Vietnam’s Government and State leaders made pre-Tet visits to localities on February 9.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung arrived at the central province of Quang Binh─one of the stops in his pre-Tet tour to the central region─where he visited and presented Tet gifts to heroic mother Tran Thi Nu and war survivor Nguyen Van Son.

On the occasion, PM Dung held a working session with the provincial authorities where he advised Quang Binh to fully tap its advantages in land, rail, water, and air transport networks to promote socio-economic development and forge trade ties with other localities.

He also urged the locality to focus on developing tourism to help increase local resident’s incomes, since it is home to the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park which is recognized as a world’s natural heritage.

“The province should re-shape its socio-economic development plan to make it adaptable to the current conditions and at the same time formulate feasible approaches to draw investment into the locality,” PM Dung said.

Quang Binh posted a GDP growth rate of 10.2 percent in 2009. It achieved an industrial production value rise of 17.6 percent while reducing the number of poor households to 15.03 percent.

In Quang Binh, PM Dung inspected construction tempo of the Hon La port.

The same day, State President Nguyen Minh Triet paid a floral tribute to war fallen combatants at the municipal War Martyr Cemetery in Ho Chi Minh City .

He also paid pre-Tet visits to former Party, State and Government leaders, and families of several revolutionary veterans in Ho Chi Minh City./.