Prime Minister: Speedily and boldly build Con Dao into a bright, green, clean, beautiful, modern, international-class and secure national defense

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh works with the Standing Committee of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Provincial Party Committee - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

Also attending were comrades: Politburo member, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen; Party Central Committee members: Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Quang Phuong, Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh, Deputy Minister of National Defense, Senior Lieutenant General Pham Hoai Nam, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Thanh Nghi, Commander of Military Region 7 Nguyen Truong Thang.

Earlier, the same morning, the Prime Minister inspected Con Dao airport, listened to the leaders of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province and related units report on the actual operation situation and planned planning of Con Dao airport for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050.

The Prime Minister also offered incense and flowers to commemorate and pay tribute to heroes and martyrs at Hang Duong Cemetery and Hang Keo Cemetery; attended a meeting and paid tribute to revolutionary soldiers captured and imprisoned by the enemy nationwide on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Con Dao Liberation Day (May 1, 1975 - May 1, 2025).

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at a working session with the Standing Committee of the Ba Ria-Vung Tau Provincial Party Committee - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

Reports and opinions at the meeting assessed that despite many difficulties and challenges, Ba Ria-Vung Tau province has made efforts, been creative, implemented drastic and flexible solutions and achieved many positive results, continuing to affirm the role and stature of the province.

6/14 economic and social targets are equal to or higher than the plan set for the whole year 2025; 6/14 targets increased higher than the same period but lower than the plan set for the whole year 2025.

Investment work achieved positive results (total development investment capital reached 18,955 billion VND, up 42.3% over the same period); disbursement of public investment capital by March 31, 2025 reached 24.51% of the plan assigned by the Prime Minister; total newly and additionally attracted domestic and foreign investment capital reached 53,697.9 billion VND (equal to 39.8% of the plan), of which 11 new FDI projects were attracted with a total capital of 317.4 million USD.

The Prime Minister emphasized 6 major tasks that Ba Ria-Vung Tau needs to pay attention to - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

The province also accelerated the implementation of key projects (Component Project 3 of the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway Construction Investment Project Phase 1; Ring Road 4; the expressway connecting Long Thanh Airport-Ho Tram...).

The province has implemented good policies for workers, meritorious people, the poor, ethnic minorities, and social protection beneficiaries; supported tuition fees for nursery school children, preschool children, students, and trainees; and supported Lai Chau with more than 107 billion VND to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses.

Along with that, the province has done well in military and national defense work, ensuring social security and order, and foreign affairs. It has proactively implemented the project to rearrange commune-level administrative units; merging with Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong.

Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen speaks - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

Regarding some outstanding results in socio-economic development of Con Dao, the district has developed strongly in a sustainable direction, balancing between conservation and development, promoting circular economy. Tourism and services have grown well (tourists reached 238,603 arrivals). Economic and social infrastructure has been focused on investment (provincial budget disbursement reached 20.12% of the plan, implementing the Project to adjust the General Planning for Con Dao construction...). Focusing on protecting the ecological environment, responding to climate change, rising sea levels...

In addition, the province still has shortcomings and limitations such as GRDP not reaching the set target; total retail sales of goods increase slowly; international tourists account for a low proportion... Con Dao still has many difficulties and challenges such as small economic scale; high construction costs; infrastructure connecting to the mainland does not meet requirements; quality of tourism products is still limited and not diverse (mainly visiting relics, swimming in the sea...); land fund for economic development is scattered...

Secretary of Ba Ria - Vung Tau Provincial Party Committee Pham Viet Thanh speaks - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

In his concluding remarks, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh acknowledged that Ba Ria - Vung Tau province had promptly implemented the Prime Minister's instructions at the previous meeting with the province, specifically implementing the planning of Con Dao and recently inaugurating the Con Dao Military-Civilian Medical Center.

The Prime Minister basically welcomed Ba Ria - Vung Tau province and Con Dao district for achieving many targets set for 2025, besides that there is still much work to do, more efforts and attempts must be made.

Emphasizing that Con Dao has great potential, the Prime Minister stated that the working session was in the spirit of "lightning speed and creativity" of the historic April days, which both paid tribute to the heroic martyrs and demonstrated responsibility for Ba Ria - Vung Tau and Con Dao.

Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh speaks - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

Emphasizing 6 major tasks that need attention, the Prime Minister requested to grasp the situation firmly, have adaptive measures, respond quickly, appropriately, feasiblely and effectively.

Second, promote self-reliance and self-improvement to turn nothing into something, turn difficulty into ease, turn the impossible into possible, promote the tradition, spirit and mettle of revolutionary soldiers who were captured and imprisoned by the enemy in Con Dao.

Third, be more determined, try harder, make more efforts, act more decisively, with focus and key points; clearly assign people, tasks, time, products, responsibilities and authority.

Fourth, take people and businesses as the center and subject in the development process.

Fifth, promote decentralization and delegation of power along with resource allocation, improve implementation capacity and strengthen inspection and supervision, "local decisions, local actions, local responsibilities".

