Decision No. 2078/QD-TTg dated December 22, 2017 of the Prime Minister on approving the adjusted master plan on socio-economic development of Bac Kan province through 2020, with a vision toward 2030

DECISION

Approving the adjusted master plan on socio-economic development of Bac Kan province through 2020, with a vision toward 2030[1]

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the June 19, 2015 Law on Organization of the Government;

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No. 92/2006/ND-CP of September 7, 2006, on the formulation, approval and management of socio-economic development master plans; and Decree No. 04/2008/ND-CP of January 11, 2008, amending and supplementing a number of articles of Decree No. 92/2006/ND-CP of September 7, 2006;

At the proposal of the People’s Committee of Bac Kan province in Report No. 34/TTr-UBND of May 29, 2017,

DECIDES:

Article 1.To approve the adjusted master plan on socio-economic development of Bac Kan province through 2020, with a vision toward 2030 (below referred to as the master plan), with the following principal contents:

I. DEVELOPMENT VIEWPOINTS

1. The master plan must be in line with the national strategy for socio-economic development, the master plan on the northern midland and mountainous region, and development resolutions of the Bac Kan provincial Party Committee; conform with sectoral master plans; exploit and bring into the fullest play every resource to attract development investment; step up the administrative reform and increase the competitiveness of the province; and expand markets, thus developing the province’s economy in an effective and sustainable manner.

2. To effectively exploit and bring into play the province’s potential and strengths; to increase cooperation with other localities in the region in order to mobilize and properly use all resources for sustainable development; to gradually narrow the development gap between the province and the region.

3. To concentrate investment in the sectors and fields in which the province has potential and strengths; to develop agriculture and forestry in a concentrated manner in combination with post-harvest processing industry and appropriate models of production organization; to develop industrial parks and clusters in order to increase the commodity value; to diversify services; to develop the collective economic sector with higher operation effectiveness.

4. To develop the province’s economy along with ensuring social progress and equity, creating jobs, eliminating hunger and alleviating poverty and improving the people’s living standards together with building a new countryside, particularly for ethnic minority people-inhabited areas and difficulty-stricken areas.

5. To combine socio-economic development with environmental protection and sustainable development. To link economic development with conserving and promoting cultural, historical and traditional values.

6. To closely combine socio-economic development with strengthening national defense and security.

II. DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES

1. General objectives

To sustainably develop the economy with higher quality and competitiveness; to concentrate on developing and increasing the economic value in agricultural and forestry production associated with commodity production and incremental building of hi-tech agriculture; to concentrate on and prioritize the development of processing industry, particularly post-harvest processing; to build socio-economic infrastructure, particularly in rural areas and transport sector; to develop and diversify services and tourism with higher quality. To step by step improve the material and spiritual lives of people, especially in rural areas, attaching importance to sustainable poverty reduction. To closely combine socio-economic development with further strengthening national defense and security, firmly maintaining political security and social order and safety. To strive to turn Bac Kan into a fairly developed province in the region.

2. Specific objectives

a/ Economic development in the 2016-2020 period:

The average gross regional domestic product (GRDP) growth rate will be 6.5-6.8%/year, with agriculture, forestry and fisheries increasing by 5-5.2%; industry and construction, 6-7%; services, 7.2-8%; and product tax, 9-10%.

The economic structure by 2020: Agriculture, forestry and fisheries will account for 34-35%; industry and construction, 16.4%; services, 46.8%; and product tax minus subsidy, 2%. By 2020, the per capita GRDP will reach VND 46-48 million, equivalent to around USD 1,800 (according to current exchange rate), equal to 83% of the per capita GRDP of the northern midland and mountainous region and 55% of the per capital GRDP of the whole country.

The average increase rate of budget revenues will be 18.6%/year, bringing budget revenues to VND 1,100 billion by 2020. The total import and export value will reach USD 10 million by 2020. The total investment capital will reach about VND 32 trillion in the 2016-2020 period.

b/ Economic development up to 2030:

The average gross regional domestic product (GRDP) growth rate will be 6.9-7.3%/year, with agriculture, forestry and fisheries increasing by 4.6-5%; industry and construction, 6.5-7.3%; services, 8-8.3%; and product tax minus subsidy, 10%.

The economic structure by 2030: Agriculture, forestry and fisheries will account for 31%; industry and construction, 19%; services, 49%; and product tax minus subsidy, 2%. By 2030, the per capita GRDP will reach VND 170 million, equivalent to around USD 5,436 (according to current exchange rate), equal to 100% of the per capita GRDP of the northern midland and mountainous region and 67% of the per capital GRDP of the whole country.

