Dong Thap (VNA) – Prime Minister Le Minh Hung has urged the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap to effectively harness new potential and adopt stronger reforms in governance and growth planning to achieve rapid and sustainable development.
Chairing a working session on May 27 with the provincial Party Committee’s Standing Board as part of his southern working trip, the PM requested the locality to strongly renew its mindset and governance methods, stressing that the locality must proactively propose policies and special mechanisms suited to local conditions and integrate them into its action programmes based on assigned key tasks.
The PM reviewed the province’s socio-economic development, public investment disbursement, operation of the two-tier local administration model, and implementation of the Politburo’s Resolution 57 on science-technology development, innovation and digital transformation.
He applauded efforts and achievements of the provincial Party organisation, authorities and people, saying Dong Thap’s development direction was broadly in line with the goals set by the 14th National Party Congress. However, he also pointed to a number of bottlenecks that continue to constrain local growth.
According to the Government leader, economic restructuring remains sluggish as agriculture still accounts for a large share of the economy with relatively low added value. Public investment disbursement has yet to meet expectations, creating obstacles for major infrastructure projects. Transport connectivity among regions remains incomplete, limiting logistics development and the attraction of large-scale investment projects.
He also noted that high-tech and processing industries have yet to match the province’s potential, while the lack of leading enterprises and shortages in high-quality human resources continue to hinder development.
Prime Minister Le Minh Hung speaks at the working session with the Dong Thap provincial Party Committee’s Standing Board on May 27. (Photo: VNA)
The PM requested Dong Thap to urgently issue a plan to effectively implement its master plan and continue updating development orientations in line with practical conditions. He urged the province to remove bottlenecks facing infrastructure projects, efficiently handle surplus and unused state-owned land and properties, and assess investment efficiency before allocating capital.
Dong Thap must identify a new growth model built on science and technology, innovation and digital transformation, while making full use of its competitive advantages and available resources, he stressed.
The PM demanded stronger development of modern ecological agriculture linked with deep processing; promoting branding development and export expansion; and developing the coastal area into a multi-sector marine economic hub adaptable to climate change.
He underlined the need to accelerate the development of processing industries and turn industrial zones along the Tien and Hau rivers into major agro-aquatic processing centres.
At the same time, Dong Thap should step up the development of industrial parks, regional logistics infrastructure and large logistics centres to strengthen connectivity between the Mekong Delta and Ho Chi Minh City as well as international export markets, he said.
The Government leader also highlighted the necessity to promote border trade, improve the efficiency of international border gates, and develop eco-tourism and agricultural tourism products associated with local brands.
Regarding public investment, the PM instructed the province to speed up capital allocation and disbursement, especially for key national infrastructure projects, while proactively reallocating capital from slow-moving projects to those with stronger disbursement capacity.
The leader asked Dong Thap to ensure the smooth and effective operation of the two-tier local government model, including personnel restructuring, training for commune-level officials, and efficient management of redundant public assets and administrative headquarters.
For the implementation of Resolution No. 57, he called for greater mobilisation of resources and personnel for science – technology development and innovation; enhancing vocational training linked to business demand; and adopting policies to attract high-quality human resources and support innovation startups among young people.
The PM further urged the province to continue ensuring social welfare, expand social housing projects, improve public healthcare services and strengthen education infrastructure in border areas.
Attention must be also paid to Party building and creating a united, transparent, democratic and action-oriented administrative system with a professional and dedicated contingent of officials, he said./.
