Quyết định 260/QD-TTg

DECISION

APPROVING THE MASTER PLAN ON SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THAI NGUYEN PROVINCE THROUGH 2020, WITH A VISION TOWARD 2030

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the December 25, 2001 Law on Organization of the Government;

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No. 92/2006/ND-CP of September 7, 2006, formulating, approving and managing the master plan on socio-economic development and the Government s Decree No. 04/2008/ND-CP of January 11, 2008, amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Government’s Decree No. 92/2006/ND-CP of September 7, 2006;

At the proposal of the People’s Committee of Thai Nguyen province,

DECIDES:

Article 1. To approve the master plan on socio-economic development of Thai Nguyen province through 2020, with a vision toward 2030 (below referred to as master plan) with the following principal contents:

I. DEVELOPMENT VIEWPOINTS

1. The master plan on socio-economic development of Thai Nguyen province through 2020, with a vision toward 2030, must conform with the national socio-economic development strategy, the national green growth strategy, Vietnam’s sustainable development strategy, the master plan on socio-economic development of the northern midland and mountainous region, as well as sectoral master plans.

2. Socio-economic development will be mainly based on internal resources associated with external resources, bringing into play comparative advantages, creating spearhead products and motive-force areas to accelerate economic restructuring, raise growth quality and economic competitiveness and ensure sustainable development. To materialize the objectives of industrialization and modernization, consolidate and raise the province’s position in the northern midland and mountainous region and the whole country.

3. To uphold the human factor and attach importance to developing high-quality human resources; to realize social progress and justice in each step of development. To support the comprehensive development of remote and deep-lying areas and ethnic minority areas; to preserve and bring into play traditional cultures of ethnic minorities in the province.

4. To closely combine socio-economic development and environmental protection and sustainable development, enhance economic linkage with other provinces in the region and around the country; to promote international economic integration. To build a strong political and administrative system, strengthen national defense and security and firmly maintain political stability and social order and safety.

II. DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES TO 2020

1. General objectives

To build Thai Nguyen province into a modernity-oriented industrial province and an industrial and education and training service development hub of the northern midland and mountainous region with a modem economic structure and stable and sustainable economic growth rate and highly competitive major products, a synchronous infrastructure system, and increasingly improved spiritual and material lives for the people. To implement green growth and incrementally decrease greenhouse gas emissions towards building an environment-friendly green economy. To be a solid defensive area and a crucial area in safeguarding national defense and security in the northern midland and mountainous region.

2. Specific objectives

a/ Economic objectives

- The average economic growth rate will reach 10-11%/year; the average per-capita gross domestic product (GDP) (according to real prices) will reach VND 80-81 million (or USD 3,100) (equivalent to the country’s average level).

- The industry-construction sector will make up around 47-48%; the service sector, around 39.5-40.5%; and the agriculture-forestry-fishery sector, around 11.5-14% of the economic structure.

b/ Socio-cultural objectives

- To strive to cut the birth rate by 0.01-0.02%/year and reduce the poverty rate by 1.8-2%/year.

- To maintain and improve quality of pre-school and lower secondary education universalization among children of eligible age; to strive to universalize upper secondary education in areas where conditions permit; the rate of trained laborers will reach 70% (including 43% of vocationally trained laborers); to generate 20,000-22,000jobs per year; the urban unemployment rate will drop to 3.7%.

- The number of hospital beds per 10,000 people will be 35-36 (only beds of hospitals and regional general clinics calculated); 80% of communes will meet national standards for healthcare; the malnutrition rate among under-five children will be reduced to 10%.

c/ Environmental protection, urban development objectives

- To further increase the rate of clean and green technologies in industrial manufacture, agricultural production and services, especially in the exploitation of natural resources; the value of hi-tech and green technology products will make up 30-32% of the province’s GDP.

