Decision No. 230/2006/QD-TTg dated October 13, 2006 of the Prime Minister approving the master plan on socio-economic development in Dien Bien province in the 2006-2020 period

DECISION

APPROVING THE MASTER PLAN ON SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN DIEN BIEN PROVINCE 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 Dien Bien province People's Committee in Report No. 1115/TTr-UBND of December 1, 2005, Document No. 341/CV-UBND of April 28, 2006, and according to the opinions of the Ministry of Planning and Investment in Official Letter No. 5808/BKHDT&GSDT of August 8, 2006, on the master plan on socio-economic development in Dien Bien province in the 2006-2020 period,

DECIDES:

Article 1.- To approve the master plan on socio-economic development in Dien Bien province in the 2006-2020 period with the following principal contents:

1. Development viewpoints

a/ To maintain political stability, national security and defense, social order and safety, creating a favorable environment for socio-economic development; to consolidate the grassroots political system and the unity bloc of all nationalities in the province, firmly defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Fatherland;

b/ To bring into full play internal strength, liberating the productive force to well tap all potentials, create a growth breakthrough and restructure the economy and soon get out of the state of poverty. To step by step narrow the gaps, particularly the gaps in socio-cultural enjoyment and a number of economic areas, as compared with other provinces in the region and the whole country;

c/ To firmly seize the chances, advantages and new opportunities in investment and expand external economic cooperation to strongly attract domestic and foreign investment for fast development in association with the general development of the region and the whole country. To strongly develop border-gate economy, quickly increasing industries and services; to raise the growth quality, efficiency, competitiveness and sustainability;

d/ To step up commodity production under the socialist-oriented market mechanism, basically doing away with the state of self-sufficing purely agricultural production. To make concentrated and focal investment in development of branches with advantages, forming a number of key products and motive economic zones with large product scale, laying a foundation for boosting growth, restructuring the economy and reorganizing and re-arranging population in the province, including people resettled under Son La hydro-electric power project;

e/ To renew and strongly develop education and training in order to raise the quality of human resources; to quickly introduce scientific and technological advances to production. To closely combine economic development with social progress, raising the people's intellectual level. To link economic growth to achievement of social justice, hunger elimination and poverty reduction, encouraging people to get rich, narrowing the gap between regions, etc. To use economic development as a spur to social progress, ensure social justice and stability as well as the unity and singlemindedness among population communities in the province.

f/ To associate economic development with the protection of ecological environment, the protection and development of headwater forests, particularly upstream of Da river, ensuring the function of protection for great national hydroelectric power projects.

2. Development objectives

a/ General objectives:

To achieve fast, efficient and sustainable socio-economic development in Dien Bien with a view to eliminating hunger and reducing poverty; to strive in the 2006-2010 period to bring Dien Bien out of the list of provinces meeting with particularly exceptional difficulties, step by step narrowing the living standard gap between local people and people in other provinces throughout the country in the spirit of Resolution 37-NQ/TW of the Political Bureau and the Resolution of the XIth Party Congress of Dien Bien province; in the 2011-2020 period, to bring Dien Bien out of the state of underdevelopment, proceeding to make it a strong border mountainous province with security and political stability, economic development, civilized society and a firm unity bloc of all nationalities.

b/ Specific objectives

- Economic objectives

+ The average GDP growth rate in the 2006-2020 period will achieve 12.5%/year, of which 12%/year in the 2006-2010 period and 12.8%/year in the 2011-2020 period; to raise the province's average per-capita GDP from 45% in 2005 to 50% in 2010, around 65% in 2015 and 80% in 2020 of the national average.

+ To create marked improvement in economic structure, reducing the agriculture-forestry ratio while gradually increasing the industrial and service ratios in the province's GDP. By 2010, the economic structure will be agriculture, forestry and aquaculture accounting for 29-30%; industry-construction: 34%; services: 36-37%, of the province's GDP; by 2020: agriculture, forestry and aquaculture: 18%; industry and construction: 40% and services: 42%;

+ By 2010, the province's total export turnover in the area will reach USD 16-17 million, including over USD 8 million for local exports, which will increase to USD 100 million, including USD 40-50 million for the local exports by 2020;

+ The ratio of local budget mobilization to the GDP will reach at least 5% in 2010 and over 10% in 2020.

