Workshop looks into socio-economic development in northern midland, mountainous regions

Hanoi (VNA) – The State, Government, ministries, agencies and localities should further consolidate institutions and connectivity in the northern midland and mountainous regions in order to bring into full play their advantages and geographical locations, heard a workshop on October 27.

The event, named “Feasibility of Adopting Regional Socio-Economic Development Targets for The Northern Midlands and Mountains in The Context of Digital Transformation”, was part of the Macroeconomic Reforms/Green Growth Programme funded by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).

It was co-organised by the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM) and the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

CIEM Director Tran Thi Hong Minh noted that regional connectivity helps to transform from the traditional economy to the digital one, and suggested creating mechanisms to intensify regional connectivity which, she said, should be expanded to the national and global scales.

Director of the CIEM's Department for General Economic Studies Nguyen Anh Duong pointed out that the northern midland and mountainous regions are the most disadvantaged nationwide.

Although they hold substantial potential for development, it has not been fully tapped, he continued.

According to CIEM, the lack of institutions directly using results of regular supervisions and assessments of some regional indexes has made the regions unable to fully tap their growth potential, among other reasons.

The institute suggested developing human resources, especially high-quality personnel, perfecting the database in serve of the information and statistic work, and conducting decentralisation and reform in the areas relating to the regions’ socio-economic potential and strength./.