DECISION

APPROVING THE MASTER PLAN ON SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF CAN THO CITY IN THE 2006-2020 PERIOD

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the December 25, 2001 Law on Organization of the Government;

At the proposal of the People's Committee of Can Tho city in Report No. 56/TTr-UBND of December 7, 2005, Report No. 15/TTr-UBND of May 24, 2006, and Official Letter No. 4694/UBND-QH of November 20, 2006, and proposal of the Planning and Investment Ministry in Official Letter No. 6750 BKH/TD&GSDT of September 12, 2006, and Official Letter No. 9224/BKH-TD&GSDT of December 12, 2006, to the Prime Minister for approval of the master plan on socio-economic development of Can Tho city in the 2006-2020 period,

DECIDES:

Article 1.- To approve the master plan on socio-economic development of Can Tho city in the 2006-2020 period with the following principal contents:

I. DEVELOPMENT VIEWPOINTS

The master plan on socio-economic development of Can Tho city in the 2006-2020 period adheres to the principle of compatibility with the Strategies on socio-economic development of the whole country and the Mekong River delta; and aims to build Can Tho city into an industrial and modern city, a regional center playing the role of a motive force for regional development; to ensure relations between the economic growth and proper solution of social problems, especially employment, reduction of poor households, proper performance of ethnic and religious work, and between the economic development and the maintenance of security and defense, consolidation of the political system and the state administration; and to protect the environment.

To accelerate the economic growth rate and economic restructuring toward industrialization and modernization; to develop production and service sectors with high productivity and added value content; to raise the quality, efficiency and competitiveness of the economy.

To base socio-economic development on bringing into play the city's advantages; to mobilize to the utmost its internal resources while strongly attracting external resources, particularly investment capital, sciences and technologies. To encourage all economic sectors to develop.

To invest in comprehensive development, and speed up the urbanization while improving the urban living standards.

To realize the strategy on human development, and elevate intellectual standards of people and quality of human resources; to constantly improve the people's living standards.

II. DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES

1. General objectives

To build Can Tho into a grade-I modern and civilized city before 2010 and an industrial city before 2020; a socio-economic, educational, training, scientific, technological, healthcare and cultural center of the Mekong River delta; an important regional and international communication and transportation hub; an important geographical area occupying a strategic defense and security position in the Mekong River delta and the whole country; and a development nucleus and a driving force for vigorous development of the whole Mekong River delta.

2. Specific objectives

To tap and bring into the fullest play potentials and advantages of the city for rapid and sustainable economic development with high efficiency and competitiveness in domestic and world markets; to quickly restructure the economy in the direction of industry ' service ' hi-tech agriculture.

To maintain and accelerate economic growth rate at a rate higher than the average growth rate of the whole country. The average annual GDP growth rate will be 16% in the 2006-2010 period, 17.1% in the 2011-2015 period and 18% in the 2016-2020 period.

Per-capita GDP (at current prices) will reach USD 1,210 by 2010, USD 2,318 by 2015 and USD 4,611 by 2020.

The economy will be quickly restructured in the direction of raising the ratios of service and industry. The growth rates of agriculture-forestry-fisheries, industry-construction and service sectors will be respectively 5.5%, 20% and 16.2% in the 2006-2010 period; 6.2%, 20.6% and 16.2% in the 2011-2015 period; and 6.5%, 19.3% and 18.1% in the 2016-2020 period. The economic structure will be agriculture-forestry-fisheries: 10.7%, industry-construction: 45.1% and service: 44.2% by 2010; and agriculture-forestry-fisheries: 3.7%, industry-construction: 53.8% and service: 42.5% by 2020.

The average state budget remittance will represent 17.1% of GDP in the 2006-2020 period.

The export value will rise 20.8%/year on average in the 2006-2020 period, of which the 2006-2010 period will see an average growth rate of 20.2 %/year, the 2011-2015 period: 21.8% and the 2016-2020 period: 21.3%. The per-capita export value will reach USD 690 by 2010, USD 1,540 by 2015 and USD 3,520 by 2020.

III. ORIENTATIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF SECTORS AND DOMAINS

1. Economic sectors and domains

- Agriculture

To step up agricultural restructuring toward intensive farming and diversification of crops and domestic animals; to develop in a coordinated manner the horticultural economy combined with aquaculture and various types of eco-tourism, thus creating green and clean landscapes for suburban areas. To build hi-tech agricultural areas. To strongly develop technical services for agriculture, especially the supply of saplings and ornamental flowers for urban consumption and tourist purposes.

The agricultural production value (at the 1994 comparative prices) will reach USD 2,900 - 3,000/ha by 2010 and USD 6,100 - 6,200/ha by 2020.

By 2020, the agricultural land area will decrease to around 97,000 ha, accounting for 69.1% of the total land area; while non-agricultural land area will increase to around 43,000 ha, accounting for 30.9% of the total land area.