- Social objectives:

+ From now till 2010: to create jobs for around 5,000 laborers a year; in the 2011-2020 period, 7,000-8,000 laborers/year;

+ From now till 2010: to reduce the poverty rate by 5% a year. To strive to do away with hungry households and reduce the rate of poor households (according to the national standards of 2005) to below 20% by 2010, below 10% by 2015 and below 3% by 2020;

+ To maintain the results of primary education universalization and literacy. To strive for the universalization of lower secondary education throughout the province by 2008, the universalization of upper secondary education in Dien Bien Phu city, Muong Lai provincial town by 2010 and the universalization of upper secondary education throughout the province before 2020;

+ To step up vocational training. To diversify training forms and expand the training scale in professional schools in the province with crafts and branches suitable to the local production development requirements. To raise the rate of trained labor in the province from 16.4% at present to 25% in 2010 and over 35% in 2020; and over 70% of the general education pupils are vocationally guided at various centers by 2010 and 100% by 2020;

+ To perfect the medical network from the province to communes and hamlets. By 2010, to achieve the rate of 5.5 medical doctors/10,000 inhabitants; 50% of the commune health stations will reach the national health standards; around 60-70% of the medical stations will be staffed with medical doctors; 100% of the villages and hamlets will have nurses; 100% of eligible children will be given expanded vaccinations, reducing the rate of malnourished under-5 children to below 20%. By 2020, to achieve the rate of 10 medical doctors/10,000 inhabitants; reduce the rate of malnourished under-5 children to below 10% and 100% of communes will reach the national health standards;

+ By 2010, all motor roads leading to communal centers will be accessible in both seasons, of which 50% will be upgraded, asphalted or laid with cement concrete; 100% of the communes will be supplied with electricity and at least 80% of the population will have access to electricity; 95% of the population will be covered by television broadcasts and 100% of the population by national radio broadcasts. By 2015, all systems of provincial, district roads and roads to communal centers and commune clusters will be asphalted or laid with cement concrete; over 50% of the villages and hamlets will have motor roads, 100% of the population will have access to electricity, 100% of the population will be covered by television broadcasts. By 2020, over 95% of the villages and hamlets will have motor roads accessible in both seasons;

+ To complete the sedentarization and rearrangement of population throughout the province before 2010. To stabilize production and life for people resettled under Son La hydroelectric power project.

- Environmental protection objectives

To raise the forest coverage from 38.5% at present to around 50% in 2010 and 65% in 2020 in order to ensure the function of headwater protection and greatly contribute to the economy.

By 2010, all urban centers in the province will have concentrated waste collection and treatment works; 90% of the urban population will be provided with clean water and 80% of the rural population will be provided with daily-life water; around 50% of the rural households will have standard sanitary facilities. By 2020, 100% of the urban population will be provided with clean water and 100% of the rural population will be provided with daily-life water, of whom over 80% will be provided with clean water; 100% of the rural households will have standard sanitary facilities.

- Security and defense objectives:

To maintain political stability, defense, security, border sovereignty and unity bloc of nationalities; to curb and repel crimes, particularly drug-related crimes and social evils. To check in time crimes and peaceful evolution schemes of hostile forces.

To complete the border demarcation and markerpost planting on the Vietnam-China borderline in 2006; to consolidate and thicken the markerposts on the Vietnam-Laos borderline before 2010. To increase the number of border stations and posts to achieve one station for every 20 km. To build and perfect the system of border patrol roads; to solidify border stations and posts according to standards. By 2015, to complete the system of border belt roads, border-bound roads according to the standards of mountain roads of grade V or VI.

3. Orientations and solutions for development of branches, domains

a/ To develop agriculture, forestry and fishery:

- Agriculture: To comprehensively develop agriculture and forestry, creating substantial changes in agricultural-forestry production in the direction of commodity production, diversification of products and diversification of rural economic structure.

The agricultural, forestry and fishery growth rate in the 2006-2020 period will reach 6.3%/year. To raise the animal husbandry ratio in the agricultural production value to 26% in 2010 and around 35% in 2020.

To stably develop food production. By 2010, the food output will reach 220,000-230,000 tons and by 2020, it will reach 270,000-280,000 tons, with the average of 450 kg/a person, ensuring food security and creating a great volume of commodity.

To strongly develop industrial plants, fruit trees, forming concentrated production regions and key products. By 2010, the area under plants of high economic value will account for 18-20% and by 2020 will account for over 30% of the province's cultivation acreage.