- More than 80% of industrial parks and clusters will have centralized wastewater treatment systems; 95% of household waste and medical waste will be treated, 60% of household wastewater will be treated up to B standard; the level of greenhouse gas emission will be reduced at least 8-10% from that of 2010 and the air environment in urban centers and industrial parks will be controlled.

- To develop and expand urban centers linking with adjacent areas; to embellish and upgrade the infrastructure of Thai Nguyen city to the level of a grade-I urban center; new modem urban centers will be built with synchronous infrastructure. The urban architecture will have regional unique characteristics; the urbanization rate will reach 36%.

d/ National defense and security and social order and safety

To enhance the state management of national defense and security, ensure that Thai Nguyen province will be a solid defensive area and a crucial location in safeguarding national security and defense in the whole region.

III. VISION TOWARD 2030

1. Overall objectives

To strive to turn Thai Nguyen province into a developed industrial province and an economic center of the northern midland and mountainous region with a modem economy and convergence of factors of a knowledge-based economy with strongly developed industries, advanced technologies, high-quality services, hi-tech agriculture and safe and sustainable environment; and a specialized medicine training and prestigious science and technology hub of the country. The province will be home to centers of culture and modem art imbued with the northern region’s identity and its people’s spiritual and material lives will be increasingly improved. To build Thai Nguyen city into an eco-city with multiple functions (state management, teaming, specialized medicine, science- technology, and finance, banking and trade services).

2. Orientations for development

a/ Economy:

- The average economic growth rate will be around 10-10.5%/year in the 2021-2030 period; the average per-capita GDP will be around VND 150 million by 2025 and around VND 265 million by 2030 (according to real prices). The industrial and service sectors will make up around 90% of the province’s economic structure by 2030.

b/ Socio-culture:

- To strive to turn Thai Nguyen province into a high-quality multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral training hub with Thai Nguyen University being the center and a number of affiliated research and development institutions to create an environment for close link with enterprises; all pre-school and secondary schools reaching national standards; modem healthcare establishments with equal and favorable access to health services for the people; and a unique cultural space embracing all specific cultural characteristics of the region.

c/ Urban infrastructure and space:

- To build modem and synchronous transport, electricity, water supply and drainage infrastructure systems to meet provincial socio-economic development needs; to rationally develop the urban system with green space in which the core urban center will be Thai Nguyen city and satellite urban centers will be Song Cong city, and Pho Yen and Nui Coc towns. To step by step link industrial parks and clusters to establish inter-sectoral clusters such as the Thai Nguyen-Nui Coc mechanical engineering, science, training and service cluster, and the Yen Binh-Pho Yen electronics-hi-tech-supporting industry cluster.

IV. ORIENTATIONS FOR SECTORAL DEVELOPMENT

1. Industrial development

- To strive to achieve an annual average growth rate of 22-23% from now to 2020 and at around 18-20% in the following 10 years; to attain an export value of USD 18-20 billion in industrial products (including products of the Samsung electronics and hi-tech complex).

- To quickly and effectively develop industry to create a driving force for growth and become a sector with the largest contribution to the province’s economic development; to further prioritize technology renewal to create high-quality and competitive mechanical engineering and metallurgical products in the market; to strongly develop electronics and information technology industry associated with the formation of industrial complexes.

- To prioritize the attraction of investment projects to develop spearhead industries and industrial products using state-of-the-art technologies, hi-tech products and intensive processing such as information technology, electronics industry, supporting industry, mechanical engineering, mining and mineral processing industry in association with new material production, forest and clean farm produce processing industry and environment-friendly production.

- To speed up the restructuring of the entire industrial sector toward focusing on intensive investment, using new and modem technologies, renovating machinery and equipment, diversifying manufacture and renovating products, especially in industries that are loosing their advantages and polluting the environment and have a low competitiveness.

- To increase investment in building and completing infrastructure of industrial parks and clusters and promote the attraction of major investment projects so as to establish strategic industrial establishments in the province. To combine the harmonious development of large, small and medium- scale industrial establishments with the development of rural businesses and trades. To develop industries in association with environmental protection to ensure sustainable industrial development.

