Decision 686/QD-TTg 2023 approve Master Plan of Long An province for 2021-2030, , with a vision toward 2050

DECISION

Approving the Master Plan of Long An province for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050^[1]

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the June 19, 2015 Law on Organization of the Government; and the November 22, 2019 Law Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of the Law on Organization of the Government and the Law on Organization of Local Administration;

Pursuant to the November 24, 2017 Planning Law;

Pursuant to the June 15, 2018 Law Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of Eleven Laws Concerning Planning;

Pursuant to the November 20, 2018 Law Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of Thirty-Seven Laws Concerning Planning;

Pursuant to the December 22, 2018 Ordinance Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of Four Ordinances Concerning Planning;

Pursuant to the National Assembly’s Resolution No. 81/2023/QH15 of January 9, 2023, on the National Overall Master Plan for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050;

Pursuant to the National Assembly’s Resolution No. 61/2022/QH15 of June 16, 2022, on further improving the effect and effectiveness of planning policies and laws and a number of solutions for removing difficulties and problems so as to speed up the formulation and improve the quality of master plans for the 2021-2030 period;

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No. 37/2019/ND-CP of May 7, 2019, detailing the implementation of a number of articles of the Planning Law;

Pursuant to the Government’s Resolution No. 108/NQ-CP of August 26, 2022, on implementation of the National Assembly’s Resolution No. 61/2022/QH15 of June 16, 2022, on further improving effect and effectiveness of planning policies and laws and a number of solutions for removing difficulties and problems so as to speed up the formulation and improve the quality of master plans for the 2021-2030 period;

Pursuant to the Government’s Resolution No. 119/NQ-CP of September 27, 2021, on tasks and solutions for improving the quality and speeding up the formulation of master plans for the 2021-2030 period;

Pursuant to the Government’s Resolution No. 11/NQ-CP of February 5, 2018, on organization of the implementation of the Planning Law;

Pursuant to the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 287/QD-TTg of February 28, 2022, approving the Master Plan of the Mekong River delta for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050;

Pursuant to the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 522/QD-TTg of April 16, 2020, approving the task of formulating the master plan of Long An province for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050;

At the proposal of the People’s Committee of Long An province in Report No. 1527/TTr-UBND of June 5, 2023, requesting the approval of the Master Plan of Long An province; Appraisal Report No. 7374/BC-HDTD of October 15, 2022, of the Council for Appraisal of Provincial-Level Master Plans for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050, on the Master Plan of Long An province for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050, and Strategic Environmental Assessment Report of the Master Plan; and Document No. 3794/BKHDT-QLQH of May 22, 2023, of the Ministry of Planning and Investment, on final review of the dossier and draft Decision approving the Master Plan of Long An province for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050,

DECIDES:

Article 1. To approve the Master Plan of Long An province for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050 (below referred to as the Master Plan), with the following principal contents:

I. SCOPE AND BOUNDARIES OF THE MASTER PLAN   

The Master Plan embraces the whole terrestrial territory of Long An province with the total natural area of 4,494.8 km². The province’s geographical coordinates are 105°30’-106°47’ east longitude and 10°23’-11°02’ north latitude. The province borders the Kingdom of Cambodia to the north, Tien Giang province to the south, Ho Chi Minh City and Tay Ninh province to the east, and Dong Thap province to the west.

II. DEVELOPMENT VIEWPOINTS, OBJECTIVES AND BREAKTHROUGHS   

1. Planning viewpoints

a/ The Master Plan must conform to the Party’s and the State’s development policies and guidelines, the whole country’s strategic socio-economic development objectives and orientations, and the national strategy for green and sustainable growth; ensure democracy, compliance, continuity, succession, stability and conformity with the National Overall Master Plan, national sectoral master plans and the Master Plan of the Mekong River delta.