- Forestry: To annually plant 4,500 ha of forests, including 1,800- 2,000 ha of production forests; to zone off for regeneration about 134,000 ha of forests by 2010 and 190,000- 200,000 ha in the 2011-2020 period, raising the forest coverage rate to 50% by 2010 and 65% by 2020, ensuing the headwater protection function and contributing more and more to the economy.

- Fishery: To make the fullest use of water surface of lakes and ponds in the locality for aquaculture. To attach importance to the development of new aquatic breeds of high economic value. To supply assorted quality breeds at reasonable prices to peasants. To raise the aquaculture rate in the fishery sector to 90%.

b/ To develop industries, cottage industry and handicrafts:

To quickly and firmly develop industries, cottage industry and handicrafts, thus serving as a motive force for the province's economic growth and restructuring in the direction of industrialization and modernization.

The average growth rate of industrial production and construction value in the 2006-2020 period will achieve 17.5%/year, of which 16-17%/year for the 2006-2010 period and 18%/year for the 2011-2020 period.

To raise the industry and construction shares in the province's GDP from 26.67% at present to 34% by 2010 and 40% by 2020, of which industry will account for over 60% of the added value within the industry and construction sector.

By 2020, basically Dien Bien will have a steadfast industry with rational structure suitable to the province's conditions, potentials and advantages and at the same time with high competitiveness. To concentrate on developing the following industries:

- Agricultural and forest product processing;

- Power;

- Building materials manufacturing;

- Mining;

- Other industries.

c/ To develop services

To comprehensively develop the service economy in the direction of diversification of types of services and participation by various economic sectors to strongly boost production and serve the people's lives.

The average service growth rate in the 2006-2020 period will achieve 13.8%/year, of which 13-14%/year for the 2006-2010 period and 13.5-14%/year for the 2011-2020 period. To increase the service share in the province's GDP to 30% by 2010 and 42% by 2020.

- Tourism: To build Dien Bien into a tourist center of the northwestern region and a key tourist site in the national tourist system. By 2010, to attract about 300,000 tourist arrivals (including 50,000 foreign arrivals) and 2020 about 500,000 arrivals (including some 100,000 foreign arrivals).

To expeditiously complete the construction and upgrading of Tay Trang border-gate into an international border-gate. To build Huoi Puoc border-gate (Dien Bien) and A Pa Chai border-gate ( Muong Nhe) into national border-gates; to open a number of other border-gates in order to expand trade with Laos and China with a view to developing the province's commerce; at the same time to facilitate the market expansion, quickly increasing the export turnover. To soon finalize the scheme on A Pa Chai border-gate economic zone to attract investment for development.

To adjust the strategy on development of export goods, forming a number of key export goods items of the province such as tea, fruits, processed meat, processed wood, processed bamboo shoots, cement, building materials, minerals, etc.; to strive to raise the province's export turnover to around USD 16-17 million by 2010, including about USD 8 million for local exports; and to around USD 100 million by 2020, including USD 40-50 million for local exports.

- Other services: To develop in a synchronized manner other services such as financial, banking, insurance, transport, communication, post, technical consultancy, technology transfer and other social services, etc.

d/ To develop infrastructure system

- Communication system

To synchronously develop the communication system in the province, ensuring its linkage and association in the northwestern region and among localities in the province. To attach importance to development of outbound communications. To invest in development of communications in urban centers, concentrated commodity production areas, resettlement zones and border regions in association with defense and security.

+ The national road and provincial road system: From now till 2010, to concentrate investment in upgrading and expanding the national highway axes running through the province (national highways 279, 12 and 6A) up to mountain grade IV standards with two motor lanes or grade V for difficult sections. To completely build the route to bypass the flooded area of Son La hydroelectric power project (the section from km 91 to km 106 on national highway 12), ensuring smooth traffic between regions in the province. To build new provincial roads and renovate the existing ones, ensuring convenient traffic in all four seasons. To strive to complete by 2007 the upgrading and expansion of all national highways and important provincial roads in service of economy and defense, ensuring that 100% of them are asphalted;

+ Border belt roads, border-bound roads: To concentrate on construction of border belt roads, border-bound roads and border patrol roads, meeting the requirements of mobility in strategic defense as well as in economic, cultural and social management and exchange in the province. To complete the upgrading and asphaltation of all border belt roads in the locality (the Si Pa Phin-Muong Nhe section to reach grade IV standards; the Pac Ma-Muong Nhe and Dien Bien-Song Ma sections to reach grade V standards). To upgrade and extend routes leading to the borders; to build roads linking provincial roads to concentrated production zones, facilitating the development of production;