- By 2020, to complete infrastructure construction and strive to fill in 50-60% of the areas of industrial parks. To complete the construction of the Samsung electronics and hi-tech industrial complex before 2019 and develop supporting industries to serve this complex and hi-tech industries in the locality and region.

2. Agriculture, forestry and fisheries development and new countryside building

- To strive to attain an average agricultural, forestry and fisheries growth of 4-5%/year in production value from now to 2020 and around 4% in the 2021-2030 period; to continue sustaining the sector’s important role in ensuring residents’ livelihood and social stability through 2020.

- To build commodity agricultural production by accelerating hi-tech application, product diversification, transfer and effective use of rural laborers while protecting the environment and ensuring sustainable development.

- To further promote the restructuring of agriculture, plants and animals toward commodity production by pushing ahead the application of scientific and technological advances and using new plant varieties and animal breeds. To harmoniously develop cultivation, breeding, forestry, fisheries and services. To tap potential and eco-conditions of each area to form concentrated high-yield and clean production zones to meet consumption demands and ensure sufficient materials for processing industry and increased export. To focus on building and developing national and international brands of a number of agricultural and forestry products such as high-quality tea and processed timber.

- To raise technological levels and increase the application of cutting-edge science and technology in agricultural and forest production and product processing to turn out clean products that will bring about higher income and efficiency per hectare of agricultural land. To invest in establishing and expanding hi-tech and clean technology agricultural production models. To establish appropriate production relationship in the agricultural and rural economic sector.

- To increase investment in rural transport, electricity, water, irrigation facilities and plant varieties, animal breeds, veterinary and plant protection stations. To combine agricultural production and processing industry, develop handicrafts and cottage industries. To develop types of services, restructure the rural workforce, create more jobs, increase income, contributing to hunger eradication and poverty reduction in remote and deep-lying areas.

- To step up the plantation of concentrated forests and growing of scattered trees to increase the forest coverage; to stabilize the forest coverage at around 50% by 2020; to continue planting raw-material forests and develop the processing of forest products for sale on the market; to develop non-timber forest products to raise the forests’ economic efficiency.

- To focus on mobilizing funding sources to implement the new countryside building program with more than 50% of communes to meet new countryside criteria by 2020.

3. Service and tourism development

- To strive to achieve an average growth rate of around 11 %/year from now to 2020. To restructure services toward quickly increasing key services, establishing sub-sectors and new service products with high added value suitable to the province’s advantages and the region’s development requirements; to gradually increase high-quality services; to increase the proportion of the private sector.

- To develop services supporting the development of industry and agriculture such as science and technology services, transport, post and telecommunications, finance-banking and other agricultural services; to promote service sub-sectors supporting foreign investment promotion and attraction activities such as brokerage, consultancy and advertising services. To develop services in cooperation with neighboring provinces in the region, cities and major economic centers of the country, especially the capital city of Hanoi and Hai Phong port city.

- To increase the market share and influence of a number of service sub-sectors and service products with Thai Nguyen’s strengths and comparative advantages; to concentrate resources on a number of major advantageous services and service products that are regarded as breakthroughs in this planning period. To ensure that a number of the province’s service products will hold an important position in the region and the country prior to 2020.

- Trade: To complete a goods and service wholesale and retail network to make Thai Nguyen a major center of wholesale, retail, market promotion and investment mobilization.

- Tourism: To develop tourism into a large industry with high economic value on par with the province’s potential and an important industry making increasing contributions to the province’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP); to attach importance to investment in developing unique tourism products, particularly cultural, historical and art traditions, and creating tourism products with competitive advantages such as eco-tourism, deluxe leisure, traditional craft villages, and historical tourism.

