Creating momentum to drive the development of Do Luong.

PV:In 2023, the socio-economic development of Do Luong district maintained a high growth rate, a significant achievement for the Party Committee, government, and people of Do Luong district in successfully implementing the resolutions of the Party Congress at all levels. Could you please share some specific results?

Comrade Bui Duy Dong:In 2023, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the district's establishment, Do Luong was recognized by the Prime Minister as having achieved the new rural standard in 2022 (Decision No. 1370/QD-TTg, dated November 15, 2023)... Thanks to the proactive and thorough approach of the Party committee, the decisive management of the government, the synchronized involvement of the entire political system, and the unanimous support and positive response of the business community and all strata of the people, the socio-economic development of Do Luong district maintained a high growth rate last year, social welfare was emphasized, and political security and social order were maintained. Party building and the political system saw many positive changes.

To effectively implement the resolutions of the Party Congress at all levels and the goals and tasks for 2023, right from the beginning of the year, the District Party Committee has developed and issued Resolution 02-NQ/HU, identifying 31 major targets with specific solutions closely aligned with reality. Monthly, the Standing Committee of the District Party Committee reviews the progress of implementing specialized topics, projects, and plans… to assess the quality of implementation and orient tasks for the year, as well as the remaining half of the term. To date, 26 out of 31 targets have been achieved or exceeded.

PV:Thus, the continuous growth in the past period is a necessary condition to make Do Luong a connecting point between the western districts and Vinh City, the Southeast Economic Zone, and the coastal districts of the province, aiming to become a town before 2030. So, could you tell us what the sufficient condition is?

Comrade Bui Duy Dong: “Using urban areas as the driving force for regional development” is considered one of the strategic breakthroughs for the 2021-2030 period, as identified by our Party at the 13th National Congress. To achieve this, in addition to the necessary conditions already mentioned, there are two sufficient conditions: the economic growth rate must be high enough to form a growth pole; and the production structure must create mutual development with other districts in the region, most importantly creating economies of scale in production and business.

Although the growth rate of Do Luong district in the recent period has shown positive aspects, it has not yet fully exploited its potential and advantages. There are still bottlenecks that need to be addressed, such as the lack of synchronized and interconnected socio-economic and transportation infrastructure; difficulties in land consolidation, limited non-agricultural land; scattered and unconcentrated population; slow accumulation of production capacity; infrastructure investment failing to create a leverage effect for economic development; incomplete coverage of zoning and detailed planning; and an underdeveloped labor market.

To develop Do Luong district into a town and a connecting point between the western districts and Vinh City, the Southeast Economic Zone, and coastal districts, contributing to the achievement of the goals and tasks of the Resolution of the 19th Congress of the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee, term 2020-2025, Resolution No. 39-NQ/TW dated July 18, 2023 of the Politburo on building and developing Nghe An province until 2030, with a vision to 2045, and Decision No. 1059/QD-TTg dated September 14, 2023 of the Prime Minister approving the Nghe An Provincial Planning for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050... the entire district recognizes the need for consensus and a consistent development perspective to mobilize the combined strength of the political system and the entire population for the development of Do Luong district in the coming period.

PV:As you mentioned, Do Luong needs a consistent development strategy. So, what exactly does that entail?

Comrade Bui Duy Dong:During the preparation for the next phase of development in Do Luong, various viewpoints and directions were discussed, such as "development based on external forces," "development based on internal forces," or "development based on energizing local resources." Do Luong consistently chose the viewpoint of "energizing local resources" for the district's development in the coming period.

The activating of local resources is understood as utilizing highly potential local resources, but due to a lack of activation processes, these resources do not contribute proportionally to development. Although the land in Do Luong district is flat, fragmentation of land use rights and a lack of low-level planning prevent its utilization for higher-productivity functions such as high-tech agriculture or non-agricultural activities. Non-agricultural labor force accounts for a large proportion of the workforce in Do Luong, but the majority do not work within the district, thus failing to accumulate production capacity and therefore not effectively contributing to Do Luong's development. While many national highways pass through Do Luong district, the lack of connectivity between these highways and the internal areas prevents the full utilization of this advantage.

In 2023, the economic growth rate of Do Luong district reached 10.97%; of which: Agriculture, forestry and fisheries increased by 4.3%; Industry and construction increased by 13.33%; and services increased by 11.27%. The average value added per capita reached VND 73.53 million, an increase of 10.33% compared to 2022.

Budget revenue reached 877.476 billion VND, equivalent to 310.23% of the statutory budget estimate and 228.51% of the budget estimate assigned by the District People's Council. Total grain production reached 108,702 tons, equivalent to 106.57% of the plan… The continuous growth of Do Luong in the past period is very important, and is a necessary condition to make Do Luong a regional central urban area in the coming period.

Successfully mobilizing local resources, bringing potential resources into use, will attract external resources, creating economic models, economic linkages, and economic externalities to form growth poles and growth centers, thereby promoting economic growth, increasing gross regional product (GRDP), and creating spillover effects of growth to surrounding areas.

PV: Thank you, comrade!