+ District, inter-communal roads: To develop rural communications under the guiding principle that "the State and people join efforts." To strive to annually asphalt or solidify with cement-concrete 70-100 km of district and inter-communal roads so that by 2010 all district roads will reach grade V or VI, inter-communal roads will reach the standards of rural traffic roads of class A or B: the percentage of rural roads accessible in both seasons achieves 90%; after 2010, to complete the upgrading of Pom Lot-Huoi Puoc road and the entire system of district and inter-communal roads. From now till 2007, to prioritize roads leading to communal centers, which are currently earthen roads; in the 2008-2010 period, to continue investing in the solidification of the existing macadamized roads and roads leading to key production zones, and at the same time build new roads to the centers of to be-divided communes. After 2010, to continue investing in the construction of roads to the centers of the above-said communes and roads from communal centers to villages, hamlets. To develop road systems in service of concentrated resettlement zones;

+ Urban traffic: To synchronously develop and step by step modernize the system of urban traffic and mass transit throughout the province, particularly in Dien Bien Phu city, ensuring that by 2020, Dien Bien will have a complete and modern urban infrastructure system. In the period from now till 2010, to concentrate on completely building main axes in the centers of districts, towns and Dien Bien Phu city under plannings (about 150 km, including some 35 km in Dien Bien Phu city alone) satisfying the development requirements of urban centers. To reserve a rational land fund (about 20-25%) for development of urban traffic, including static traffic;

+ Waterway traffic: When the Son La hydroelectric power dam is completed, Dien Bien province will have around 100 km of inland waterways. In order to efficiently tap these waterway routes, a number of important river ports are expected to be built, including Huoi Xo port (Tua Chua), Doi Cao port (Muong Lay provincial town) in service of economic development and defense. To invest in renovating and dredging water channels; to synchronously build a system of signal buoys and signboards, etc. according to regulations, ensuring convenient and safe traffic. On railway traffic: To conduct surveys for construction of Hanoi-Hoa Binh-Son La-Dien Bien railway route;

+ Airways: Dien Bien Phu airport is a domestic airport involved in international flight operations: To continue investing in upgrading it to be up to 3C scale according to ICAO standards, ensuring daytime flights of aircraft ART72/F70 or of equivalent type. Its expected capacity is to receive 200 arrivals/year and 500 tons or cargo/year by 2015.

- Development of irrigation system

To invest in upgrading and building water reservoirs, key irrigation works and canal systems. To prioritize investment first in the irrigation systems in the planned key rice-growing areas, including Dien Bien valley, Chieng Sinh, Bung Lao (Tuan Giao). To build new irrigation works in regions with potentials in water sources and concentrated land areas in order to boost the comprehensive development of agricultural production in association with the planning on rearrangement of population and resettlement in the province. To concentrate investment in the construction of a number of irrigation works in Dien Bien, Dien Bien Dong, Muong Nhe and Tuan Giao districts, ensuring adequate water to irrigate 17,000 ha under summer rice and 8,050 ha under winter-spring rice in the region.

- Development of the power supply system

To completely build public-lighting systems in urban centers. To invest in the renovation, upgrading or build a synchronized low-voltage power transmission and grid system in the whole province. To upgrade the Son La-Tuan Giao power grid from 110 KV to 220 KV; the Tuan Giao-Tua Chua-Lai Chau grid from 35 KV to 110 KV. To build 35 KV power grids for Dien Bien-Muong Nha-Muong Hoi and Huoi Leng-Pa Khoang regions.

To renovate and perfect the low-voltage power grids of Dien Bien Phu city, of communes in Dien Bien valley and all district capitals in the province. To build rural power networks. To attach importance to investment in the construction of small-sized hydro-electric power works and power supply networks for resettlement, deep-lying and remote regions. To ensure that by 2007, 100% of communes and wards in the province will be supplied with electricity; by 2010, at least 80% of the provincial population will have access to electricity and 100% before 2020.

- Development of water supply and drainage systems

To build synchronized water supply and drainage systems for Dien Bien Phu city. To upgrade and expand the existing water supply systems and build new ones for townships and concentrated population areas. By 2020, all townships and district capitals in the province will have their own water plants of the capacity of 2,000 m3/day or higher each, ensuring the minimum norm of 90 liters/person/day. To combine the construction of water supply and drainage systems in urban centers with the construction of urban traffic systems.