- Finance, banking and insurance: To develop finance and banking services toward raising their proportion in the province’s GRDP, actively supporting and promoting other sectors’ activities and concurrently laying a solid foundation for attracting foreign investment into the province.

- Post and telecommunications: To develop post and telecommunications into a spearhead industry with one step ahead to create a motive force for provincial socio-economic development, contributing to economic restructuring and higher labor productivity.

- Hotels and restaurants: To strive to achieve an average growth rate of 21.5%/year in the 2016-2020 period and around 18%/year in the 2021-2030 period.

- Transport and warehousing: To strongly develop transport and warehousing services in both scale and quality to meet increasing demands of import and export and construction-industrial production activities.

- To develop green and sustainable services, protect the eco-environment and natural landscapes, conserve and bring into play ethical values and cultural traditions in harmony with economic benefits and socio-political stability and national defense-security.

4. Infrastructure

a/ Transport

- To expand and develop modem, synchronous and- rational road networks at all levels with scales suitable to each area in the province. To upgrade rural roads according to the criteria for new countryside building.

- Roads: To complete the construction of the Thai Nguyen-Bac Kan expressway section; to upgrade and expand National Highway 3; to complete the upgrade of National Highways IB and 37 up to grade-IV and grade-III delta road standards; to invest in building a 32-km section of the Ho Chi Minh Highway running through Thai Nguyen province; to study the construction of bypasses of Thai Nguyen city and the city’s belt roads. To renovate and upgrade urban roads in cities, towns and townships and tourist and service zones up to modem urban road standards.

- Railway: To renovate, upgrade and put into use the Kep-Luu Xa railway. To study the expansion of the railway width of the Hanoi-Quan Trieu-Nui Hong section to raise its effectiveness and link with the Hanoi-Lao Cai railway in Tuyen Quang province.

- Waterway: To invest in expanding Da Phuc port cluster according to the approved master plan; to regularly dredge fairways from the intersection of Cau and Cong Rivers to the ports in Da Phuc port cluster up to grade-III river route standards.

b/ Electricity supply

- To upgrade and develop the province’s electricity network with special attention to extending the power grid to rural areas to meet the requirements of industrialization and modernization of agriculture and rural areas. Thai Nguyen’s electricity demand is estimated at around 828,000 kW by 2020.

- To build and upgrade the underground cable lines and transformer stations of the 22/0.4 kV electricity network in new urban areas and service-tourism zones. To complete the public lighting system in Thai Nguyen city, Song Cong town, townships and districts and the lighting network in new urban areas and tourist zones, and along the highways.

- To build and upgrade to step by step modernize the rural 0.4 kV low-voltage electricity network, particularly in mountainous areas, to suit production development and the distribution of resident areas. Almost all rural households will have access to the power grid before 2020.

c/ Water supply and drainage

- To implement clean water supply programs in rural areas, remote and deep-lying areas; to build small- and medium-sized clean water supply facilities to suit the population size in each residential area.

- By 2020: 95% of rural residents will have access to hygienic water in their daily life and 95% of urban population will have access to clean water according to national standards.

- All urban centers and industrial parks will have their own sewage systems (rainwater, daily-life wastewater and urban wastewater); industrial and daily-life wastewater will be treated up to the prescribed standards before being discharged into the common drainage systems.

d/ Irrigation

- To further renovate and upgrade existing irrigation works to make the full use of their capacity; to further complete the canal embankment program; to modernize the irrigation system, raise the utilization coefficient of irrigation works to supply sufficient water for production.

- To mobilize all resources for irrigation with the aim of raising the irrigation capacity for agricultural production; to ensure stable irrigation for more than 80% of the acreage of, first of all, rice, vegetables and beans. To attach importance to the irrigation construction master plan serving aquaculture and industrial crop cultivation toward agricultural restructuring. To build new irrigation works, reservoirs, and dams and embank canals in association with the implementation of criteria for new countryside planning.

dd/ Post and telecommunications

- To develop the information and communication network and telecommunications and communication services so as to enhance the exchange of information, increase the competitiveness and meet economic integration requirements. To expand, upgrade and modernize post, telecommunications and communication networks with a large capacity and high speed and connected with other localities in the country and abroad.