The average increase rate of budget revenues will be 16%/year, bringing budget revenues to VND 4,800 billion by 2030. The total import and export value will reach USD 30 million by 2030. The total investment capital will reach about VND 180 trillion in the 2021-2030 period.

c/ Social development:

The average population growth rate will be 1%/year and 0.8%/year in the 2016-2020 period and the 2021-2030 period, respectively. The urbanization rate (the urban population rate) will reach 19% by 2020, and 26% by 2030.

By 2020, 23.6% of total communes (23 communes) will reach the new-countryside standards, with each commune reaching an average of more than 10 standards; by 2030, over 60 communes will reach the new-countryside standards.

The poor household rate will be reduced by 2-2.5% on an annual average in the 2016-2020 period.

To strive for the targets that the rate of trained labor will reach 40% and around 22,500 jobs will be created by 2020. In the 2021-2030 period, about 5,000 jobs will be created on an annual average.

To continue developing the system of provincial- and district-level boarding schools for ethnic minority children; to establish semi-boarding schools for ethnic minority children in a number of centers of highland commune clusters. To maintain and raise the quality of achievement of the pre-school education universalization standards for five-year-old children; to strive for the targets that 40% of communes will reach the primary education universalization standard of level 3; 40 communes and 2 districts and/or city will reach the lower secondary education universalization standard of level 3; 70 communes, 6 districts and Bac Kan city will attain the illiteracy eradication standard of level 2; there will be another 40 schools (30%) reaching the national standards. The annual upper secondary education completion rate will reach 90% or higher; the rate of trained labor will surpass 40%, in which the rate of vocationally trained labor will be over 18%. By 2030, 50% of schools will reach the national standards.

Regarding health, by 2020, the number of hospital beds per 10,000 people will be 37.6; the malnutrition (weight-for-age) rate among under-five-year children will be reduced to below 18%; and the number of medical doctors per 10,000 people will be 18.1. All communes will satisfy the set of national criteria for commune health. By 2030, the number of hospital beds per 10,000 people will be 50; the malnutrition (weight-for-age) rate among under-five-year children will be further cut to below 12.5%; and the number of medical doctors per 10,000 people will reach 20.6.

To strive for the targets that by 2020, 85% of households will reach the cultured family title; 72% of villages and hamlets and street population groups will be recognized as cultured ones; 92% of agencies, units and enterprises will reach the cultural standards; 100% of communes and wards will have well-operating grassroots radio broadcasting stations; 70% of communes, wards and townships will have standard working offices; 90% of district-level administrative units will have cultural and sports centers; 60% of communes, wards and townships will have cultural and sports centers; and 90% of villages, hamlets and street population groups will have cultural houses.

By 2030, over 95% of households will reach the cultured family title; over 80% of villages and hamlets and street population groups will be recognized as cultured ones; 95% of agencies, units and enterprises will reach the cultural standards; 100% of district-level administrative units will have cultural and sports centers; 70% of communes, wards and townships will have cultural and sports centers; over 95% of villages, hamlets and street population groups will have cultural houses; 100% of districts and city will have stadiums; over 70% of districts and city will have physical training and sports competition centers of appropriate size; and 100% of communes and wards will have physical training and sports grounds or facilities.

c/ Environmental protection and sustainable development:

To plant an average of 6,500 hectares of forest/year; to strive to increase the forest coverage to 72% by 2020 and sustainably maintain this rate afterwards.

By 2020, all garbage in urban centers and 70% of garbage in rural areas will be collected and disposed of. By 2030, over 85% of garbage in rural areas will be collected and treated up to standards.

By 2020, 98% of rural households will have access to hygienic water, and this rate will be 100% before 2030. By 2020, 100% of urban households will have access to clean water; 98% of households will have access to the national power grid; and 100% of the province’s population will have television broadcasting access before 2020.

d/ Administrative reform:

By 2020, to synchronously complete the system of regulations in all fields, especially those concerning investment, land, business registration and construction licensing, to meet the province’s socio-economic development requirements; the rate of public satisfaction with administrative procedures will surpass 80%.

To strive for the target that over 95% of administrative agencies will implement the single-window or inter-agency single-window mechanism. Over 80% of administrative procedures related to organizations and individuals falling under the competence of state administrative agencies will be processed under the single-window or inter-agency single-window mechanism.

All state administrative agencies will have a suitable structure of civil servants based on working positions; 70% of commune-level officers and 100% of commune-level civil servants will attain intermediate- or higher-level qualifications.

To strive for the target that all administrative agencies from provincial to grassroots level and public non-business units will operate under the autonomous mechanism according to regulations.