To upgrade and expand Dien Bien water plant from 8,000 m3/day at present to 24,000 m3/day by 2010, ensuring the supply of daily-life water for Dien Bien Phu city and Dien Bien township. To build a synchronized water drainage system and daily-life wastewater treatment facilities in Dien Bien Phu city. To invest in the construction of a complete axial water drainage system for all district capitals in the province.

To attach importance to investment in rural water supply works, particularly for high-land and remote communes, resettlement areas, borderguard stations and border regions under the national clean water program, ensuring that by 2010 over 90% of urban population will be supplied with clean water and 80% of rural population will be supplied with daily-life water.

- Commerce: To develop a synchronized system of commercial infrastructures in the province. To invest in and perfect the wholesale marketplace in Dien Bien Phu city; to renovate, upgrade the existing marketplaces and trade centers and build new ones in border-gates, provincial towns, district capitals and townships and centers of commune clusters; to strongly develop marketplaces and commercial centers in rural, highland and border regions.

e/ Development of branches, social aspects

- Population, labor and employment: To reduce the natural population growth rate to 1.65% by 2010 and 1.35% by 2020.

To strive to raise the non-agricultural labor rate from 14% at present to 20% by 2010 and over 30% by 2020. From now till 2010, to create jobs for around 5,000 laborers a year and 7,000- 8,000 laborers a year in the 2011-2020 period. To raise the percentage of trained labor to over 25% by 2010 and over 35% by 2020.

To reduce the rate of poor households (according to the 2005 national criteria) to below 20% by 2010 and under 3% by 2020; the rate of malnourished children to 20% by 2015 and under 10% by 2020.

- Education and training: To achieve lower secondary education universalization by 2008 and upper secondary education universalization before 2020. To complete the program on solidification of educational institutions in the whole province by 2015. To step up job training; diversify training types, expand the training scale and forms. To strive for the target that by 2020 each district will have its own vocational training school; by 2010, over 70% of the upper secondary school pupils will be provided with vocational guidance at vocational training centers and 100% by 2020.

- Science and technology: To step up scientific and technological development and application, attaching importance to the development of post-harvest and product-processing technologies.

- Healthcare: By 2010, about 60-70% of commune health stations will be staffed with medical doctors and by 2015, it is 100%. By 2010, 100% of hamlets will have nurses and 5.5-6 medical doctors/ 10,000 inhabitants and, by 2020, it will be over 10 medical doctors/10,000 inhabitants. To complete the program on solidification of medical establishments in the whole province by 2015.

- Culture and information: By 2010, 100% of the provincial population will have access to radio broadcasts; 95% of the population will have access to television broadcasts; 100% of communes will have their own post-cultural houses; the rate of telephone users will reach 10 telephone sets/100 inhabitants and by 2020 reach 20 telephone sets/100 inhabitants.

To step up cultural activities. To expand cultural and art exchanges. To consolidate the physical foundations so as to satisfy the people's demands for cultural and information activities. To efficiently conserve, renovate and promote the value of Dien Bien Phu historical relics and other historical relics and scenic places. To restore, conserve and promote the value of cultural identities of different ethnic groups. To raise the quality of press and publishing activities. To launch the campaign "All the people unite and build a cultured life in population areas," building cultured villages. To step up the socialization in cultural development with a view to mobilizing social resources for investment in physical foundations, cultural institutions, conservation and renovation of cultural heritages.

- Physical training and sports: To further build physical foundations for physical training and sport activities. To step up physical exercise, sport and physical training movements. To develop mass sports. To attach importance to fostering talented athletes in order to develop high-achievement sports.

f/ To develop external relations

To enhance the special relationship of friendship and comprehensive cooperation with northern Lao provinces. To maintain and expand the cooperative relations with Yunnan province of China, with regional countries and international organizations on the basis of the external guidelines and policies of the Party and the State. To closely combine the border sovereignty management and protection with the efficient exploitation of external economy through border gates. To well implement the border markerpost planting on the Vietnam-China borderline, to thicken markerposts on the Vietnam-Laos border.

To probe foreign markets, first of all Yunnan (China) and three northern Lao provinces for promotation of trade, tourism, etc., and at the same time formulate a strategy for long-term economic cooperation with Yunnan province (China) and three northern Lao provinces in the time to come.

