PM Dung expressed his delight at the province’s socio-economic achievements over the past year. Although Ha Giang had a lower starting point compared to other provinces, it has continuously found ways to escape poverty. Over the past five years, the province’s GDP growth rate has reached over 10 percent on average, even up to 11 percent in 2006. The rate of poor households has reduced by 7 percent thanks to an increase in the volume of agricultural production. All communes now have access to electricity and road transport. The political system remains stable. The PM attributed these results to the great efforts made by the local party committee, administration and ethnic minority people in Ha Giang.

PM Dung wished that the provincial party and administrative authorities would join efforts with local people to reduce the rate of poor households by 43 percent. With regard to the province’s socio-economic solutions, it is imperative to speed up production whilst continuing with poverty reduction and hunger elimination, he said.

The PM asked the province as well as central ministries and agencies to focus on developing production and improving people’s living standards in four mountainous districts namely Dong Van, Meo Bac, Yen Minh and Quan Ba. He emphasized that farmers should be helped with capital and animals to increase production output, quality and efficiency in years to come. He urged the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Planning and Investment to mobilize capital sources to build some 30 reservoirs for the four mountainous districts at an estimated cost of VND90 billion to overcome the shortage of water for ethnic people’s daily use by the end of next year.

Mr Dung noted that Ha Giang should sponsor forest protection programmes and the management of special-purpose forests for local people and provide them with food assistance.

The Prime Minister urged central ministries and agencies to help Ha Giang province ensure social order and security and successfully implement the demarcation and planting of border markers in order to stabilize the daily lives of local people in resettlement areas as soon as possible.

The Ministry of Finance has to seek capital sources for Ha Giang to finalize infrastructure construction work in line with the province’s zoning plan and the Prime Minister’s instructions.

Mr Dung said that Ha Giang should fully tap its potential in such fields as hydro-electric power, mineral exploitation, tourism, agricultural activities, education and vocational training. He also asked the provincial Party Committee and local authorities to focus on promoting administrative reform, simplifying administrative procedures and combating corruption.

Before working with leaders of Ha Giang province, PM Dung visited the Thanh Thuy bordergate in Vi Xuyen district. He asked the province to draw up a zoning plan for development of the Thanh Thuy bordergate into a new urban trade area.

In the afternoon of February 10, the PM made an inspection tour of Ha Giang’s four border districts namely Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Meo Vac and Dong Van. These are four of nine districts confronted with the most acute difficulties in the country. PM Dung met and presented Tet gifts to soldiers and ethnic people in the mountainous district of Dong Van. He stressed that the Party, State and Government will do their best to support Ha Giang’s socio-economic development so as to quickly improve living conditions for ethnic people in the border areas./.