To increase the provincial competitiveness index (PCI): To improve component indicators and gradually lift the province’s PCI ranking in the 2016-2020 at least 5 spots a year, striving to enter the group of localities with “relatively good” governance quality.

dd/ National defense and security targets:

To achieve 100% of the set quotas of reserve army men and technical equipment, and build the provincial-level militia and self-defense force accounting for 3.74% of the population. To strive toward the target of 85% or more of criminal cases brought to light, and reduce traffic accidents in all three numbers.

III. DEVELOPMENT ORIENTATIONS OF SECTORS AND FIELDS

1. Agriculture, forestry, fisheries and new-countryside building

To develop agriculture toward commodity production, creating products with brands and competitiveness on the market and associated with the market according to the product value chain in the context of integration and climate change. To increase the value per unit area of cultivated land; to form areas specializing in food, foodstuff, industrial trees, medicinal plants and fruit trees, and animal-raising areas associated with building a sustainable new countryside. To promote the application of science, technology and high technology to raise the product yield and quality and increase income. To provide more technical assistance and step up technology transfer to highlanders in order to tap land potential for cultivation, animal raising and forest development. To strive for the targets that the average growth rate of agricultural and fisheries production will be around 6.2%/year in the 2016-2020 period and 5.2%/year in the 2021-2030 period.

a/ Cultivation: To stabilize the areas under food crops; to promote intensive cultivation in order to raise yield and ensure food security. To concentrate on developing specialty trees of high economic value (tangerine, persimmon anddong rieng(canna indica), etc.) to form larger areas for commodity production; to invest in technological processes to care for, improve and gradually replace old and stunted low-yield orchards affected by pests with quality and pest-free ones.

To strongly develop processing and preservation activities and reduce post-harvest losses by supporting farmers with processing and preservation technologies and equipment for products like maize, vegetables and fresh fruits. To provide market information and forecasts, and step up trade promotion and product outlet expansion.

It is projected that by 2020, the province’s agricultural land will be 455,434 hectares, including 17,290 ha under rice, 14,753 ha under other annual crops and 8,714 ha under perennial trees.

b/ Husbandry and fisheries: To develop husbandry to satisfy the province’s food demand and for supply to other provinces. To develop husbandry suitable to practical conditions in each area in the province. To continue to increase the total herds and meat quality for sale; to develop grass growing to ensure sufficient feed for buffaloes and cows. To encourage industrial and semi-grazing husbandry in order to increase buffalo, beef cow, goat and lean-meat pig herds and poultry flocks. To actively expand animal product markets as a basis for promoting quick development of husbandry.

To attach importance to developing domesticated animals of high economic value such as boars, porcupines, etc. Regarding aquaculture, to attach importance to aquatic animal species of high economic value and suitable to consumer tastes and needs.

c/ Forestry: To strongly promote forestry economy toward developing production forests to supply materials for such key products as wood furniture, artificial boards, paper of all kinds and chopsticks.

To stably maintain the existing special-use forest area throughout the planning period; to concentrate efforts on planting production forest in river basins, attaching importance to important areas and landslide-prone areas. To plant protection forests in combination with raw-material forests. To continue planting production forests to form concentrated raw-material areas for the processing of artificial boards, paper and timber, and create specialty-tree zones.

To tighten the management of the whole natural forest area and additionally planted area after the end of the capital construction period, particularly strictly protecting the areas which are home to rare and precious genetic resources of animals and plants, and special-use forests. To contract the forest protection and management to households living in forests, increase the forest ranger and fire prevention and fighting forces, divide functional zones in special-use forests, and hold commune-level administrations responsible for forest protection. Forests should be cared of and restored with silviculture techniques.

To plant an average of 6,500 ha of forest/year, increasing the forest coverage to 72% by 2020.

d/ Building the new countryside: To concentrate on mobilizing and integrating investment resources through socialization to build and develop the new countryside according to the set of national standards adapted to the province’s practical conditions, focusing on solutions to improve the people’s lives and sustainably reduce poverty; to plan the construction, renovation, repair and upgrading of cultural and sports centers of communes and cultural houses of villages and hamlets as suitable to the practical conditions and needs of target users, ensure social order, and preserve and bring into play the cultural and traditional values.

To strive to have 23.6% of total communes (26 communes) reaching the new countryside standards with an average of over 10 criteria by 2020. By 2030, more than 60 communes will reach the new countryside standards.

2. Industries and cottage industries

To strongly promote industrial development in order to drive the province’s economic growth, increase contributions to the economy and lay a foundation for the process of agricultural and rural industrialization and modernization. Specifically:

- To concentrate investment in developing potential and advantageous industries and restructure industries along the line of further developing mineral extraction and processing, agricultural and forest product processing, electronics, assembling, etc., during the 2016-2020 period. Supporting and mechanical manufacture industries will be directed toward producing high-quality consumer products. Hi-tech industries will be developed in conformity with the province’s conditions and market demands.