- To modernize the fiber optic cable and hi-tech distribution and transmission system that applies high-speed wireless technology from provincial to communal levels; to step up the application of information technology to service and e-commerce transactions, finance-banking management, technology transfer and enterprises. The telephone density will be maintained at over 100 sets per 100 people and 95% of people’s demand for Internet access will be satisfied by 2020.

e/ Trade infrastructure

- To build supermarkets and trade and service centers in major urban centers. To establish a modernity- and synchronicity-oriented warehousing system and logistics network associated with outbound transport network. To develop a market network with adequate essential facilities according to planning. To build and develop hotel infrastructure facilities serving tourism development.

5. Social development

a/ Education and training

- To develop education toward standardization, modernization, socialization and integration; to align the development of education and training with orientations for economic development and restructuring so as to timely meet socio-economic development requirements and residents’ demands for learning, increasing knowledge and grasping science and technology.

- To further promote the comprehensive development of education and training at all educational levels in both scale and quality and rationally distribute schools and classrooms throughout the province.

- To develop training and vocational training institutions (universities and vocational colleges) with advanced training programs of international level. To diversify forms of vocational training for rural laborers, meeting new countryside building and modernity-oriented rural restructuring requirements.

c/ Healthcare for people

- To build and complete a modernity-oriented synchronous healthcare system from provincial to communal level to become a health center of the northern mountainous region. To attract investment in developing hi-tech health services and international hospitals so as to provide services for the province and the region.

- To completely develop the medical examination and treatment and functional rehabilitation system and preventive medicine network at all levels; to build more physical foundations and increase medical equipment and facilities, and improve the quality of medical examination and treatment for people. To diversify types of health services and facilitate people’s access to high-quality health services.

- To effectively implement national programs on special healthcare in ethnic minority, remote and deep-lying areas. To strengthen the grassroots health network and increase physical foundations of communal and ward health stations.

c/ Science-technology

- To boost science and technology development to truly become a key factor in creating breakthroughs in productivity and quality, contributing to accelerating the industrialization and modernization process of the economy and ensuring sustainable environment. To bring into play Thai Nguyen’s strength of having many universities and colleges and scientists to combine lecturing, scientific research and technology transfer.

- To study programs on technology renewal, transfer and application of up-to-date technologies and state-of-the-art techniques to key economic and technical fields such as information technology, electronics, mechanical engineering, new-material production, food processing and environmental protection.

d/ Culture, physical training, sports and information and communication

- To develop and converge unique cultural identities of northern midland and mountainous ethnic minorities; to gradually complete cultural, art, physical training and sports facilities to meet the needs of people and tourism.

- To complete the grassroots culture-information institution network; to organize and rearrange forms of culture-arts activities, cinemas and art performances; to plan the organization of traditional and folk cultural festivals.

- To preserve and bring into play historical, cultural and revolutionary relics and cultural heritages of Thai Nguyen province associated with return-to-the-root, exploration, ecological and cultural tours.

- To raise the effectiveness of communication and information orientation for people in press information, printing, publication and distribution. To expand the application of science-technology in broadcasting and television; to consolidate and develop communal and ward radio broadcasting systems, especially in remote, deep-lying and ethnic minority areas.

dd/ National defense-security

To closely combine socio-economic development and enhancement of national defense- security potential; to build the all-people defense posture associated with the people’s security posture; to build the province’s clean and strong armed forces; to firmly maintain political stability and social order and safety. To combine the formulation of master plans and plans and investment in building infrastructure facilities, industry, agriculture, transport, post and telecommunications, education-training, healthcare and tourism with the building of the military posture in defensive and civil defensive areas, ensuring the performance of defense tasks.

V. ORIENTATIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF TERRITORIAL SPACE

1. Orientations for land use

To use land in an efficient manner, rationally exploit unused land and put into use the majority of bare hills and unclaimed land. To exploit and use land rationally, economically and lawfully. The income value from one unit of land will be used as an effectiveness gauge for planning the use of land for economic and livelihood facilities, arrangement of plants and livestock, investment in building infrastructure. To allocate appropriate land funds to meet the requirements of socioeconomic development and national defense-security in the province.

2. Orientations for development of sub-zones

- The major motive-force sub-zone encompasses Thai Nguyen city and a number of communes of Dong Hy district, Song Cong town, and Phu Binh, Pho Yen and Phu Luong districts. This is an economic-political hub, a motive-force zone, a key economic area - home to the development of electronics, hi-tech, mechanical engineering and supporting industries, trade and services, tourism, training, manufacturing, and commodity farm produce processing for export.

- The secondary motive-force sub-zone embraces Dong Hy district and the southern parts of Phu Luong and Dai Tu districts. This is a midland and mountainous area that has vast land areas serving the development of farm economy and traditional craft and cottage villages. In this sub-zone, mining, processing, handicrafts and cottage industries, ecological tourism, services and forestry and agriculture will be primarily developed.

- The mountainous area covers Vo Nhai and Dinh Hoa districts, and the northern parts of Dai Tu and Phu Luong districts where forestry, agriculture, forest and farm produce processing industry, construction material mining, traditional tourism and services will be developed.

3. Orientations for development of the urban system

- To develop an urban system based on the distribution of a multi-level system of central urban centers, combining the renovation of old urban centers and the construction of new ones for balanced development among areas and suiting each area’s development characteristics and acting as the core for rural population development.

- The urban system development must focus on the construction of social and technical infrastructure facilities, rational distribution of the functional structure, protection of natural landscapes, production zones, environmental protection and natural ecology. The construction planning must take into account natural, socio-economic and cultural conditions and specific characteristics of each area toward achieving the goals of sustainable development, urban quality, rich identity traits, civilization and modernity.

- To focus on mobilizing capital sources for new countryside construction, further invest in upgrading the rural infrastructure system.

VI. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

- To apply modem and green technologies to the collection and treatment of wastewater, medical waste, solid waste and industrial waste and gas emissions toward sustainable development. To complete and synchronize wastewater treatment and solid waste collection and treatment systems in industrial parks and clusters.

- To step up the socialization of environmental protection activities, first of all enhancing inter-sectoral coordination and building environmental supervision and protection mechanisms of economic sectors and communities.

VII. PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS PRIORITIZED FOR INVESTMENT STUDY (See the enclosed Appendix)

VIII. MAJOR SOLUTIONS TO IMPLEMENT THE MASTER PLAN

1. Capital raising and effective use of investment capital

- The total investment capital demand is estimated at VND 130 trillion in the 2016-2020 period of which the Samsung hi-tech complex will make up around 25%. To raise sufficient capital to meet such requirements, it is necessary to adopt specific solutions for each source of capital as well as orientations for use of capital sources and raise the efficiency of investment capital use.

- To draw up and issue a list of projects calling for investment through 2020 and a vision toward 2030, with focus on supporting industries in the supply chain of the Samsung electronics and hi-tech complex.

- To rationally and efficiently use local budgets, enhance thrift practice and waste combat in budget use. To diversify forms of capital raising, especially capital from enterprises, among the people and economic sectors, through the cooperation between the State and people and the public-private partnership (PPP).

- To effectively mobilize external resources, especially official development assistance (ODA) and foreign direct investment (FDI), for development and building of major significant works to develop several sectors as a motive force for raising investment capital from other economic sectors.

2. Improving the business and investment environment and provincial competitiveness

- To improve the provincial competitiveness as a motive force for implementing the master plan on socio-economic development of Thai Nguyen province through 2020; to attract the attention of investors and strategic partners to the province’s development.

