Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has passed a 2020 master development plan for the north-central coastal region, according to the Vietnam Government Portal (VGP).

Under the plan, the region will strive to reach a per-capita GDP of 2,500 USD by 2020.

By 2015, industry, service and agriculture should make up 41.9 percent, 39.9 percent and 18.2 percent of the economy respectively.

The poverty rate is expected to drop yearly by 2-3 percent.

Regarding agriculture, specialised cultivation zones will be used to grow high-quality, high-yield products, especially fruit, short-term and long-term industrial trees.

Aquaculture, a major activity in the region, will focus on developing high value aqua-products such as lobsters, seahorses, etc which suits the region’s natural conditions.

A number of salt fields in Thanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Quang Nam and Khanh Hoa are also expected to be expanded.

The industrial sector will focus on formulating areas specialising in ship building, mechanical engineering, textiles and garments, cement, aqua-product processing.

Developing tourism, renovating education and training, and improving healthcare services are also included in the plan.-VNA