- Industry ' construction ' cottage industry and handicraft

To concentrate on developing the processing industry. To step by step make intensive investment, and invest in high and clean technologies. To concentrate on developing such cutting-edge industries as food and foodstuff processing, energy, mechanical engineering and machine building, chemicals and bio-chemical products, biological products, electric and electronic appliances, informatics and new materials.

To produce goods for use as materials in agricultural and fishery production and post-harvest agricultural and aquatic product processing of the city and its neighboring provinces. To produce consumer goods to meet the consumption demand of the city and the region. To develop export-led industrial goods items by taking advantage of the city's competitive edges in terms of natural resources and labor.

To build hi-tech parks; to complete the construction of industrial parks and clusters, industrial-cottage industry and handicraft centers of the city and its districts. To build and promote brands of products with development advantages and competitive edges in the domestic and export markets.

- Commerce - services

To step up the development of commerce and services so that the city will become a commercial and service center of the Mekong River delta; to link Can Tho's market with markets of big cities in the south, the southern key economic region, the whole country and regional countries; to materialize the strategy on export promotion, expansion of domestic market in couple with international integration. To develop commerce with the participation of various economic sectors. To reorganize the retail and service network. To encourage the development of trade and service in suburban areas combined with the planning on building of new residential quarters, development of communication, building of townships, traffic hubs and markets in order to develop various business lines and trades and redistribute the labor force.

To develop tourism: To strive to make Can Tho an "ideal, safe and friendly tourist destination," where "civilizations of MekongRiver" meet. To build eco-tourism resorts and entertainment and recreation complexes, the Tay Do cultural center, the InternationalConvention Center and high-class hotels. To expand suburban tourist spaces with a system of garden and countryside tourist sites. To diversify tourist products, gastronomic styles, sight-seeing, shopping and weekend recreation activities. To combine tourism with cultural-historical symposiums, conferences and study tours, and develop inter-regional and international tourism lines. To train a pool of professional tourist attendants with a civilized and courteous working style.

To diversify types of service. To boost the development of services with high added values, being conducive to the development of other production and service sectors and having a radial positive effect throughout the region. To rapidly develop transportation services (road, waterway, airway, railway transportation and port services); to attach importance to the development of telecommunications, scientific and technological, consultancy, financial, banking, insurance, auditing, training, healthcare, cultural and sport services.

2. Infrastructure development

To mobilize resources for fast development of socio-economic infrastructures. To build synchronous traffic system, upgrade power and communications networks, urban infrastructure works and infrastructures of industrial parks while protecting and improving the environment.

By 2010, the density of motor roads will be 1.3 - 1.5 km/km2; every 100 people will have 35.65 telephone sets; 99.5% of households will be supplied with electricity; 100% of urban inhabitants and 84% of rural inhabitants will be supplied with clean water. By 2020, the density of motor roads will be 2 - 2.5 km/km2; every 100 people will have 64 telephone sets; 99.8% of households will be supplied with electricity; and 90% of rural inhabitants will be supplied with clean water.

- Traffic infrastructure

To step up the development of technical infrastructures for road, waterway, seaway and airway transport, which are commensurate to intra-regional and international transportation demand, so that Can Tho city will become a gateway of the whole lower basin of Mekong river. The planning on development of traffic infrastructure of the inner city should be in line with approved specialized plannings, especially the planning on an expressway linking to Can Tho bridge, which is under construction.

+ Roads: To invest in upgrading local sections of national highways No. 1A, 91, 91B and 80, and the national highway section to the south of Hau river to grade-II roads by 2020; to build Ho Chi Minh City ' Can Tho, Vi Thanh ' Can Tho, Bon Tong ' Mot Ngan (section running through Can Tho) expressways. To invest in building and upgrading the system of provincial roads, and building new belt roads and roads linking industrial parks with trunk roads. To build and upgrade urban roads under the city's planning, upgrade roads running through district centers up to urban road standards. To build and upgrade 95% by 2010 and 100% by 2020 of district roads up to grade-V and grade-VI delta road standards. To build new important district roads. To complete inter-commune and inter-ward roads.

+ Railways: To invest in building Ho Chi Minh City ' Can Tho railway.

+ Seaways: To upgrade and efficiently exploit the Can Tho port cluster to meet the transportation demand and conform with the planning of seaports of the MekongRiver delta.

+ Riverways: To concentrate efforts on tapping to the utmost the city's advantages of riverway transportation. To upgrade national waterways of Ho Chi Minh City ' Ca Mau (Xa No canal) and Ho Chi Minh City ' Kien Giang (Cai San canal) up to the grade-I inland waterway standards; waterways of O Mon and Thi Doi canals (managed by the central government) up to grade-II inland waterway standards; and provincial waterways up to grade-IV standard and district waterways up to grade-V standard.

+ Airways: To upgrade Tra Noc airport into an international airport.

+ The system of waterway transport landings and wharves and car terminals: To invest in building car terminals and ship landings in all districts to meet goods transportation and travel demands of the people and well meet socio-economic development requirements.

