Prime Minister: Lunar New Year 2026 safe, joyful across sectors

The PM hihglighted the comprehensive and positive outcomes across all aspects of serving the public throughout the Lunar New Year holiday, saying that that people across the country enjoyed a joyful, warm, safe and healthy Tet, imbued with a strong sense of solidarity, in line with directives from the Secretariat and the Government.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on February 22 chairs a meeting of the Government’s standing members to review Tet celebrations and implement key task for the post-holiday period. (Photo: VNA)
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on February 22 chairs a meeting of the Government’s standing members to review Tet celebrations and implement key task for the post-holiday period. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on February 22 chaired a meeting of the Government’s standing members to review the Lunar New Year (Tet) celebrations and implement key task for the post-holiday period.

The PM hihglighted the comprehensive and positive outcomes across all aspects of serving the public throughout the Lunar New Year holiday, saying that that people across the country enjoyed a joyful, warm, safe and healthy Tet, imbued with a strong sense of solidarity, in line with directives from the Secretariat and the Government. At the same time, he said, relevant agencies effectively supported and ensured the success of Party General Secretary To Lam’s trip to the US.

During Tet, healthcare facilities nationwide maintained medical examinations and emergency services throughout the holiday. No cases of diphtheria or major infectious disease outbreaks were reported.

More than 6.2 million beneficiaries received Tet gifts worth over 3.7 trillion VND (approximately 142 million USD), while the average Tet bonus for workers reached 8.69 million VND per person, up 13% from the previous Tet.

Markets remained stable, with adequate supply of essential goods and no abnormal price surges. Thousands of workers continued working on major national infrastructure projects to ensure progress during the holiday.

Traffic safety improved compared to the previous year, with 339 traffic accidents nationwide resulting in 208 deaths and 235 injuries, reductions across all three indicators. However, one waterway accident at Thac Ba Lake left six people missing.

Border control, political security, and social order were maintained nationwide during the holiday.

At the meeting, PM Chinh praised ministries, sectors, and localities, as well as healthcare workers, police, military personnel, engineers, and workers for their dedication during the holiday.

He stressed that 2026 presents significant challenges, including maintaining macroeconomic stability, controlling inflation, promoting growth, safeguarding major economic balances, managing public debt and budget deficits, improving living standards, and ensuring national sovereignty and social order,

He urged all ministries and localities to “get to work immediately from the first day back,” emphasising stronger administrative discipline, anti-waste measures, and the acceleration of public investment disbursement, targeting a 100% disbursement rate, efforts to have the European Commission’s “yellow card” against seafood exports for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing lifted, the full and effective implementation of social welfare policies, and the acceleration of construction of 100 inter-level boarding schools in border areas, as well as preparations for simultaneous groundbreaking on the remaining 148 schools this February.

The Government leaders also called for concentrated resources to ensure the quality of draft laws, the implementation of the 2026–2030 state administrative reform plan.

Ministries, sectors and localities must focus on the implementation of the Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress, strategic Resoltions of the Politburo, directives from the Politburo, the Secretariat, the Government and the Prime Minister, while preparing the elections of deputies to the 16th National Assembly and People’s Councils for the 2026–2031 term.

The Ministry of Finance was instructed to pursue a focused and effective expansionary fiscal policy, cut 10% of recurrent spending at the outset of the year, and save 5% of development investment spending while strengthening oversight to prevent waste and corruption.

The State Bank of Vietnam was directed to conduct proactive and flexible monetary policy in coordination with other macroeconomic measures to control inflation while supporting growth, and to closely monitor gold market developments.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade was tasked with stabilising market prices and assessing the impact of the newly imposed 10% additional US import tariff to formulate timely responses, while ensuring sufficient energy supply.

Other ministries were assigned sector-specific priorities, including agricultural monitoring and disaster prevention, transport infrastructure acceleration, educational stability after the holiday, science and technology development under Resolution 57, legal reforms, traffic safety control, and enhancement of the country’s standing.

News agencies and media outlets were asked to intensify coverage of the success and significance of the 14th National Party Congress, as well as the key tasks now being rolled out. Reporting must be comprehensive, timely, accurate and objective, helping generate fresh momentum to drive development and achieve the 10% growth target in 2026.

State-owned corporations and economic groups were encouraged to strive for growth rates of 10% or higher this year./.

VNA

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