The central province of Quang Ngai on March 24 staged a formal ceremony to celebrate its 40th anniversary of the province’s liberation.

Addressing the ceremony, Le Viet Chu, Chairman of the province’s People’s Committee, reviewed the remarkable achievements of Quang Ngai’s people and soldiers, especially in their struggle for liberation.

Quang Ngai has made impressive progress in economic development, recording average annual growth of over 10 percent. Its current gross domestic product is 200 times higher than it was in 1989.

The province’s budget has increased enormously, reaching 28 trillion VND (1.3 billion USD) in 2014, making it one of the top 10 Vietnamese provinces in terms of budget income.

Quang Ngai’s economy has strongly shifted towards industrialisation and modernisation, with industry and construction accounting for 64 percent of revenue. Improvements in the business climate have also had a positive impact.

On behalf of the Party and State, Politburo member and Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee, Pham Quang Nghi praised Quang Ngai and its people for heroically overcoming hardships to achieve remarkable victories, contributing to the country’s decisive victory in 1975.

However, despite considerable progress in economic development, Nghi said the lives of residents in many areas remained difficult, especially due to the frequent risk of natural disasters, such as storms and flooding.

In the coming time, the province should continue developing industrial zones and attracting investment while bringing agriculture, forestry and fishery to a commercial scale, Nghi added. He also called for the effective implementation of new-style rural programmes.

Cultural and social issues, poverty alleviation, environment protection and care for war invalids and ethnic minorities were also touched upon by Nghi.-VNA