- To increase the efficiency of investment attraction and the disbursement of investment capital sources of economic sectors, foreign-invested enterprises, ODA and non-governmental organizations’ aid; to concurrently simplify administrative and investment promotion procedures and speed up investment activities of investors and development partners.

- To build capacity for officials, civil servants and public employees of provincial administrative agencies as well as enterprise managers to be highly professional and well-prepared for international integration.

3. Human resource development

- To increase investment in education, training and vocational training, vocational training support and encouragement, prioritize the training of human resources for the development of spearhead industries and training of workers for industrial parks and clusters, and vocational training for rural youths.

- To adopt incentive policies such as prioritizing land allocation and lease, support the construction of infrastructure outside the fences of international universities and vocational training schools to be built in the locality. First of all, to allocate sufficient land to universities, colleges, and vocational training and secondary education schools at all levels according to national norms.

- To develop highly qualified technicians in all sectors and fields and for the province’s advantageous spearhead products; first of all to train technical workers and grassroots managers for the Samsung electronics and hi-tech complex and enterprises of supporting industries.

4. Science and technology development

- To use multi-tier technologies, prioritize modem and high technologies combined with traditional technologies. To speed up technology transfer; to use new-generation machinery and equipment and modem technologies to suit the province’s production level.

- To invest in equipment and physical and technical foundations to serve science and technology management as well as research and development and basic survey activities. To adopt appropriate policies to attract scientists and technologists and workers with good research skills to participate in the industrialization and modernization of the province’s economy.

- To persuade and create favorable conditions for the Samsung Group to establish its research and development lab in the province.

- To renew the treatment policy for science and technology workers so as to attract excellent experts and managers in this field; to develop healthy competition for science and technology workers to involve in the development of scientific and technological research capability.

5. Ensuring social welfare and sustainable poverty reduction

- To build people’s capacity to develop production and access opportunities for economic development; to focus on framing people to raise their production and business knowledge; to increase agriculture, forestry and fisheries extension activities and support technology transfer.

- To ensure people’s access to basic social services; to upgrade education and health infrastructure facilities in disadvantaged and ethnic minority areas; to plan and invest in essential facilities suitable to each commune’s needs in the order of priority with people’s participation.

6. Environmental protection

- To speed up the prevention, control and mitigation of the impacts of natural disasters and response to climate change and include the anti-climate change task in the province’s economic development programs, especially infrastructure investment and population distribution master plan; to increase the appraisal of environmental protection conditions of investment projects and effectively implement environmental supervision.

- To promote the development of clean energy sources and encourage producers to use environment-friendly technologies and prevent climate change.

7. Raising the efficiency and effect of the state management apparatus and step up the reform of administrative procedures

- To step up the reform of administrative procedures and raise the efficiency and effect of the state management apparatus; to create an equal competitive environment among economic sectors; to improve the quality of the one-stop shop mechanism to raise the province’s competitiveness index, create a transparent investment and business environment so as to effectively exploit internal sources and attract to the most external resources for development.

- To further decentralize power to the people’s committees of districts, cities and towns and authorize provincial-level departments and sectors in the direction of decentralization and authorization combined with enhancement of the responsibility of the heads and capacity building for the grassroots administration apparatus; to enhance the capacity of cadres and civil servants of state administration agencies to ensure high professionalism.

- To complete institutions and improve the quality of legal documents falling within the competence of the provincial People’s Council and People’s Committee, particularly local socioeconomic development mechanisms and policies; to widely apply information technology in the reform of administrative procedures and enhance the openness and transparency of administrative procedures related to people and enterprises.

8. Regional and national development cooperation and international integration

- To step up investment promotion and elaborate export-driven investment sừategies and export promotion programs. To create every favorable condition for export activities. To create a transparent environment to attract investment sources and foreign aid. To maintain and develop the US, China, the European Union (EU), Japan and ASEAN markets and proactively seek new international outlets.

