Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has asked the Red River Delta province of Bac Ninh to fully tap its advantages and turn itself into an industrial city that uses hi-technologies as soon as possible.

The government leader made the request at a meeting with the provincial authorities during his trip to the province on May 25.

To achieve this, Bac Ninh must improve its planning and accelerate the upgrading of its traffic system, water supply and drainage systems, telecoms and electricity infrastructure, industrial parks and affordable housing for workers, he said.

The PM also urged the province to develop its craft villages and apply scientific-technological advances to agriculture, while enhancing its overall infrastructure and the quality of its workforce to attract more investors.

He commended the province for the achievements it has recorded over the past five years, referring to its average annual GDP growth rate of 15.1 percent, its effective economic restructuring, reaching a per capita income of 1,800 USD and reducing its poverty rate to 4.5 percent.

However, the PM also pointed out a number of shortcomings that Bac Ninh needs to deal with at present, including investing more in its craft villages, increasing the proportion of manufacturing and supporting industries in the industrial sector and addressing the shortage of affordable housing for workers.

PM Dung asked Bac Ninh to aim for an average annual GDP growth rate of 13-14 percent during the 2011-2015 period and a per capita income of 3,500 USD by 2015, along with protecting the environment.

This year, the province should make every effort to achieve its socio-economic targets and a GDP growth rate of 16.7 percent, while successfully holding Party congresses at all levels, the PM stressed./.