b/ To bring into full play the province’s prominent potential and economic-geographical advantages for rapid and sustainable socio-economic development; to organize the province’s development spaces in a rational manner and in association with the development of a synchronous and gradually modernized infrastructure system; to focus on rapidly developing a number of localities with favorable conditions to serve as the general development driving force for the whole province and help areas hit by difficulties; to develop urban and rural areas in a balanced manner.

c/ To bring into full play the human factor, regarding people as the development center, subject matter, resources and objective; to develop high-quality human resources and attract talented people; to facilitate rapid and sustainable development on the basis of scientific and technological application and innovation; to proactively carry out the digital transformation in order to improve productivity and growth quality and efficiency.

d/ To economically and efficiently use natural resources, particularly land and water resources; to develop green economy, circular economy and digital economy; to protect the environment and conserve the nature and biodiversity; to take the initiative in responding to climate change.

dd/ To closely combine socio-economic development with national defense and security assurance; to maintain political stability and social order and safety; to expand and raise the efficiency of external and international integration activities; to build a borderline of peace, stability, cooperation and development.

2. Development objectives through 2030

a/ General objectives

To strive for the target that by 2030, Long An province will become a dynamic, efficient and sustainable economic development center of the South and a gateway to the Mekong River delta’s urban-industrial economic corridor; be closely connected with Ho Chi Minh City and the southeastern region; act as an important focal point for cooperation and commercial exchange with Cambodia; to form the province’s economic corridors, development areas and centers and dynamic urban centers; to facilitate the province’s adaptation to climate change, assure national defense and security and social order and safety and a prosperous, civilized and happy life for local people.

b/ Targets

- Economic targets

+ The province’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP) growth rate will be 9%/year on average; and the per-capita GRDP (at current prices) will surpass VND 180 million.

+ The proportion to the GRDP of agro-forestry-fisheries, industry-construction and service sectors and taxes less subsidies on products will be around 7.5%, 61.8%, 24.2%, and 6.5%, respectively;

- Social targets

+ The population growth rate will be around 1%/year.

+ The rate of trained laborers will surpass 80%, of whom 40% will possess diplomas or training certificates.

+ Around 80% of early childhood education schools, all primary schools, 70% of lower secondary schools, and 45% of upper secondary schools will attain the relevant national standards. The universalization of pre-school education for children aged between 3 and 4 years will be completed.

+ There will be 27 patient beds and 11 medical doctors per 10,000 people.

+ All communes will meet the new-style countryside standards, of which 53% will attain the advanced new-style countryside standards; there will be 12 districts, towns and provincial cities attaining the new-style countryside standards or having completed the new-style countryside building task.

+ The urbanization rate will be around 55%; and all urban centers of grade III or higher grade will finalize criteria for classification of their urban infrastructure facilities, particularly health, education and training infrastructure facilities and urban-level cultural works.

- Environmental targets

+ The forest coverage rate will be stably maintained at 3.3%. The average urban green space per capita will be 8-10 m².

+ All operating industrial parks and cottage industry clusters will have centralized wastewater treatment systems to ensure treated wastewater is up to standards before being discharged into the environment; all production and business establishments will satisfy environmental regulations; all wastewater volumes will be collected and treated up to technical regulations on quality of wastewater to be discharged into receiving waters which are sources of water supply for residential use.

3. Vision toward 2050

Long An will become among provinces with the most developed industry of the whole country and one of the important growth poles of the Mekong River delta and reach a development level equal to that the fairly developed provinces of the southeastern region. It will have an orderly, disciplined, secured, safe and civilized society, a comprehensively developed population, and a clean living environment which can proactively adapt to climate change.   