To step up external propagation, external economic activities, preparing conditions to join the whole country in international integration. To well manage foreign delegations to Dien Bien and the province's delegations going abroad. To promote the establishment of friendship organizations in the locality such as the Vietnam-China Friendship Society, the Vietnam-Laos Friendship Society and the Vietnam-France Friendship Society. To mobilize for projects and programs on aid from non-governmental organizations and efficiently manage the projects, maintain external relations in accordance with Vietnam's viewpoints, policies and law. To formulate the province's external cooperation programs for the coming period.

g/ Orientations for defense and security consolidation

- Enhancement and consolidation of defense potentials

To enhance and consolidate defense potential in association with the defense strategy for the northwestern region, the midland and the northern mountainous regions, firmly maintaining political security as well as social order and safety. To firmly defend border sovereignty and security, to actively fight, prevent in time and repel activities of encroaching upon the national borders and border markerposts.

To strengthen the technical-physical foundations and border management capability for the border guard force. To completely build border belt roads, border-bound roads and border patrol roads. To additionally build border stations and posts, patrol stations, to thicken the border markerposts on the Vietnam-Laos borderline.

To associate economic development with defense and security consolidation, building and strengthening all-people defense and all-people security. To enhance investment and capability for important defense zones in the locality. To build up a firm defense area from the province to districts, ensuring mobility, high combat readiness and actively coping with all circumstances. To intensify the exchanges and cooperation with localities of the neighboring countries with a view to building a border region of peace, stability and development.

- To build economic and defense zones in border communes.

To effectively implement Program 120 on socio-economic development of communes in the Vietnam-China border region, paying special attention to the achievement of targets of resettling people for production development in border areas. To support production development and investment in the construction of infrastructure and the building of a strong local administration apparatus in order to join the armed forces in well performing the function of border security management and protection.

To make a detailed planning on the Muong Cha economic and defense zone already built and expected to expand to highland areas of Muong Nhe and Muong Lay districts. To combine the building of defense posture with the investment in development and consolidation of local administration and stabilization of people's life. To closely coordinate with Military Zone II in ensuring the target and schedule of building Ma river economic-defense zone in the province.

- Maintenance of political security, social order

To bring into full play the integrated strength of the political system and the strength of the population in checking and reducing crimes, maintaining social security in the locality. To actively fight, prevent and frustrate all schemes of peaceful evolution, overthrowing riots of hostile forces.

To continue intensifying propagation and mobilization in combination with economic and administrative measures to redress then proceed to do away with the state of free migration and illegal religious preaching. To care for economic development, population arrangement, stabilization and improvement of the life of people in free migration areas. To prevent in time households immigrating freely into the province and households migrating to Central Highland provinces. To concentrate forces on fighting and well settling drug addiction, robbery, public disturbances and evils of producing, storing and trading in narcotics. To build mass movements for protection of social order in the locality, particularly border regions and ethnic minority areas.

To reinforce grassroots security and people security officers in villages and hamlets in order to detect in time and stamp out activities of disrupting the national unity bloc, inciting riots, illegal religious preaching, economic sabotage, etc.

4. Orientations for economic organization according to territory

a/ Orientations for development of urban center system

- Development and expansion of Dien Bien Phu city

To continue implementing the Government's Decree No. 110/2003-ND-CP of September 26, 2003, on the establishment of Dien Bien Phu city, concentrating investment in the comprehensive development of the city in economy, scale and acreage, step by step building Dien Bien Phu into one of the central urban areas of the northwestern region with modern economic structure and strong attraction to other urban centers in the region. The city's population size is expected to achieve 80,000-100,000 by 2010 and around 130,000-140,000 by 2020. To upgrade Dien Bien Phu city into a grade-II city before 2015.

- Development of other urban centers

To review and adjust the plannings on other urban centers throughout the province. To prioritize the development of new urban centers established due to the requirements of division or movement. In the period up to 2010, to concentrate on investment in the construction of urban infrastructure system of Muong Lai provincial town and the Muong Nhe, Muong Cha and Dien Bien districts. To invest in the construction of urban traffic system, water supply and drainage systems to Tuan Giao and Tua Chua district towns.

