Building a solid foundation for a new stage of development - Part 1: Looking straight at the truth
The 19th Congress of Nghe An Provincial Party Committee, term 2020-2025, clearly identified the potential, strengths, and unique values of the province, while frankly pointing out the challenges and bottlenecks that hinder development. On that basis, new methods and approaches, from viewpoints to strategies, were proposed to create important breakthroughs in the term 2020-2025.
Duc Chuyen - Thanh Duy • October 2, 2024
The 19th Congress of Nghe An Provincial Party Committee, term 2020-2025, clearly identified the potential, strengths, and unique values of the province, while frankly pointing out the challenges and bottlenecks that hinder development. On that basis, new methods and approaches, from viewpoints to strategies, were proposed to create important breakthroughs in the term 2020-2025.
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Considered as “a miniature Vietnam”, Nghe An is one of the few localities that converges all three geographical regions, with the mountainous region being an extension of the Northwest and a large plain overlooking the Gulf of Tonkin, with a sea area of up to 761,000km2. As the largest province in the country, with a large population and abundant labor force, by the end of 2020, Nghe An's economic scale (GRDP) only reached more than 144,532 billion VND, accounting for 12.5% of the GRDP scale of the North Central and Central Coast regions and equal to 1.97% of the national GDP scale.
In the period 2014 - 2020, the growth rate of gross domestic product per capita (GRDP/person) of Nghe An only reached 5.55%, much lower than the average growth rate of the North Central and Central Coast regions (6.11%/year). In general, the province's GRDP per capita by 2020 only reached 42.9 million VND, the lowest among the 14 provinces and cities in the region.
Nghe An has not yet "become one of the best provinces in the North", but has been surpassed by neighboring provinces, specifically: If in 2013, the average GRDP per capita of Nghe An was 1.2 million VND higher than Thanh Hoa, by 2020 it was 8.5 million VND lower; with Ha Tinh from 5.1 million VND lower to 20.7 million VND; with Quang Binh from 2.1 million VND lower to 3.9 million VND. In general, by the end of 2020, the average GRDP per capita of Nghe An province (42.9 million VND) was only 0.75 times the average of the region (56.9 million VND) and 0.52 times the average GDP per capita of the entire economy (82.7 million VND).
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By the end of 2020, the implementation of important goals, mainly "basically becoming an industrial province" of Resolution No. 26-NQ/TW, dated July 30, 2013 of the Politburo on the direction and tasks of developing Nghe An province by 2020, was also not achieved.
In that context, in preparation for the 19th Provincial Party Congress, term 2020 - 2025, the entire Provincial Party Committee has carried out extensive political activities, looking straight at the truth, correctly assessing the truth, clearly stating the truth; carefully reviewing and evaluating the advantages, limitations and shortcomings in leadership and direction in all fields; pointing out the causes, drawing lessons; proposing correct, timely and appropriate decisions in accordance with the practical situation to lead and direct the organization and implementation to achieve a real breakthrough in the 19th term, term 2020 - 2025.
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Cadres, party members, people, dignitaries and intellectuals inside and outside the province, with their affection, responsibility and concern for their homeland, sent many comments to the Congress. At that time, former Minister of Trade, Head of the Economic - Social Advisory Group of Nghe An province Truong Dinh Tuyen said: The 19th Nghe An Provincial Party Congress will be a forum for new and creative ideas, breakthrough thinking, and fearlessness. With pure motives and enthusiasm for the homeland, just act boldly and reality will gradually show, the main thing is not to be conservative, bravely admit mistakes and resolutely correct them.
The former Minister of Trade stated his opinion: Many people say that Nghe An is a land of "spiritual land and talented people", but it is necessary to understand that only when we can transform the outstanding qualities of each individual into the good of the whole system can we promote the spirit of enlightenment and Nghe An can develop rapidly. The leaders and people of Nghe An must dare to face challenges. Only by facing challenges can we know who we are and what we can do.
Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Dinh Thien - former Director of the Vietnam Economic Institute, Deputy Head of the Economic - Social Advisory Group of Nghe An province suggested: In the 2020-2025 term, the goal of urban development needs to be focused on as a decisive axis. Only with urbanization and modernization can there be a center of innovation, creativity, growth center, and linkage to develop high-class industry and services. He also said: It is necessary to identify the development of business forces and attracting strategic investors as a priority task, even the top priority of the coming period. The program of developing business forces with the following contents: Encouraging business development in the province; attracting a number of strategic investors with the capacity to create modern production chains and create a development portrait of the province; innovative startup program; associated with institutional reform efforts and strategic decisions of the province. "We must focus on prioritizing the implementation of this priority task and solution", said Associate Professor. Dr. Quynh Lap, Hoang Mai town contributed.