4. Development breakthroughs

a/ Synchronously improving socio-economic development mechanisms and policies; raising the provincial competitiveness and improving the investment and business environment, following the people- and business-centered approach.

b/ Developing human resources, particularly high-quality human resources, attracting talented people, appointing them to important positions, and providing them with preferential treatments, especially in the sectors and fields of processing and manufacturing industries, renewable energies, transport, logistics, and hi-tech agriculture; researching, applying, transferring and strongly developing science and technology and promoting innovation in the province’s important sectors and fields, and boosting digital transformation and development of digital economy and society.

c/ Mobilizing and efficiently and economically using all resources, thereby creating breakthroughs in building a complete and modern socio-economic infrastructure system; prioritizing investment in ground clearance to attract investors and implement strategic projects that have spillover effects and are capable of making inter-regional and inter-provincial connections in development of transport infrastructure, economic zones, industrial parks and urban infrastructure adaptable to climate change.

III. DEVELOPMENT OF SECTORS AND FIELDS AND ORIENTATIONS FOR ORGANIZATION OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES

1. Development orientations for important sectors of the province

a/ Industry

To develop industry toward technology renewal, higher productivity and competitiveness, and efficient and economical use of resources; to strive for the target that the industrial production index will increase around 13%/year on average in the 2021-2030 period; to prioritize the development of processing and manufacturing industries and renewable energies; to focus on developing the following key industries:

- Production of metals and cast-metal products: To form production and consumption linkages with the  sectors of mechanical engineering, manufacturing, construction, logistics and supporting industries; to encourage investors to make large-scale concentrated investment, apply modern and energy-efficient technologies, and control environmental pollution.

- Manufacturing engineering: To focus on manufacturing products to serve the renewable energy, industrial, agricultural and urban development; to attach importance to the development of mechanical machinery to serve the mechanization of agriculture, processing industry and hi-precision mechanical engineering industry.       

- Food processing: To deeply process agricultural and aquatic products; to form a number of cottage industry clusters associated with material zones in Dong Thap Muoi region in order to step up the agricultural restructuring toward large-scale, high-quality and high-efficiency commodity production.

- Manufacturing of electronic appliances: To renovate technologies for shifting from simple assembling to component manufacturing; to develop the manufacturing of electronic components and spare parts, information technology and computer software.

- Production of chemicals and chemical products: To diversify production activities; to prioritize bio-technological products, chemical products, and environmental protection chemicals; to boost export of fertilizers, pharmaco-chemicals and chemicals for household use.

- Manufacturing of rubber and plastic products: To form production and consumption linkages with the packaging and printing sector; to develop plastic building materials and technical-use plastic products, and gradually reduce plastic packages and household utensils.

- Pharmaceutical industry: To research and produce pharmaceuticals in association with concentrated material zones.

- Textile and garment industry: To research and design, and deeply participate in the global value chain of textile and garment products; to attach importance to the production of fabrics, garment accessories, sport shoes, fabric shoes, fashion footwear, backpacks, and handbags; to build and promote the province’s brands, thereby making the province become an innovation center of the textile and garment industry.

- Energy generation: To develop clean and renewable energies; to concentrate investment in developing a liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled power project in Can Giuoc district under the Master Plan, a natural gas distribution system and the processing and manufacturing supporting industry.  

b/ Services

To strive for the target that by 2030, Long An will become a province with a developed service sector equal to that of the fairly developed provinces in the southeastern region, specifically:

- To develop trade toward civilization and modernity; to concentrate investment in developing commercial infrastructure, prioritizing infrastructure facilities that have spillover effects and can effectively support the production and circulation; to invest in developing traditional marketplaces; to promote e-commerce; to take the initiative in actively involving itself in the international economic integration; to diversify the export market; to attach importance to the development of border trade.

- To develop logistics services into an important economic sector of the province, which will become a cargo transshipment and warehousing gateway center linking the Mekong River delta provinces with Ho Chi Minh City, the southeastern region and Cambodia, and an agricultural product export hub of the Mekong River delta; to focus on developing logistics infrastructure, particularly transport and warehousing infrastructure facilities, and applying new technologies in the logistics sector, prioritizing investment in logistics infrastructure at the Long An international port.