To continue developing a synchronized system of district towns and townships for other districts and centers of commune clusters and commune centers. From now till 2010, to invest in the complete construction of all 13 centers of commune clusters and around 50% of commune centers in the whole province; in the period after 2010, to continue building centers of the remaining communes.

b/ Orientations for organization of industrial space

To concentrate on building a number of industrial parks and clusters of between several hectares and several dozens of hectares, laying the foundation for economic growth and restructuring in the direction of industrialization and modernization. Those industrial parks and clusters will be built near raw material zones, near traffic axes and provided with convenient power and water supply and waste treatment conditions; which will also be in line with the national planning on development of industrial parks and industrial zones. From now till 2020, a number of industrial parks and clusters will be built in Dien Bien province, including the industrial park southeast of Dien Bien Phu city (of 60 ha); the industrial park west of Dien Bien valley (of 30-40ha); the industrial cluster west of Dien Bien Phu city; the industrial cluster east of Dien Bien district; the industrial cluster east of Tuan Giao district; the industrial cluster south of Tua Chua district; Muong Lay industrial cluster.

c/ Orientations for organization of tourist space

To develop the tourist space of Dien Bien Phu city into a key tourist center, a tourist hub of the province and an important destination in the northwestern tourist corridor and domestic and foreign vicinities. To build Muong Lay provincial town into a tourist center in the northern region of the province.

To form two key tourist routes in the locality: The tourist route along national highways 12 and 4D (Tay Trang bordergate-Dien Bien Phu city-Muong Lay provincial town-Lao Cai) and the tourist route along national highway 279 (Dien Bien Phu city-Tuan Giao- Pha Din pass-Son La). In addition to these two key routes, a number of auxiliary tourist routes playing the role of supporting the main routes will be built in order to diversify tourist forms and prolong tourists' stays.

To concentrate on building a number of important tourist clusters on the basis of linkage between tourist spots in each zone, specifically:

+ The tourist cluster of Dien Bien Phu city and its vicinity with the Dien Bien-Pa Khoang-Muong Phang area as its center, which has been approved by the Government to be the national cultural-historical tourism zone. The main tourist products of this cluster will include cultural-historical tourism, ecological tourism, rest and convalescence, adventure sport, entertainment and recreation, conference, workshop, commerce, official duty tourism.

+ The tourist cluster of Muong Lay provincial town and its vicinities with such main tourist products as ecological tourism on Da river, cultural and historical tourism, sport, recreation tourism, etc.

+ The tourist clusters of Tuan Giao-Pha Din, Muong Nhe and Pu Nhi, with such main tourist products as ecological tourism and scientific research tourism.

d/ Orientations for development of economic zones and concentrated resettlement zones

In face of the development requirements in the coming period, based on the natural conditions, population and socio-economic characteristics of Dien Bien province, to concentrate on planning and developing three economic zones: The national highway 279 motive economic axis, the Da river forestry, agriculture and ecology economic zone and the Muong Cha-Muong Nhe economic zone.

To comprehensively develop concentrated resettlement regions and areas

Under the general planning on population relocation for Son La hydroelectric power project already approved by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 196/2004/QD-TTg of November 29, 2004: From now till 2010, to build in Dien Bien 7 resettlement regions and 22 resettlement quarters with 29 concentrated resettlement spots ( two more regions, two spots in Muong Lay provincial town). These include 3 urban resettlement regions and 4 rural resettlement regions which can accommodate 5,821 households (in the immediate future 2,735 households), including all resettled households of the province and nearly 2,000 households from neighboring provinces. To strive to complete the population relocation for resettlement in the province in 2008, including the following resettlement regions and quarters: in Muong Lay provincial town, Dien Bien Phu city, the district towns of Dien Bien and Tua Chua, the districts of Bien Bien, Muong Cha and Muong Nhe; the resettlement quarters of Mo Phi-A Pa Chai in Sin Thau commune, Phu Phang in Chung Chai commune, Muong Toon commune, Ta Si Phung of Muong Nhe commune, Na Hi commune.

e/ Reorganization of administrative units in association with population relocation throughout the province

In the period from now till 2010, to consider the division and adjustment of administrative boundaries of 25 communes; to adjust and divide 2 districts of Muong Cha and Muong Nhe into 3 districts; to divide Tuan Giao district into 2 districts. After 2010, to continue studying the division and adjustment of a number of districts and communes. Under planning, from now till 2010, the whole province will establish 251 new hamlets to stabilize production and life for 9,137 households with 51,557 people.