- To develop industries and cottage industries in combination with developing rural occupations and trades in populous areas such as townships and centers of commune clusters, and in areas with available raw materials. To concentrate on developing the processing of agricultural and forest products linked with raw material sources in the province; to develop craft villages so as to create brands for products and make use of on-site raw materials and workers, contributing to creating jobs and increasing income for local people; to diversify occupations and trades by finding and introducing new ones in order to create more jobs for rural laborers;

- To develop industry in conformity with urban development planning, form small urban centers along main roads and close to big urban centers and industrial parks serving as the core for boosting economic development.

- To enhance the management, appraisal and selection of investment projects on manufacturing and processing facilities in the province to ensure their high effectiveness and feasibility. To intensify the examination and supervision of the grant and revocation of investment certificates and licenses to ensure compliance with regulations and conformity with the industrial development trend of the province and region.

- To combine industrial development with trade and service development and eco-environmental protection.

- To attract more investment in building industrial park Thanh Binh II and industrial clusters and points in areas with favorable conditions. All industrial parks and clusters will have a centralized wastewater treatment system capable of treating all discharged wastewater.

To strive for the targets that the manufacturing value of industries and cottage industries will increase by 11-12%/year on average in the 2016-2020 period and 9-10%/year on average in the 2020-2030 period.

3. Development orientations of the service sector

To concentrate on quickly developing trade, services and tourism into important economic activities of the province, giving priority to developing trade, transport, warehousing, post and telecommunications, banking, finance and credit, insurance, real estate and tourism. To strive for the target that the value of the service sector will increase by 10%/year in the 2016-2020 period and over 10%/year in the 2021-2030 period. The share of the service sector in total GRDP will reach about 47% by 2020 and 49% by 2030.

a/ Trade:

- The total goods retail sales and service revenues will increase by 22%/year on average in the 2016-2020 period and over 20%/year on average in the 2021-2030 period; the export value will increase by 15%/year on average in the 2016-2020 period and over 17-18%/year on average in the 2021-2030 period.

- To properly manage goods quality and ensure the supply of quality goods, especially during festival and lunar new year occasions. To enhance the role and effectiveness of the state management of trade to properly perform the market-orienting function and increase market inspection and surveillance, thus creating conditions for all economic entities to develop business and compete fairly within the legal framework.

- To boost export toward forming large and stable sources of high-quality goods; to gradually reduce the export of crude products, preliminarily processed products and products made under processing contracts in order to increase the export value.

- To strengthen the market network in the province toward opening new markets in areas where there are still few markets failing to meet the population’s needs, rationally rearranging spontaneous markets which operate outside planned locations and markets that need to be relocated, and upgrading the existing market network.

For Bac Kan city and townships and district centers, to develop wholesale markets as the centers of distribution of goods to the entire districts and communes. To continue upgrading and renovating existing markets. To arrange and manage trade streets to be decent, clean and beautiful, ensuring urban civilization and environmental sanitation.

For centers of commune clusters, to build markets and trading points to supply consumer goods and production supplies and organize the purchase of agricultural commodities to meet the product trading needs of local residents; for communes, to upgrade, expand and build commune markets so that by 2020 all communes will have goods trading and exchange areas.

b/ Tourism

- To develop tourism with focuses and priorities on the basis of promoting its potential and advantages to become a key industry of the province, thereby step by step affirming Bac Kan as an attractive tourist destination of the whole country with four major types of tourism: mountainous eco-resort tourism, historical, cultural-festival and shopping tourism, spiritual tourism and trade-official duty tourism (MICE tourism).

- The province is projected to receive 570,000-670,000 tourist arrivals, including 19,000-20,000 foreign tourist arrivals; 880,000-1,135,000 tourist arrivals, including 28,000-35,000 foreign tourist arrivals; and  1,240,000-1,760,000 tourist arrivals, including 40,000-60,000 foreign tourist arrivals, by 2020, 2025 and 2030, respectively.

- To concentrate investment in Ba Be tourist site to become an eco-tourism center in the region and the whole country with different types of tourism associated with recreation, and sightseeing visits to scenic places, historical and cultural relics and traditional festivals.

- To continue investing in, embellishing and upgrading revolutionary and cultural relics to create unique tourist products.

