Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh has asked the southern coastal province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau to tap its advantages in geological location and seaports for future development.

The province needs to boost ties with other localities in the region and develop exchanges with foreign entities, the Party leader said during his visit to Vung Tau from July 25-27.

Ba Ria-Vung Tau should also developed a long-lasting strategy for tourism and service as they are a suitable orientation for development, he added.

Together with infrastructure development, it is necessary for the province to select suitable industries, particularly clean ones, on which to focus investment so as to ensure a sustainable economy, General Secretary Manh said.

He also asked the province to pay attention to education and training, especially the development of vocational training schools to supply man power for the tourism and service sector and enterprises in industrial parks in the province.

Working with the standing committee of the provincial Party Committee, the Party leader spoke highly of the province’s high economic growth rate, with stable agricultural production and increased investment in both domestic and foreign-related projects.

According to reports, in the past three years, the province has posted an average economic growth rate of 18.07 percent annually, while yearly average income per capita has surpassed 3,000 USD.

Known as a tourism destination, the province’s 145 hotels and resorts with 6,000 rooms have attracted 6 million tourists, including 230,000 foreigners, a year. It is now developing 139 tourism related projects worth almost 12 billion USD./.