Quang Nam Confident to Reach New Heights

16 years after the re-establishment of the province, the government and people of Quang Nam province have united to promote intelligence, resilience and bravery to develop the province with many impressive achievements. Mr Le Phuoc Thanh, Chairman of People’s Committee of Quang Nam province, affirmed “For an agriculture-based province with a very low starting point like Quang Nam, the achievements over the past 16 years are much appreciated and comprehensive." Cong Luan reports.

Could you highlight impressive economic and social results?

From one of the poorest provinces in the country with budgetary revenue of VND127 billion in the year of provincial re-establishment, the State Budget collected more than VND6,500 billion in 2011, an increase of more than 41 times over 1997. In 2012, the province’s budgetary revenue totalled VND5,524 billion. GDP growth averaged 10.6 percent annually in the 1997 - 2011 period. The growth was 11.25 percent in 2012. The economic development pattern comes to expectations. The contribution of industry and service to GDP rose from 52 percent in 1997 to 79.8 percent in 2012 while the share of agriculture decreased from 48 percent in 1997 to less than 20.2 percent in 2012.

Starting with no industrial zone, Quang Nam province now has nine industrial zones with a total planned area of 4,390 ha and 52 industrial clusters covering 1,400 ha in total. The province also restored and developed 19 cottage industry villages. The locality currently has more than 5,300 domestic enterprises and 81 FDI projects with a total investment capital of more than US$4.7 billion. The value of industrial production increased 23.6 percent annually. From a province with very poor traffic network, Quang Nam now has 3,623 km of concrete and asphalt roads. Tourism thrives, with the number of visitor arrivals growing from 227,000 in 1997 to over 2.5 million in 2012, an increase of more than 11 times.

Along with economic development, the Party, government and people of the province always take care of policy people and the poor. The province has built and repaired 27,450 charity houses at a total value of VND412 billion, built 40,045 houses of “great unity” valued at VND480 billion, and supported the poor to build 15,000 houses with a total budget of VND416 billion.

Social security policies are placed priority. Material and spiritual life of the people is improved. Poverty rate steadily falls 2.5 - 3 percent a year.

Quang Nam province targets to become a basically industrialised province by 2020. What strategic directions will the province take to realise that target?

First of all, we mobilise our resources to achieve three breakthrough objectives in the spirit of the Resolution of the 20^th Provincial Party Congress, including infrastructure construction, human resource development, and investment environment improvement. The province continues to apply consistent policies on site clearance, land compensation and resettlement to create ready land and space for investment projects, especially in Chu Lai Open Economic Zone, industrial complexes, and coastal projects. Quang Nam province also strictly manages natural resources and minerals to use in the best way and resolve environmental issues in industrial complexes, hospitals, cottage industry villages, and tourist sites.

In addition, the province will focus investment on development in mountainous areas, effectively implement investment support mechanisms for poor mountainous districts as specified in the Programme 30A of the Government, and step up the new countryside construction programme, striving to bring the number of communes meeting the new countryside standards to 20 percent by 2015.

Besides, the province will focus on developing services in couple with promoting advantages of two world cultural heritages of the Cham towers at My Son Sanctuary and Hoi An Ancient Town, historic and cultural sites and landscapes. Quang Nam will develop tourism into a spearhead economic sector.

Would you mind telling us more about Quang Nam development orientation planning to 2020, with a vision to 2025, as well as the role and importance of the process of this planning for local socio-economic development?

The objectives of the planning are to create a development strategy with clear visions for the government and the people, and harmonious balance growth and sustainability objectives. The overall objectives towards 2020 are to maintain economic growth at sustainable levels, thus promoting economic development, achieving social justice and progress and providing public welfare.

 The main tasks of the planning are to develop a multi-dimensional development framework with deep and broad support of all concerned parties, improve urban administration and management, develop the economy sustainably, reduce poverty and enhance urban environment. According to the Resolution of the Quang Nam Provincial Party Committee, the province will attempt to achieve GDP growth of 13.5 percent a year on average in the 2010-2015 period. The overall development to 2020 is to maintain rapid and sustainable growth. From this direction, the province has set out specific measures to achieve reasonable GDP growth rate.

Based on SWOT analysis and thematic evaluations, 10 issues have been determined to specify directions, strategies and solutions of the provincial development strategy. Accordingly, the province will sustainably reduce poverty in western countryside and mountainous areas; mobilise capital for effective economic development, develop human resources to enhance the competitiveness of Quang Nam province, create a rural - urban linkage and integration for equitable development, manage social welfare, develop infrastructure to bring balanced development opportunities for western area and urban zones, manage environment-polluting industries, adapt to disasters and climate change in socioeconomic development, prioritise infrastructure development to link the western and eastern regions, narrow investment gap between the two regions, develop and manage sustainable tourism in Hoi An, Cham Island and My Son.

Besides, the development planning specifies strategic solutions and action plans. The province will focus on restructuring key industries, developing sustainable tourism by promoting the interlink of rural and urban areas and regional link, developing infrastructure towards effective and comprehensive development, integrating environmental management and adaptation to climate change, developing agriculture, culture and society to generate driving forces for development and improve spiritual life of the people.