- To pay attention to and support the development of capacity and financial potential of the province’s travel enterprises so that they can together with local authorities proactively develop tourism in the province and concurrently diversify tourist products, contributing to developing Bac Kan’s tourism to match its existing potential; to pay attention to investing in infrastructure, diversify tourist services, and increase the service quality of hotels, motels and tourist sites to satisfy tourists’ catering, accommodations and recreation needs.

c/ Other service sectors:

To quickly develop and diversify services and increase their quality; to prioritize the development of different types and products of services for production and life, such as financial and banking, post and telecommunications, transport and distribution services.

4. Development of cultural and social fields

a/ Education and training:

To continue renewing financial policies and mechanisms for and step up the socialization of education and training in order to mobilize every resource for investment in physical foundations and equipment toward standardization. To strive for the target that by 2020, there will be 40 communes reaching the primary education universalization standard of level 3; 40 communes, 2 districts and Bac Kan city attaining the lower secondary education universalization standard of level 3; 70 communes, 6 districts and Bac Kan city reaching the illiteracy eradication standard of level 2; and 111 schools reaching the national standards (30%), an increase of 40 schools over 2015. The annual rate of upper secondary education completion will reach 90% or higher, the rate of trained labor will surpass 40%, in which the rate of vocationally trained labor will be over 18%. By 2030, the rate of schools reaching the national standards will surpass 50%. To ensure that most of communes will have preschools and primary schools, 100% of districts and Bac Kan city will have upper secondary schools, and the system of boarding and semi-boarding schools for ethnic minority children will be consolidated and developed.

To raise the quality of education administrators and teachers at all levels toward standardization to meet the requirement on renovation of teaching contents and methods. By 2020, the rate of teachers who attain above-standard qualifications will reach 70% (at preschools), 85% (at primary schools) and 12% (at upper secondary schools). By 2030, these rates will be 80%, 95% and 20%, respectively, and 90% for lower secondary school teachers.

To review, reorganize and invest in the vocational education system to meet the demand for high-quality human resources for the province’s socio-economic development. To attach importance to vocational training for rural laborers, especially those in specialized farming areas and areas experiencing economic restructuring; to organize mobile vocational training courses for disadvantaged ethnic minority people in order to increase their employment and self-employment opportunities.

b/ Medicine and people’s health care:

To develop the health network toward modernization, active preventive medicine and proactive response to the people’s healthcare needs. To develop an early warning system for prompt and proactive surveillance to prevent the outbreak of major epidemics and ensure food hygiene and safety. To prioritize the development of high-quality health services and socialize investment in some health facilities to provide high-quality services.

- At the provincial level: To complete and consolidate the provincial-level health system; in 2018 to upgrade the intermediate medicine school to a medicine college; to encourage socialization of investment in some health facilities to provide high-quality services.

- At the district level: To invest in upgrading physical foundations and equipment for district-level hospitals and district health centers to ensure performance of the two functions of medical examination and treatment and preventive medicine in order to closely combine prevention and treatment; to train and develop the contingent of specialized doctors who are capable of examining and treating a number of typical diseases. By 2020, the province will have 8 district-level hospitals at least two of which will reach the level-II standards. To increase investment in the operation of regional policlinics in the province.

- At the grassroots level (commune, ward and township health stations): To develop the grassroots level to reach the national criteria for commune health from now to 2020 under the Ministry of Health’s Decision No. 4667/QD-BYT of November 7, 2014, and decentralize powers to commune and ward health stations to manage community health in line with the Government’s Decree No. 117/ND-CP of December 8, 2014, on commune, ward and township healthcare.

To continue dispatching medical doctors to work regularly at health stations in mountainous, remote and deep-lying areas. To develop the family doctor service to provide primary health care for children and health care for the elderly. To properly implement programs on motherhood and child health care and population and family planning in order to improve the province’s population quality.

c/ Culture, physical training and sports

To raise the quality of cultural and sports activities in association with performing information and communication tasks to meet the spiritual needs of the people; to build cultured people in the new period; to gradually narrow the gap in cultural enjoyment between urban and rural areas, different areas and social strata; to properly carry out socialization to develop diverse cultural and sports activities to meet the fast and sustainable development requirement.

To develop culture to help preserve and promote the cultural traits of different nationalities; to protect and bring into play the values of historical relics and scenic places according to the rural culture development norms; to develop sports in which the province has strengths, and preserve and develop folk sports; to invest in building culture-sports facilities.

To effectively implement the movement “The entire people unite to build a cultured life”.

To increase investment in and step by step complete the system of culture-sports facilities at all levels according to planning and regulations.

d/ Population, labor and employment and other social affairs:

- Population work: To continue properly performing population and family planning work, ensuring no use of gender selection techniques, which is the major cause of gender imbalance; to raise the physical, intellectual and mental quality of the population.