Sixth, review and cut at least 30% of administrative procedures along with costs and compliance time.

Chairman of Ba Ria-Vung Tau People's Committee Nguyen Van Tho reports - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

Along with that, the Prime Minister emphasized the need to promote the spirit of "speed, creativity", daring to think, daring to do, daring to take responsibility, ensuring "3 yeses and 2 noes": beneficial to the State, beneficial to the people, beneficial to businesses; no personal motives and no corruption, negativity, or waste.

Regarding specific tasks, the Prime Minister requested to review the goals and targets according to the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress and the Resolution of the Provincial Party Congress. For any goals that have not been completed, there must be solutions and more efforts to achieve them in 2025.

Second, proactively and resolutely implement resolutions, conclusions and directions of the Central Committee, Politburo, National Assembly and Government on the arrangement of administrative units at all levels and the establishment of two-level local governments. The Prime Minister noted that the important task is to select leaders; regarding workplaces, it is necessary to arrange them appropriately, strengthen and promote online working methods to avoid waste, inconvenience and achieve the highest efficiency.

Third, prepare well for Party Congresses at all levels, towards the 14th National Party Congress; this needs to be done simultaneously, effectively and qualitatively with the arrangement of administrative units at all levels and the construction of two-level local governments.

Fourth, implementing Resolution 57 of the Politburo on breakthroughs in science and technology development, innovation and digital transformation.

Fifth, implementing Resolution 59 of the Politburo on international integration in the new situation, building an independent and self-reliant economy associated with proactive and active international integration, deeply, substantially and effectively.

Sixth, prepare and well implement the Politburo's Resolution on developing the private economy as the most important driving force of the national economy.

Seventh, focus on promoting growth, renewing traditional growth drivers such as investment, export, consumption and promoting new growth drivers, especially in Vung Tau's advantageous fields such as oil and gas, services, tourism, etc.; diversifying markets, products and supply chains.

Eighth, contributing to maintaining independence, sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity, political stability, social order and security, and environmental protection.

Ninth, focus on ensuring social security, not sacrificing progress, fairness, social security, and the environment to pursue mere economic growth.

Tenth, focus on building a clean and strong Party and political system, improving the leadership capacity and fighting strength of Party organizations and Party members; taking handling, supervision and prevention as fundamental, strategic and long-term, and handling as important and regular.

Regarding some major orientations for Con Dao in particular, the Prime Minister directed the development of a project to develop the Con Dao special zone, paying special attention to the position of Con Dao as an outpost island, very important in terms of security and national defense; maximizing advantages to develop the marine economy, develop spiritual tourism and eco-tourism; planning and building a green, clean, beautiful, modern, and international-class Con Dao.

Regarding tasks and solutions, the Prime Minister stated that it is necessary to focus on building a special economic zone government and mechanisms and policies. The contents already included in Resolution 98/2023/QH15 dated June 24, 2023 of the National Assembly on piloting a number of specific mechanisms and policies for the development of Ho Chi Minh City are proposed and applied to Ba Ria - Vung Tau. If other policies are needed, the Ministry of Finance will study and submit them to competent authorities, with the spirit that the mechanisms and policies must be open and transparent but manageable and controllable.

Regarding infrastructure solutions, the Prime Minister requested to focus on handling infrastructure bottlenecks, especially air traffic, and assign Ba Ria - Vung Tau province as the competent authority to call for public-private partnership investors in planning and constructing Con Dao international airport.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh also requested Ba Ria - Vung Tau province to urgently clear the land and coordinate with ministries to carry out procedures to start construction of the expressway from Ho Tram project to Long Thanh airport on September 2 this year.

Along with that, develop medical, educational, cultural and social infrastructure; infrastructure for electricity supply, telecommunications, clean water, and waste treatment. Build Con Dao to be drug-free.

At the same time, the Prime Minister requested to build a public administrative service center for people and businesses using digital methods; have policies to encourage businesses to invest; develop the economy in combination with national defense; and attract high-quality human resources.

The Prime Minister supports the plan to reclaim land to expand the island, but environmental issues need to be carefully considered. At the same time, the Prime Minister suggested studying the planning of Hang Duong Cemetery Park.

Emphasizing that Con Dao has great development potential, the Prime Minister noted that the leader of the special zone must be "very passionate", fast, creative, work responsibly, and produce specific products and results.

Regarding the province's recommendations, the Prime Minister basically agreed in principle, assigning the Ministry of Finance to urgently submit to the Government amendments to Decree 26/2023/ND-CP on Export Tariff Schedule, Preferential Import Tariff Schedule, List of goods and absolute tax rates, mixed tax, and import tax outside the tariff quota.

Source: https://baobinhphuoc.com.vn/news/1/172310/thu-tuong-than-toc-tao-bao-xay-dung-con-dao-sang-xanh-sach-dep-hien-dai-tam-co-quoc-te-va-bao-dam-an