The central province of Quang Ngai on July 1 marked the 25th anniversary of its re-establishment and received the Ho Chi Minh Medal at a big ceremony in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Addressing the event, Deputy PM Phuc hailed significant achievements that the Party Committee, administration and locals of Quang Ngai have gained over the past years.

However, he pointed out that the province is still challenged by a poor infrastructure system and a high ratio of poor households.

He urged the locality to optimise its potential and advantages as well as its strength in industrial parks and economic zones to fulfil all socio-economic targets set earlier.

Quang Ngai should mobilise more resources for the development of agriculture and the building of new-style rural areas, focusing on speeding up poverty reduction in its western mountainous areas, he said.

It also needs to give a priority to the upgrade of socio-technology infrastructure, Phuc added.

Possessing a long coastline and large traditional fishing grounds, Quang Ngai should better perform Party and State policies and guidelines on sea-based economic development and draw out specific plans to support fishermen, contributing to safeguarding the national sovereignty over sea and islands, he said.

Deputy PM Phuc also pointed to the necessity for the locality to concentrate on maintaining local social security and safety, while effectively realising the Party’s resolution on Party building and the Politburo’s instruction on stepping up the studying and following of President Ho Chi Minh’s moral example.

According to Le Quang Thich, acting Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, after 25 years of building and development, Quang Ngai has enjoyed an annual GDP growth of 10 percent averagely, with the current figure being 10.5 times higher than 25 years ago.

The budget collection rise of 1,372 times to reach more than 30 trillion VND (1.41 billion USD) in 2013 allowed Quang Ngai to enter the list of top ten localities in the field, he noted.

Meanwhile, the locality’s per capita income also increased 112-fold, standing at 42 million VND (2,100 USD), Thich said, adding that the local economic structure has rapidly shifted towards industrialisation and modernisation, with the industry-construction sector currently accounting for 64 percent.

He also noted that the local investment environment has been improved, referring to the locality’s seventh position in the country’s 2013 provincial competitiveness standing.

With is outstanding progress, the province has become the cornerstone of the central coastal key economic region and the East-West Economic Corridor in terms of industrial development, stated Thich.-VNA