Ho Chi Minh City strives to reach its gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of at least ten percent in 2010.

This is one of the twenty-two socio-economic targets for next year’s plan as agreed at the 17 th session of the VIIth municipal People’s Council from December 8-11.

HCM City also targets an export turnover growth of 12.7 percent and a total of 172 trillion VND in social development investment capital, which accounts for 41.8 percent of its GDP.

The city strives to keep the consumer price index (CPI) under seven percent while reducing its unemployment rate to 5.1 percent and poverty rate to 7.2 percent.

According to Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Le Hoang Quan, in 2010 the city will continue to implement measures to speed up its economic structure in the direction of services, industry and agriculture.

The city will focus on measures to stabilise and develop production and business, expand the market, boost exports and goods consumption as well as control prices and activities of financial, monetary, real estate, securities and gold markets, he said.

The city will further strengthen the role of state management in environmental affairs and do its utmost to minimise damages caused by global climate change. It will also increase investment in implementing social security policies and poverty reduction programmes, Quan said.

The city will take measures to maintain political stability and social order as well as speed up administrative reforms and corruption combat, he noted.

The city mayor also suggested that after the session, all municipal authorities should focus on caring for the spiritual and cultural life for the local people during the upcoming Lunar New Year./.