- To facilitate enterprises’ access to market information and market penetration and expansion. It is necessary for enterprises to make the best use of the assistance of overseas economic counselors and embassies to explore foreign markets and partners. To establish market research, trade and investment promotion organizations.

- To effectively perform the functions of Thai Nguyen province in the northern midland and mountainous region and the whole country; to make the best use of other localities’ potential and strengths; to exploit regional markets for effective regional development.

- To coordinate with other localities in developing the province’s spearhead industries, agriculture and services toward developing inter-sectoral clusters. To collaborate with Hanoi city and Bac Kan province in infrastructure construction, especially in construction, upgrading and modernization of outbound roads of Thai Nguyen province.

IX. ORGANIZATION AND SUPERVISION OF THE MASTER PLAN IMPLEMENTATION

1. After this master plan is approved, the province shall disseminate it to Party Committees and authorities, sectors, mass organizations, enterprises and people in the province. Based on the contents of the master plan, the province shall formulate a specific action program for effective implementation.

2. To concretize the contents of the master plan into five-year and annual plans for implementation and assessment of achieved results. On this basis, to review the master plan and propose competent authorities to promptly adjust and supplement the master plan to suit the local socio-economic development tasks in each period. To study and implement sectoral development master plans and detailed master plans and elaborate plans to effectively implement the master plan. All levels, sectors, socio-political organizations and people in the province shall examine and supervise the implementation of the master plan.

Article 2. The master plan on socio-economic development of Thai Nguyen province through 2020, with a vision toward 2030, will be the foundation for formulating, submitting for approval and implementing sectoral master plans (construction master plan, land use master plan and plans and other sectoral master plans) and investment projects in Thai Nguyen province.

Article 3. To assign Thai Nguyen province’s People’s Committee to, based on the targets, tasks and orientations for provincial socio-economic development set out in the master plan, assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with related ministries and sectors in, guiding the formulation, approval and implementation according to regulations of:

1. Master plans on development of sectors and major products; master plans on development of urban systems and residential quarters; land use master plan and plans; district, town and city socio-economic development master plans.

2. To prepare five-year and annual plans; key economic, cultural and social development programs; and specific projects to implement the master plan.

3. To study, formulate, promulgate or submit to competent authorities for promulgation mechanisms and policies to meet the province’s socio-economic development needs and comply with the State’s laws in each period in an attempt to attract and mobilize resources for the master plan implementation.

Article 4. To assign related ministries and central sectors, within the ambit of their functions, tasks and powers, to:

1. Guide and assist Thai Nguyen province’s People’s Committee in studying and formulating specific master plans; if necessary, to study, formulate and submit to competent authorities for promulgation mechanisms and policies meeting the province’s socio-economic development requirements in each period so as to effectively utilize internal resources; encourage and attract investment according to socio-economic development goals and tasks set out in the master plan.

2. Study, review, adjust and supplement sectoral development master plans and investment plans of relevant works and projects mentioned in the approved master plan; support Thai Nguyen province in the allocation and raising of domestic and foreign investment capital for the implementation of the master plan.

Article 5. This Decision takes effect on the date of its signing and replaces the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 58/2007/QD-TTg of May 4, 2007, approving the master plan on socioeconomic development of Thai Nguyen province through 2020.

Article 6. The chairperson of the People’s Committee of Thai Nguyen province, ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies and heads of government-attached agencies shall implement this Decision.-

APPENDIX

LIST OF PROJECTS PRIORITIZED FOR INVESTMENT STUDY IN THAI NGUYEN PROVINCE THROUGH 2020
(To the Prime Minister s Decision No. 260/QD-TTg of February 27, 2015)

Note: The locations, sizes, land areas and total investment amounts for the above projects will be calculated, selected and specified in the stages of formulation and submission of investment projects, depending on demands and the capacity of balancing and raising investment capital in each period.-