress, could you please introduce encouraging results in socioeconomic development? What fundamental solutions will the province adopt to deliver the objectives of the Resolution in the coming time?

After nearly 3 years implementing the Resolution of the 10th Provincial Party Congress, Lam Dong has achieved relatively good and inclusive results, and better progress than previous years. The province's economy is constantly developing, achieving an average annual growth of 8.3 per cent over three years from 2016 to 2018. Nearly all socioeconomic targets reach and exceed the plans, with the economic size expanding significantly. The province has carried out the economic restructuring project and facilitated sectors and domains to grow. Agriculture is developed in the right direction, helping the province to reaffirm its leading position in hi-tech agricultural development. Tourism service has been well developed, enabling tourism to make important contributions to socioeconomic development and gradually affirm its economic drive in the province. The startup movement and investment attraction have been accelerated significantly.

Social and cultural fields have made great progress. Political security and social order are basically ensured. With the task of building up the administrative apparatus of integrity, action and popularity at all levels, the province has made remarkable changes in quality and performance, and promoted good grassroots democracy. Administrative reform has been strengthened, thereby helping improve the business and investment environment for enterprises and streamline administrative procedures for people.

At the midterm review conference, the Provincial Party Committee determined to stick to objectives, directions and tasks of the Resolution of the 12th Central Party Congress and the Resolution of the 10th Provincial Party Congress, accelerate more strongly and strive with the highest determination to complete and exceed the set targets. The committee has adhered to the Prime Minister’s directions that Lam Dong needs to have new confidence, new development and new breakthroughs. The province has stepped up the economic restructuring scheme, overcome challenges and maintained equal or higher growth rate than the average from 2016 to 2018. It has mobilised and efficiently used investment resources for synchronised infrastructure development; inclusively promoted the socialisation of cultural and social domains; ensured social security and welfare; and maintained national defence, security and social order. It has created stronger and more consistent changes in reorganising the Party, building clean and strong administrations at all levels.

To deliver its goals, the Provincial Party Committee upholds high resolve, strong and consistent actions of the entire political system, and high focus on key tasks and solutions. First, it continues to carry out the economic restructuring project with focus placed on reshuffling the agricultural sector, strongly developing tourism services and developing selective industries. Second, it continues to focus on comprehensive development of social and cultural fields; achieves sustainable poverty reduction; and implements good policies on welfare, social welfare, care for the poor, policy beneficiaries and people with meritorious recognition. Third, it maintains political stability and social order to create a good environment for economic development. Fourth, it strictly restructures the political system to ensure lean, effective and efficient operation; steps up public administration reform and put into operation the Provincial Administrative Service Centre (from the fourth quarter of 2018) to improve the business investment environment, limit and eliminate acts of harassment and bureaucracy in public service delivery, intensifies information technology application and e-government construction; and accelerates the prevention and fight against corruption and wastefulness while practising thrift.

With high determination in the whole Party, the consensus and support of the people, I believe that Lam Dong province will complete all targets stated in the Resolution of the 10th Provincial Party Congress.

The people have contributed many valuable, practical ideas to the Provincial Party Congresses. So, what solutions will Lam Dong apply to further promote the devotion and wisdom of the people in socioeconomic development?

We define that people play a central role in local social and economic development and play a decisive role in realising Party guidelines. Therefore, engaging people in carrying out socioeconomic development policies and programmes in Lam Dong province in the past time has been consistently carried out, thus building up consensus among people in society. This is a great and decisive resource for local development, especially contributions of people and enterprises to national target programmes on new countryside construction, infrastructure development investment and service development.

To mobilise social resources for development, the province determines to adhere to the ultimate goal that the people are central to every work and to utilise all resources, both physical and mental, for rapid and sustainable development. The province has clear directions for socioeconomic development planning, defines public investment areas and social resources to accelerate private investment. It will effectively enforce Resolution 10-NQ/TW dated June 3, 2017 of the 5th Meeting of the 12th Central Party Committee on private economic development into an important driving force of the socialist-oriented market economy. It will create an enabling and fair business and investment environment for rule-based and market-based cooperation and competition to effectively mobilise and distribute development resources.

The leadership view of the province is contextually engaging people's resources, based on specific locality and task, to carry out new countryside construction on the principle that people work, the State funds. The province only engages people in projects for society and for people, so as to enhance public democracy and consensus.