- Labor and employment: To encourage all economic sectors and people of all strata to open additional trades and occupations to create jobs for themselves and others; to implement solutions to help the unemployed and underemployed to have jobs. To reasonably address the relationship between economic growth and human resources development and create employment for people.

- To step up sustainable poverty reduction: To create substantial, comprehensive changes in poor, mountainous and ethnic minority areas; to synchronously and effectively implement poverty reduction programs and projects to provide poor and near-poor households with access to land, credit, vocational education, employment, agricultural, forestry and fishery extension, product sale and other supports to develop production and increase income for people to escape from poverty. To widely expand effective livelihood and production support and sustainable poverty reduction models.

- To improve the living standards of families eligible for social policies and families of people with meritorious services to the country: To fully implement promulgated social relief policies. To properly provide urgent relief to ensure that people affected by natural disasters will receive timely support.

- To create a safe and healthy environment for children’s comprehensive development; to provide care for children in special circumstances; to stop and drive back child abuse risks.

- To realize gender equity and raise the status of women in a number of fields and areas where there still exists gender inequality or there are high risks of gender inequality, ensuring equality between men and women in opportunities and participation in economic, social and family activities.

dd/ Science and technology

To intensify the application of advanced science and technology in production and business to increase productivity and product quality. To formulate mechanisms to support enterprises that invest in technology research and innovation; to continue increasing the scientific and technological potential, training and attraction of human resources for science and technology.

e/ Administrative reform and raising of the provincial competitiveness index (PCI)

To carry out synchronous, comprehensive and effective administrative reforms, actively contributing to socio-economic development. To strive for the target that the annual administrative reform index of the province will increase from year to year to enter the country’s fairly good group. To build the province’s public services to be professional, responsible, dynamic, transparent and efficient, winning public satisfaction. The rates of public services provided online at level 3 and level 4 will reach 70% and 30%, respectively at the provincial level; and the rates of public services provided online at level 3 and level 4 will reach 70% and 20%, respectively at the district level (including communes).

IV. INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT

1. Transport

To build Ho Chi Minh road and the system of national highways running through the province; to renovate and upgrade provincial roads DT251, DT252, DT252B, DT253, DT255B, DT256, DT257B, DT258B, and DT259B up to grade-IV mountain road standards…; to rebuild weak road bridges; by 2020, all district roads will reach grade-V and grade-VI mountain road standards, and a number of important routes will reach grade-IV mountain road standards and have their surface asphalted; commune roads will reach grade-VI mountain road standards or class-A and class-B rural road standards for all-season traffic access.

To study and develop waterways and airways satisfying the province’s practical needs.

2. The electricity network

To continue building, upgrading and renovating electricity supply works (degraded transformer stations and high-voltage and low-voltage grids…) to sufficiently, safely and timely meet the needs for electricity for production and people’s daily life and the province’s socio-economic development needs.

3. Clean water supply

To build clean-water supply stations suitable to the population size and production activities in each urban center, satisfying to the utmost the people’s needs for clean water for daily life and production.

4. The system of hydraulic works

To concentrate investment in building new hydraulic works for key agricultural areas. To build new hydraulic works for expanding cultivation areas and areas under intensive cultivation for more crops. To build some reservoirs to serve forest fire prevention and fighting.

5. Information and communications

By 2020 to complete the application of automation technology at the provincial level. To develop inactive technical telecommunications infrastructure in a synchronous manner. Bac Kan province will become one among the provinces in the region having a modern active telecommunications technical infrastructure reaching the average national level. All provincial agencies, departments and sectors will have websites that are constantly updated and operate stably and effectively.

V. ORGANIZATION OF DEVELOPMENT SPACE

2. Orientations for socio-economic areas of the province

Area 1 - the central area covering Cho Moi and Bach Thong districts and Bac Kan town, which will serve as a driving force for the whole province’s socio-economic development with the to-be-formed centers being Bac Kan city, Cho Moi township (to be upgraded into a town in the future) and Phu Thong township.

Area 2 - the eastern area of the province, covering the whole Na Ri district. This area’s economic center will be Yen Lac township located along  national highway 3B to Lang Son province.

Area 3 - the western area of the province covering the whole Cho Don district. This area will have two economic centers being Bang Lung township (to be upgraded to a town in the future) and Ban Thi townlet (to be upgraded into a township in the future).

Area 4 - the northwestern and northern area of the province, covering Ba Be, Pac Nam and Ngan Son districts. The area’s economic centers will be Cho Ra township (to be upgraded into a town in the future), Van Tung, Na Phac, Boc Bo and Chu Huong townships.