5. Solutions and general policies for implementation of the master plan

a/ Organization of the implementation of the master plan

- To formulate mechanisms, policies for implementation of the master plan;

- To publicize, disseminate the master plan. To regularly check, evaluate, review, adjust and supplement the master plan to suit the situation and tasks in each period;

- To well organize and divide responsibility for implementation of the master plan;

b/ Solutions to investment capital mobilization

The province's investment capital demand in the 2006-2020 period will be extremely great as compared to its resources and balancing capability and the support of the central government. To satisfy its investment capital demand in the 2006-2020 period, the province shall work out measures to mobilize capital in an active manner, of which the internal strength is the key, rationally using the land fund to create investment capital, attaching importance to attracting capital from various economic sectors inside and outside the province, attracting foreign investment capital, stepping up the socialization in the medical, educational, cultural and sport domains; at the same time propose solutions to capital mobilization for each period, select projects prioritized for investment study, rationally phasing the investment and working out specific and practical solutions in order to attract investment capital and to achieve the set objectives.

c/ Human resource training and development

To expand vocational training through official, in-service, long-term and short-term training forms. To enhance the training capacity of colleges, professional intermediate schools in the province, proceeding to set up a multi-discipline university, attaching importance to investment in job-teaching centers. To formulate policies of special priority in the training and retraining of grassroots officials in border regions, highland areas meeting with exceptional difficulties. To work out policies to support the professional training of agricultural laborers and ethnic minority people in order to accelerate labor restructuring. To step up the association between training establishments of the province with vocational training centers in Hanoi.

d/ Scientific and technological development

To associate scientific and technological development with production, creating conditions for application of new scientific and technological achievements as soon as possible. To increase investment in scientific research and application of scientific advances to production. To build and develop information networks. To speed up the materialization of the scheme on computerization of the Party and State offices. To strongly develop human resources for sciences and technologies, reinforcing scientific personnel for grassroots units. To work out policies to attract scientific workers to work in Dien Bien and transfer technologies to the province.

To study and formulate a number of mechanisms and policies

- To prioritize investment capital sources from the state budget and credit and official development assistance (ODA) capital for investment in important socio-economic infrastructure systems in service of the development demands of Dien Bien and the northwestern region;

- The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall join other ministries in studying to put Dien Bien province on the priority list for execution of ODA projects in service of socio-economic development, hunger elimination and poverty reduction in the province;

- The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall assist the province in formulating a planning and consider to provide support capital for investment in perfection of the system of border-gate economic zones and permit the border-gate economic zones in the province to enjoy the maximum preferences in the current general preferential policies for this type;

- The province shall study to promulgate a number of appropriate mechanisms and policies to attract various economic sectors to invest in Dien Bien province in particular and the northwestern region in general;

- The province shall coordinate with the Ministry of Industry in formulating the mechanism on decentralization of the management of minerals mines in the province and submit it to the Prime Minister for approval.

6. The list of projects prioritized for investment study till 2010 (see the enclosed appendix).

Article 2.- To assign the People's Committee of Dien Bien province to base on the province's socio-economic development objectives, tasks and orientations stated in the approved master plan; to coordinate with concerned ministries and branches in directing the formulation, submission for approval and implementation according to regulations of the following contents:

- District-level general plannings on socio-economic development; a planning on development of the systems of urban centers and population spots; a construction planning; land use planning and plan; a planning on development of branches and domains; annual and five-year plans, investment projects in the locality to ensure overall and synchronized development;

- To study, formulate, promulgate according to competence or submit to competent state bodies for promulgation a number of mechanisms and policies suitable to the development requirements of the province in each period with a view to attracting and mobilizing resources for implementation of the master plan.

Article 3.- To assign concerned ministries, branches to support the People's Committee of Dien Bien province in formulating the above-mentioned plannings; formulating and submitting to competent state bodies for promulgation a number of mechanisms and policies to meet the province's socio-economic development requirements in each period with a view to mobilizing and efficiently using resources, encouraging and attracting investment to well ensure the attainment of the province's socio-economic development objectives, tasks and orientations stated in the master plan. To step up investment in and execute projects of regional scale and nature, which are important for the province's development, for which investment has been decided. To consider, adjust and supplement branch development plannings, plans on investment in the concerned works and projects stated in the master plan.

Article 4.- This Decision takes effect 15 days after its publication in "CONG BAO".

Article 5.- The president of the Dien Bien province People's Committee, ministers, heads of ministerial-level and heads of government-attached agencies shall implement this Decision.

APPENDIX

PROJECTED LIST OF PROJECTS PRIORITIZED FOR INVESTMENT STUDY IN THE 2006-2010 PERIOD
(Excluding group-C projects and current investment projects)
(Issued together with the Prime Ministers Decision No. 230/2006/QD-TTg of October 13, 2006)

* Note: The locations, sizes, land areas, total investment and investment capital sources of the above-mentioned projects will be calculated, selected and specifically determined in the period of investment project formulation and submission for approval, depending on the demand and capability to balance and mobilize resources of each period.-