- Daily-life water supply: To raise the capacity of and complete the water distribution systems in districts, build water supply systems for new urban centers and newly established townships and wards; to build water supply systems in commune centers and densely populated areas.

- Electricity supply: To build O Mon electricity center to meet the city's and neighboring provinces' electricity demand. To develop the city's electricity network to meet the city's socio-economic requirements in each planning stage.

- Information and communications: To further modernize and diversify types of service; to expand the service network in couple with application of modern technologies to post and telecommuni-cations; to quickly introduce Internet services to commune cultural post offices.

- Waste treatment:

+ To build wastewater treatment stations in urban centers, and ensure environmental sanitation up to current criteria and standards; to renovate and invest in building rainwater drainage system separately from the wastewater drainage system, especially in industrial parks and new urban centers. The treated wastewater volume will account for 60% of the total wastewater volume by 2010 and 98% by 2020.

+ To locate concentrated garbage dumpsites of appropriate sizes and in appropriate locations in some suburban districts. To pay attention to investment in special-use technical equipment for collecting and treating garbage. To build a garbage processing plant furnished with advanced technology to minimize the environmental pollution. To collect 90% of urban waste by 2010 and 95-98% by 2010.

3. Social domains

- Population growth:

The population will grow quickly on the basis of controlled natural population growth and an added population from other areas to meet the requirements of urban development and industry-construction sectors. The population is expected to reach 1.3 ' 1.4 million by 2010 and 1.65 ' 1.8 million by 2020. The urban/rural population structure will be 60%-40% by 2010 and 70%-30% by 2020.

- Education and training:

To vigorously develop education and training; to intensify investment in building new schools and classrooms and supplying school equipment; to diversify types of schools and classrooms, and quickly develop the system of private schools; to standardize teachers and administrators.

+ By 2010, 80% of pre-schools, 70% of primary schools, 40% of lower secondary schools will attain the national standards; by 2020, 100% of schools and classrooms of all grades will attain the national standards. To complete the universalization of the upper secondary education by 2020. From 2010, 100% of teachers will be up to set standards.

+ By 2010, over 40% of laborers will be trained and 100% of cadres of all levels will graduate from upper secondary schools and be trained in politics and professional skills. By 2020, laborers provided with vocational training will account for 47.7% of total number of laborers of working age, of whom workers possessing diplomas or training certificates will account for 25.1%, professional secondary education diploma holders 21.1%, college diploma holders 8.8% and university and higher degree holders 45%.

To consolidate and expand the general technique and vocational guidance center, open continuing education centers in newly established districts, upgrade the Secondary School of Medicine and the Secondary School of Culture and Arts into colleges, form a multi-discipline college on the basis of the Teachers Training College; to open new workers training school, professional secondary school, college, university and international university, upgrade Can Tho university into a national key university; to propose to the Party Central Committee's Secretariat for permission the establishment of a division of Ho Chi Minh National Politics Academy to train cadres for the whole Mekong River delta.

- Health and public health care

To raise the effectiveness of the national target health program, and improve the people's health; to gradually reduce the morbidity rate, effectively prevent and control diseases and epidemics. To step up the socialization of the people's health protection and care.

To upgrade, expand and complete the existing system of hospitals. To complete building new municipal general hospital; to build more specialized hospitals, regional centers for hi-tech diagnosis and treatment; to expand and upgrade facilities and equipment for the system of district, commune and ward medical stations up to the national standards; to supply more medical workers, especially doctors, for rural areas. Every 10,000 people will have 8.3 doctors and 22.8 patient beds by 2010; and 12 doctors and 29.2 patient beds by 2020.

To carry on widespread healthcare communication and propaganda. By 2020, to reduce the mortality rate of under-one infants to under 2%, and that of women in childbirth to 0.5%. To reduce the rate of malnourished under-five children to under 20% by 2010 and under 10% by 2020. To increase the rate of women of fertility age taking family planning measures to 92% by 2010 and 95% by 2020.

- Culture, information, physical training and sports

To develop culture in close combination and harmony with socio-economic development; to foster a comprehensively developed man. To create a new substantive progress of the movement "all people unite to build a cultured life." To invest in upgrading and expanding the existing culture and information works and build new ones in a harmonious and diversified manner, and further step up culture and information activities of higher and higher quality. To strongly develop the press and publication sector, incrementally modernize facilities and equipment, and renew modes and contents of propaganda, thereby well serving the locality's political tasks.

To develop various types of physical training and sports, train a contingent of national-class and world-class athletes. To invest in completely building material foundation for physical training and sports, the system of stadiums and sport grounds in districts, wards and communes and residential areas, thus meeting local people's training, playing and sport competition demands; to complete works in the city's physical training and sports complex of sizes and quality up to national and international standards.

To build Tay Do Cultural Center and the National Physical Training and Sports Center IV, and consolidate the system of grassroots cultural centers, traditions houses, libraries, radio and television stations, physical training and sports facilities.

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