2. Organization of cultural and tourist space

The tourism cluster of Ba Be lake and its surrounding area: This is a well-known tourism cluster of not only Bac Kan but also the whole country and it is also rather famous in the global tourism map. Ba Be lake has been recognized by UNESCO as a Ramsar site, a wetland area of international importance, is a special national relic, and is becoming a world natural heritage, with endless mountains, a cool climate and unique eco-systems in northern Vietnam. Cho Ra town (in the future) will become a tourism service center, accommodating such tourist attractions as Ba Be national park, Ba Be lake, Dau Dang waterfall, Tien pond, Nang river, Puong and Don Den grottos…

The tourism cluster of Bac Kan city and surrounding area: This will be the central tourism cluster serving as a focal point in Bac Kan province’s tourism. This cluster is home to hotels, restaurants, recreation centers and temples and pagodas such as Tham temple, Thach Long pagoda, Thac Gieng temple and Thuong temple and tourist sites such as Nam Cat lake, Khuoi Lang lake and Na Tu historical-cultural relic and Phu Thong military post historical relic…

The tourism cluster of Cho Don safety zone and surrounding area: This a complex of revolutionary historical relics in Viet Bac resistance base.

The tourism cluster of Na Ri and surrounding area covers Kim Hy nature reserve, famous Nang Tien grotto and Na Dang waterfall.

3. Orientations for urban development

To develop urban centers in the province toward reasonable and balanced distribution among areas and close connection with the system of urban centers in the northern midland and mountainous region. To harmoniously combine the renovation and upgrading of existing urban centers with the construction of selected urban centers. To build a system of urban centers to be economic and cultural development centers as the core for boosting the development of the whole surrounding area (suburban area) and rural areas. To strive for the target that the province’s urbanization rate will reach 19% and 26% by 2020 and 2030, respectively.

To concentrate investment in building synchronous infrastructure facilities for Bac Kan city to reach grade II of urban centers by 2030. By 2020, all district townships will reach grade IV of urban centers.

By 2030, the province will have a city, 3 towns and 10 townships. Specifically:

Bac Kan city will be a political, economic, cultural and scientific and technological center of the province and the core of its southern area. By 2030 it will reach grade II of urban centers.

Cho Ra town will be formed by upgrading Cho Ra township after 2020 to become the core center for socio-economic development and an economic center of the province’s northwestern area. Its population will reach 7,000-10,000 by 2020;

Cho Moi town will be formed by upgrading Cho Moi township in the 2015-2020 period to become the center of Cho Moi district and the core center for socio-economic development and an economic center of the province’s southern area. Its population will be some 10,000 by 2020;

Bang Lung town will be formed by upgrading Bang Lung township of Cho Don district after 2020 to become the center of Cho Don district and the core center for socio-economic development and an economic center of the province’s western area. Its population will reach about 10,000 by 2020;

Yen Lac township, the center of Na Ri district, will become a grade-IV urban center with a population of around 10,000 by 2020. Its major economic activities will be agricultural and forest product processing and trade services;

Phu Thong township, the center of Bach Thong district, will reach grade IV of urban centers with a population of 7,000-8,000 by 2020. Its major economic activities will be agricultural and forest product processing, tourism and trade services;

Van Tung township will be formed by upgrading Van Tung commune into the center of Ngan Son district. It will reach grade IV of urban centers with a population of 7,000-8,000 by 2020. Its major economic activities will be agricultural and forest product processing, tourism and trade services;

Na Phac township, the southern urban center of Ngan Son district, will be the economic center to the north of the province associated with the development of national highway 3 to Cao Bang province. By 2020, it will reach grade IV of urban centers with a population of some 10,000. Its major economic activities will be agricultural and forest product processing and trade services;

Boc Bo township will be formed by upgrading Bo Bo commune into the center of Pac Nam district. It will reach grade IV of urban centers with a population of 7,000-8,000 by 2020. Its major economic activities will be agricultural and forest product processing, tourism, trade services, forestry and horticulture;

Khang Ninh township will be formed by upgrading Khang Ninh commune, with a population of 2,000-2,500 by 2020. Its major economic activity will be developing Ba Be lake tourism associated with services and trade;

Ban Thi township will be formed by upgrading Ban Thi commune, Cho Don district, to become a center for mineral exploitation and processing, trade and services, with a population of 5,000-6,000 by 2020;

Bang Van township will be formed by upgrading Bang Van commune, Ngan Son district, to become an economic center serving as a driving force for socio-economic development in Ngan Son district, with major economic activities being trade and services and a population of 5,000-6,000 by 2020;

Sau Hai township will be formed by upgrading Nong Ha commune, Cho Moi district, to become the northern-gate urban center of Cho Moi district serving as a motive force for socio-economic development in the district, with major economic activities being trade and services and a projected population of 5,000-6,000 by 2020;

Cu Le township will be formed by upgrading Cu Le commune, Na Ri district, which will be the northern-gate urban center of Na Ri district, serving as a motive force for socio-economic development in the district, with major economic activities being trade and services and a projected population of 3,000-4,000 by 2020.

