The northern province of Ninh Binh should bring into full play its strength in tourism, agriculture and industry to boost comprehensive and sustainable development.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made the plea at a working session with local leaders on January 20 as part of his visit to the province.

The Party chief asked the province to utilise its position in the south of the Red River Delta - with a number of famous cultural and historical relic sites and landscapes such as Phat Diem Stone Church , Trang An Eco-resort, Bai Dinh Pagoda and Cuc Phuong National Park - to develop tourism and services.

In addition, the province also needs to pay due attention to agriculture, industry, clean technology and maritime economy, he said.

Trong noted that in the time to come, Ninh Binh should focus on administrative reform, mechanism and policy perfection, infrastructure development and human resource training.

He urged the province to improve the building of the Party and the political system in terms of ideology, organisation, personnel and inspection.

The General Secretary took the occasion to praise the encouraging results Ninh Binh has reaped. From a poor agricultural province, Ninh Binh has become an economic bright spot in the Red River Delta, he said.

According to the province’s report, Ninh Binh posted an average annual GDP growth of over 12 percent in the 2011-2013 period. The material and spiritual lives of the locals were much improved while the rate of poor households dropped to 5.56 percent last year.

It was named in the top 10 localities nationwide in new-style rural building with three communes fulfilling all the 19 criteria.

The same day, Party General Secretary Trong visited the poor mountainous commune of Gia Sinh in Gia Vien district.-VNA