- To diversify tourist types and products in order to create competitive branded products; to focus on developing eco-tourism and agricultural and rural tourism in Dong Thap Muoi region; to develop suburban tourism resorts and entertainment services in areas adjacent to Ho Chi Minh City; to develop cultural, historical, research and spiritual tourism.

c/ Agriculture, forestry and fisheries

- To develop commodity agriculture, forestry and fisheries, apply high technologies on an appropriate scale to these sectors in association with the processing industry and build product brands; to restructure key products toward creation of products of high added value and efficient and flexible land use.

- To develop 4 groups of major crops, including rice, vegetables, dragon fruits and lime; to build high-quality rice cultivation areas accounting for over 80% of the province’s total rice cultivation land area; to form vegetable production areas in Can Giuoc and Can Duoc districts; to develop concentrated dragon fruit-growing areas in Chau Thanh, Tan Tru and Thu Thua districts and Tan An city, concentrated lime-growing areas in Ben Luc, Duc Hue, Thanh Hoa, Thu Thua and Duc Hoa districts, and watermelon-rice rotation production areas in Tan Hung, Vinh Hung, Moc Hoa and Tan Thanh districts and Kien Tuong town.           

- To develop concentrated animal husbandry applying advanced husbandry techniques; to develop hi-tech beef cattle farms in Duc Hoa, Duc Hue, Tan Tru and Thu Thua districts, and dairy cow farms in suburban districts; to develop poultry farms in Thanh Ho, Ben Luc, Can Duoc, Duc Hoa and Can Giuoc districts, and pig farms in all localities of the province.

- To develop forestry in association with intensified mobilization of social resources for forest protection and development, focusing on the development of the Dong Thap Muoi biodiversity and herbal plant conservation zone and Lang Sen wetland reserve; to increase the protection forest area and develop mangrove forests adaptable to climate change.

- To develop freshwater aquaculture areas in the west and the east of Dong Thap Muoi region and blackish aquaculture areas in Can Duoc, Chau Thanh and Tan Tru districts.

d/ National defense and security

To build and consolidate firm national defense and security zones and cooperation border lines; to firmly maintain the national sovereignty and build the borderline of peace, friendship, stability, cooperation and development between Vietnam and Cambodia; to firmly grasp and correctly forecast possible developments and avoid state of passiveness and unpreparedness in national defense and security; to promptly detect and effectively respond to every circumstance likely to occur, thereby assuring political security and social order and safety.

2. Orientations for organization of socio-economic activities

To organize socio-economic activities after the model of “one center, two economic corridors, three socio-economic regions, and six dynamic axes”.

a/ Tan An city will be a political-administrative-core urban center-satellite urban center of Ho Chi Minh City; a hi-tech and modern trade-service-industrial center in the northeast of the Mekong River delta.

b/ Two economic corridors include:

- The ring road 3 and 4 corridor running along ring roads 3 and 4 of Ho Chi Minh City.

- The southern development corridor running along the inter-provincial dynamic axis from Ho Chi Minh City to Tien Giang province (through national highway 50B).

c/ Three socio-economic regions include:

- The urban and industrial region encompassing Duc Hoa, Ben Luc, Can Giuoc and Can Duoc districts, a part of Tan Tru district, Tan An city, and a part of Thu Thua and Chau Thanh districts. To focus on developing urban and industrial complexes, thereby forming a central urban development corridor in Ben Luc - Tan An, and industrial towns in Duc Hoa, Can Giuoc and Can Duoc districts; to develop hi-tech intensive-farming suburban agriculture in Chau Thanh and Tan Tru districts and Tan An city.

- The hi-tech agriculture, tourism and border-gate economic region encompassing Kien Tuong town and Vinh Hung, Tan Hung, Moc Hoa, Tan Thanh and Thanh Hoa districts and a part of Thu Thua district; to develop services and industry in border-gate economic zones; to develop eco-tourism in association with typical landscapes of Dong Thap Muoi region, striving to develop Dong Thap Muoi tourism brand into a national brand for promoting the province’s tourism; to develop Kien Tuong town into the center of Dong Thap Muoi region.