In the spirit of promoting democracy and collective intelligence, the 18th Provincial Party Executive Committee has seriously listened to, accepted, and maximized the contributions of Party committees at all levels, affiliated Party organizations, and of cadres, Party members, dignitaries, and intellectuals; thereby contributing to improving the quality of documents submitted to the 19th Congress, especially on new and difficult issues; determined to answer the question and also the biggest concern of the Party Committee and People of Nghe An province: The people of Nghe An are intelligent, studious, hard-working, and industrious, and possess a land rich in potential, but their homeland is still "not earning enough to cover expenses", not to mention being well-off and rich?
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In October 2020, the 19th Congress of Nghe An Provincial Party Committee, term 2020 - 2025, was held, a congress of "unity, democracy, discipline, creativity, development". The Prime Minister himself, on behalf of the Party and State leaders, directed the Congress. The direction speech of the head of the Government frankly pointed out: Nghe An is still a poor province, still a province receiving large budget subsidies. Despite efforts, there are no driving projects, so it is still developing in breadth, low added value, revenue is not enough to cover expenditure and there must be stronger efforts to overcome this bottleneck.
The report presented to the 19th Provincial Party Congress, term 2020-2025 frankly pointed out the shortcomings and inadequacies such as: Fair growth but low growth quality, low competitiveness. Slow investment attraction, no large projects with driving force, strong impact on economic restructuring and budget collection. Public investment is still scattered, not focused on key areas and projects. Infrastructure has not met development requirements, especially key transport infrastructure. Construction quality, management and planning implementation have not kept up with development requirements. Vinh City's development has not been commensurate with its potential and goals set out in Resolution No. 26-NQ/TW, dated July 30, 2013 of the Politburo. Many potentials of the Western Nghe An region have not been exploited effectively.
On the basis of analyzing and correctly assessing the situation, clearly recognizing the limitations, the 19th Congress deeply expressed the spirit, will and aspirations for innovation; expressed a higher determination and greater aspirations of the Party Committee, government and people of Nghe An province in the 2020 - 2025 term with many new thoughts and approaches, clearly shown in the document. That is "promoting the transformation of the growth model from extensive to intensive development with a long-term vision"; "focusing on developing a number of processing and manufacturing industries with high science and technology content and high technology application"; "accelerating the construction and development of economic zones, industrial parks, logistics services, coastal urban areas in the direction of approaching ecological models, attracting investors"; “continue to supplement mechanisms, policies and prioritize resources to develop 3 key economic regions: Develop Vinh city - Cua Lo town, the southeastern districts of the province associated with the Southern Nghe An - Northern Ha Tinh region; develop Hoang Mai region associated with the Southern Thanh Hoa - Northern Nghe An region; develop the Western Nghe An region, focusing on Thai Hoa - Nghia Dan - Do Luong - Tan Ky - Con Cuong - Quy Hop”; “improve the effectiveness of foreign affairs work, be proactive, creative and actively integrate comprehensively and deeply”…
The Congress determined to focus on leading and directing 3 development breakthroughs in the 2020-2025 term, including: Strongly improving the investment and business environment associated with administrative reform, enhancing the application of information technology in management and operation. Continuing to train, develop and attract human resources, especially high-quality human resources. Continuing to develop key infrastructure systems to promote the province's socio-economic development. In order to realize the "Lam River Aspiration", building Nghe An into a fairly developed province in the Northern region and the whole country is the consistent goal during the 2020-2025 term of the Party Committee and people of Nghe An province.
The success of the 19th Provincial Party Congress, term 2020 - 2025, is not only demonstrated by the successful completion of the proposed contents, but also demonstrates the confidence, spirit of solidarity, democracy, discipline, innovation and development of the entire Party Committee, army and people of the province. The Resolution of the 19th Congress was passed as a result of the crystallization of intelligence and high political determination. "The success of the Congress is very important, opening a new development stage for the province," affirmed Provincial Party Secretary Thai Thanh Quy in his closing speech of the 19th Congress.
(To be continued)
