Southeast Region Continues to Affirm Its Role as the Country’s Important Economic Center

​(News Portal – Dong Nai) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Chairman of the Coordinating Council for Southeast Regions, presided over the fourth meeting of the Council in Ho Chi Minh City. Co-chairing were Comrade Nguyen Van Nen, Politburo Member, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee; Central Committee Members: Mr. Tran Hong Ha, Deputy Prime Minister; Mr. Nguyen Chi Dung, Minister of Planning and Investment, Standing Vice Chairman of the Council.
Acting Chairman of the Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee Vo Tan Duc attended the meeting.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh delivered the directive speech at the meeting – photo by a collaborator  

At the meeting, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung stated that although the Southeast Region achieved significant growth in the first seven months of the year, it did not fully meet expectations as the nation's leading economic region. During these seven months, the Southeast Region saw the highest number of newly registered and reinstated businesses among the six economic regions, with 58,246 businesses, a 9.8% increase.

Council members completed 28 out of 41 tasks assigned by the Decision issuing the plan for implementing regional coordination tasks for 2023, and 5 out of 30 tasks assigned for completion in 2023 in the Government's Action Program implementing Resolution No. 24. The remaining tasks are being urgently implemented by ministries and localities, as they require research and coordination with relevant agencies and are scheduled for completion in subsequent years.

Regarding the plan to implement the Southeast Region's planning: the Southeast Region plan for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, was approved by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 370/QĐ-TTg on May 4, 2024, which reflects the Prime Minister's close, decisive direction in implementing the tasks and solutions in the Politburo's Resolution.

Currently, the Ministry of Planning and Investment has drafted the Implementation Plan for the Southeast Region Planning for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, and has sought opinions from ministries, sectors, and localities within the Southeast Region. To date, 17 out of 18 ministries, sectors, and 5 out of 6 localities in the Southeast Region have provided feedback. After gathering all opinions, the Ministry of Planning and Investment will compile, review, revise, update, and finalize the Plan to submit to the Prime Minister for approval. 

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Acting Chairman of the Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee Vo Tan Duc gave his remarks at the meeting – photo by a collaborator   

Concluding the conference, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that the Southeast Region continues to affirm its important position and role as a leading economic engine of the country, pioneering in innovation, creativity, dynamism, and development. Although comprising only over 9% of the land area, the Southeast Region contributes about one-third of the GDP and over 44% of the national budget revenue.

These results are thanks to the determination, effort, and responsibility of the leaders, people, and businesses in the Southeast Region, with a proactive, positive, creative, and innovative spirit. The Prime Minister acknowledged the region's contribution to the country's socio-economic development and commended its contributions thus far. However, challenges, limitations, and difficulties remain.

The Prime Minister instructed ministries, sectors, and localities in the region to proactively address issues based on their functions, tasks, and authorities, focusing on: reviewing the 2024 targets and indicators for all levels and localities to stabilize the macroeconomy, control inflation, promote growth, ensure major balances, and meet labor market demands. Implementing planning work through the Planning Implementation Plan. Ho Chi Minh City should urgently submit for approval the City Planning, not aiming for perfection; make gradual improvements. Review, identify, and resolve legal barriers in laws, contribute to the Ministry of Planning and Investment's amendment of the Public Investment Law; concurrently, the Government's decrees and circulars, as well as those of ministries, sectors, must also be revised.

Accelerate public investment disbursement, lead public investment to stimulate private investment and activate all resources for development, especially resources from the people; focus on the three traditional growth drivers: investment, consumption, and export; promote new growth drivers such as digital transformation, green transformation, circular economy, knowledge economy, sharing economy, nighttime economy, chip production, artificial intelligence (AI), hydrogen, cloud computing. Ensuring close coordination between ministries, sectors, and localities in the region to jointly resolve difficulties and enhance regional connectivity. 

A scene at the conference

The Prime Minister emphasized "three accelerations": Accelerate public investment disbursement to lead and attract resources from the entire society; Accelerate the application of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, particularly digital transformation, green transformation, circular economy, and emerging industries related to chip production, AI, and cloud computing; Accelerate the training of high-quality human resources and top experts to create new momentum, contributing to the implementation of the three strategic breakthroughs outlined by the 13th Party Congress.​

The Prime Minister tasked Ho Chi Minh City with taking the lead in proposing outstanding policies within the authority of the National Assembly for the Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 4 Project at the Council meeting in November 2024; tasked Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Tay Ninh, and Binh Phuoc with promptly completing subsequent procedures for the Ho Chi Minh City - Moc Bai, Chon Thanh - Gia Nghia, Ho Chi Minh City - Thu Dau Mot - Chon Thanh expressways, aiming to commence construction on April 30, 2025.