- The ecological buffer region encompassing Duc Hue district and a part of Thu Thua and Tan Tru districts; to develop hi-tech agriculture, with reasonable land areas reserved for the industrial development, ecological urban centers and intra-provincial transshipment zones.

d/ Six economic dynamic axes include:

- Ring road 3-ring road 4 dynamic axis connecting Long An province with the southeastern region and Ho Chi Minh City, and connecting to Long Thanh international airport and Long An port.

- National highway 50B dynamic axis connecting Ho Chi Minh City to Long An and Tien Giang provinces.

- The dynamic axis along national highway 62 connecting Tan An city to Long An border-gate economic zone and Dong Thap Muoi region.

- My Quy Tay - Luong Hoa - Binh Chanh dynamic axis connecting My Quy Tay border gate to the urban and industrial area in Ben Luc district and Ho Chi Minh City.

- National highway N1 dynamic axis connecting Long An province to the Mekong River delta, the southeastern region and the Central Highlands.

- Duc Hoa dynamic axis connecting My Quy Tay national border gate and the urban and industrial areas in Duc Hoa and Ben Luc districts to Ho Chi Minh City.

dd/ Territorial areas where conservation is required and development is limited

- Territorial areas where conservation is required and development is limited include architectural works and historical and cultural relics that need to be conserved and embellished, Lang Sen wetland reserve, Tan Lap floating village eco-tourism site, Dong Thap Muoi biodiversity and herbal plant conservation zone, areas prone to disaster risks such as riparian areas, reservoirs, and areas prone to landslides.

- To maintain the current state or embellish or renovate existing works or build new ones in conformity with the architectural state of these areas; to control construction activities, types, grades and architecture of construction works in conformity with landscapes and cultural traits that need to be conserved.

- To limit to the utmost activities that are likely to cause landslides; to strictly manage and limit the licensing of construction material exploitation and refrain from building industrial parks, cottage industry clusters and concentrated residential areas; to control the construction density, types and grades of construction works; to attach importance to using anti-landslide methods; to promote afforestation and greenery planting and application of measures to protect soil and other vegetation layers.

IV. URBAN SYSTEM, RURAL AREA AND FUNCTIONAL ZONE PLANNING

1. Urban system planning

a/ To formulate mechanisms and policies to promote the development of a harmonious urban system in compatibility with potential and advantages of urban centers, and economically and efficiently use land; to strongly develop urban centers adjacent to Ho Chi Minh City and the Dong Thap Muoi region center; to expand the scope and boundaries of existing urban centers that are not up to the area standards, particularly Tan An city, ensuring the total natural land area of 150 km² or more for the urban system, and prioritizing the urbanization to the northeast and southeast along the southern development corridor.

b/ To strive for the target that by 2030 there will be 27 urban centers, including 1 grade-I urban center (Tan An city); 1 grade-II urban center (Kien Tuong town); 3 grade-III urban centers (Ben Luc, Can Giuoc and Duc Hoa); 9 grade-IV urban centers (Can Duoc, Dong Thanh, Tan Hung, Vinh Hung, Tan Thanh, Thanh Hoa, Thu Thua, Tan Tru, and Tam Vu); and 13 grade-V urban centers (Rach Kien, Long Cang, Long Huu Dong, Long Trach, My Quy Tay, Binh Hoa Nam, Hung Dien B, Khanh Hung, Thai Binh Trung, Binh Phong Thanh, Hau Thanh Dong, Tan Long, and Lac Tan).

c/ Central urban areas and specialized centers include:

- Tan An city, as a trade, service, hi-tech and modern industry center in the northeast of the Mekong River delta and a gateway urban area between the southeastern region and the Mekong River delta.