VI. LIST OF PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS PRIORIZED FOR INVESTMENT STUDY

(See the enclosed appendix) (not translated)

VII. MAJOR SOLUTIONS FOR IMPLEMENTING THE MASTER PLAN

2. Solutions on investment funds: The total investment funds are estimated at approximately VND 219 trillion, including some 31 trillion in the 2016-2020 period and some VND 188 trillion in the 2021-2030 period, of which investment funds from the state budget (including also official development assistance funds) will be chiefly used for social and economic infrastructure development. It is expected that about VND 11 trillion and VND 64 trillion will be raised in the 2016-2020 period and 2021-2030 period, respectively. Additional funds will be raised from other sources.

2. Solutions on human resources development: To promote the qualitative and quantitative development of human resources. To step up training and  properly implement preferential treatment policies to attract scientists and technologists to work for the province’s sectors. To increase retraining for enterprise managers.

3. Science and technology solutions

To synchronously invest in modern equipment and advanced technologies in management and production fields; to tighten control of technology transfer to ensure quality; to strongly develop consultancy, science and technology transfer services. To encourage intellectuals, specialists and college lecturers to participate in scientific research.

4.Solutions on mechanisms and policies

To introduce mechanisms and policies to attract investors and facilitate the development of enterprises and entrepreneurs; to develop mechanisms and policies to encourage investment in agriculture and rural areas, development of sciences and high technologies so as to boost socio-economic development in the province. To further administrative reforms, raise the effect and effectiveness of the state management, and renovate the contents and methods of direction and administration of local administrations at all levels. To improve the province’s investment and business environment and raise the province’s PCI. To develop new-style cooperatives in agricultural and forestry production. To effectively implement the connection between production and farm product sale and the role of farmers’ representation organizations.

5. Solutions on international and regional cooperation and cooperation with other localities

To diversify types of services to quickly raise income and living standards for local people. To expand relations of investment cooperation and partnership with other localities in the fields in which Bac Kan province has development potential and conditions.

Article 2.Organization of implementation

1. The master plan will serve as orientations and the basis for the elaboration of specialized plans and investment projects in Bac Kan province to be submitted to competent authorities for approval and implementation according to regulations.

2. Assignment of implementation responsibilities

a/ Responsibilities of the People’s Committee of Bac Kan province:

- After the master plan is approved, to publicize the master plan among agencies, units and people as well as investors for information and participation in the implementation of the master plan.

- To direct related agencies in studying, reviewing and developing socio-economic development programs, elaborating detailed plans, investment projects and five-year and annual plans in conformity with the master plan for implementation and development management according to the set orientations. To carefully analyze the available capacities and conditions so as to set forth guidelines and organize their materialization in each period. To develop programs, objectives and solutions and assign implementation direction responsibilities. To issue regulatory documents on economic and financial policies and mechanisms to form a favorable legal environment for investment to implement the master plan.

- The local Party committees and administrations at all levels shall intensify their direction of the implementation of the master plan.

- To organize monitoring of development investment under the master plan. To promote information and reporting in the implementation of the socio-economic development master plan and plans to provide the basis for leaders to process information in the course of direction and administration in order to quickly promote positive elements and promptly address limitations and shortcomings.

- At the end of the planning period, to evaluate the implementation of the master plan and propose adjustment and addition of objectives to competent authorities for decision on the formulation and adjustment of the master plan in the subsequent period.

b/ Concerned ministries and sectors, within the ambit of their respective functions, tasks and powers, shall:

- Assist and guide the People’s Committee of Bac Kan province in the implementation of the master plan.

- Coordinate with the People’s Committee of Bac Kan province in reviewing and adjusting the sectoral master plans in order to ensure the synchrony and conformity of the master plan; consider and support the province in mobilizing domestic and foreign investment sources for the implementation of the master plan.

Article 3.This Decision takes effect on the date of its signing, replacing the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 1890/QD-TTg of October 14, 2010, approving the master plan on socio-economic development of Bac Kan province through 2020.

Article 4.The chairperson of the People’s Committee of Bac Kan province, ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies and heads of government-attached agencies shall implement this Decision.-

Prime Minister
NGUYEN XUAN PHUC