- Duc Hoa, Ben Luc and Can Giuoc urban centers, as satellite urban centers playing the role of reducing the population and social and technical infrastructure pressure for Ho Chi Minh City.

- Kien Tuong town, as the center of Dong Thap Muoi region with the Long An border-gate economic zone, playing the dynamic role of promoting industrial activities, logistics, agricultural product processing and border trade with Cambodia.

d/ Other urban centers will play the role as political, administrative, economic, cultural and commercial centers of district-level administrative units.

(Details are provided in Appendix I to this Decision)

2. Rural area planning

a/ To develop rural residential areas after the model of new-style countryside on the basis of reorganizing existing residential areas, bringing into full play favorable natural conditions and limiting the use of cultivable land areas; to renovate and embellish existing residential areas and build new ones in association with development of agricultural production areas in conformity with natural conditions, traditions, customs and culture of each region and in adaptation to climate change; to develop complete and inter-connected technical and social infrastructure facilities.

b/ To develop craft villages in the province in association with the conservation and promotion of traditional culture bearing local features; to combine the development of rural occupations and trades with agricultural production and cottage industry activities, develop eco-tourism, school-tourism, and promote the province’s images.

c/ Rural residential areas are located mainly in the following 3 regions:

- Dong Thap Muoi region: To distribute rural population in residential clusters or lines associated with agricultural production areas and combine residential areas with community-based tourism models; to completely develop residential clusters and lines in Dong Thap Muoi region’s inundated areas.

- The central region and northern districts (Tan An city, and Thu Thua, Ben Luc, Duc Hoa and Duc Hue districts): To distribute the rural population in large-scale concentrated residential areas.

- The southern districts (Tan Tru, Chau Thanh, Can Duoc and Can Giuoc districts): to distribute the rural population in residential clusters and lines in craft villages and garden villages, gradually reducing scattered residential areas and increase the residential density of rural residential areas in the direction of urbanization.

3. Functional zone planning

a/ Development of economic zones

To develop Long An border-gate economic zone in Kien Luong town and Moc Hoa and Vinh Hung districts; to build Long An economic zone in Can Giuoc and Can Duoc districts into a hi-tech and innovative ecosystem and logistics center serving for it to serve as  the province’s new growth driving force when law-specified conditions and standards are fully met.

b/ Development of the system of industrial parks and cottage industry clusters

- To renovate and raise the efficiency of the work of investment attraction, focusing on investors with financial capability, advanced technologies and modern governance knowledge; to attract investment in sectors with high and environmentally friendly technologies and added value.    

- To establish 17 new industrial parks when relevant conditions and standards are fully met; to strive for the target that by 2030, the province will have 51 industrial parks on a total area of 12,433 ha.

- To plan 28 new cottage industry clusters on a total area of 1,808 ha, increasing the total number of cottage industry clusters in the province to 72 on a total area of 3,989 ha.

(Details are provided in Appendices II and III to this Decision)

V. PLANS ON DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNICAL INFRASTRUCTURE FACILITIES

1. Plans on development of the transport and logistics network

a/ National transport infrastructure facilities

- National highways, expressways, railways, seaports, and inland waterways must comply with national master plans.

- To form transport hubs connecting national transport infrastructure facilities to the provincial infrastructure system in order to enhance the inter-regional transport connectivity and promote the socio-economic development; to build more exitways and entryways on the eastern North-South expressway in Ben Luc and Thu Thua districts.

b/ Provincial transport infrastructure facilities

- Regarding roads:

+ To renovate and upgrade 53 existing provincial roads and build 29 new ones; to prioritize the upgrading and building of provincial road 827E, Duc Hoa dynamic axis, roads alongside national highway 62, My Quy Tay - Luong Hoa - Binh Chanh dynamic axis, and Tan Tap - Long Hau road; to upgrade existing urban roads and build new ones, thereby forming a complete and rational urban infrastructure system; to increase the total land area for building urban road infrastructure facilities equal to 18-20% of the total construction land area of urban centers.

+ To upgrade existing coach terminals and build new ones in the province’s districts, towns and city; to increase underground car parks (if any) beneath parks, gardens and large-sized construction complexes, and arrange car parks in combination with other land use functions to ensure convenient and safe connection.

- Regarding urban railways: To build 2 new urban railway routes from Hung Nhon to Tan An and from the new Can Giuoc coach terminal to Can Duoc to connect the central city with satellite towns and serve tourism development.

- Regarding special-use railways: To build a special-use railway route to connect the Ho Chi Minh City-Can Tho railway to Hiep Phuoc port, running through Ben Luc, Thu Thua, Tan Tru, Can Duoc and Can Giuoc districts and Nha Be district of Ho Chi Minh City.

- Regarding waterways:

+ To upgrade and renovate 5 existing transport routes, including (i) Tan Tap (Long An seaport) - Ben Luc - Duc Hoa; (ii) Tan Tap (Long An seaport) - Ben Luc - Moc Hoa; (iii) Tan Tap (Long An seaport) - Tan An - Duc Hoa; (iv) Tan Tap (Long An seaport) - Tan An - Moc Hoa; and (v) Phuoc Dong - Tan Kim, and 11 feeder routes;  

+ Inland waterway ports:

Group 1: To plan 18 cargo ports that can accommodate general and bulk cargo ships of a tonnage of between 1,000 and 2,000 tons.

Group 2: To plan 17 special-use ports, including oil and petrol ports and ports serving operation of a number of factories and industrial parks, that can accommodate ships of a tonnage of between 200 and 5,000 tons.

Group 3: To plan 14 complete passenger ports and landing stages along passenger transport routes under the province’s urban master plan.

c/ Inland container depots (ICDs) and logistics centers

- To plan 2 ICDs: Ben Luc ICD in Ben Luc district on an area of 10-15 ha and with a throughput of 150,000 TEU/year; and Tan Lap ICD in Thu Thua district on an area of 10-15 ha and with a throughput of 150,000 TEU/year.

- To build 10 logistics centers in Can Gio, Ben Luc, Chau Thanh, Can Duoc, Duc Hue and Tan Tru districts and Kien Tuong town to contribute to promoting economic exchange between the province and other provinces in the southeastern region and the Mekong River delta; to study building a logistics center in Duc Hoa district.

(Details are provided in Appendices IV, V and VI to this Decision)  

2. Plan on development of the electricity supply network

a/ Power plants

- To build Long An province’s LNG-fueled electricity center in the Long An port area with a capacity of 1,500 MW in the period until 2030, which will be increased to 3,000 MW in the period after 2030.

- To develop a solar power plant on an appropriate scale in potential areas in Duc Hue, Moc Hoa and Tan Thanh districts.

(Details are provided in Appendix VII to this Decision).

b/ The 500 kV high-voltage power grid

- To upgrade the Duc Hoa 500 kV station with a total capacity of 2 x 900 MVA, supplying electricity to industrial and urban areas in the northeastern area; to build the Long An 500 kV station with a capacity of 2 x 900 MVA, supplying electricity to the southeastern area; to build a 500 kV station, Long An 2, with a capacity of 2 x 900 MVA, supplying electricity to the central area and the Dong Thap Muoi plain, as support for the province’s eastern area.

- To retain the Nha Be-My Tho 500kV line and the Phu Lam-My Tho 500kV line crossing the province; to ensure safe isolation corridors; to build a 500kV line connecting the province’s Electricity Center to the Long An 500kV station, the Song Hau thermal power plant’s 500kV line to the Duc Hoa 500kV station, the Duc Hoa-Chon Thanh line, the 500kV line and the My Tho 500kV station to the Duc Hoa 500kV station, the 500kV feeder line connecting the Long An 500kV station to the Nha Be-My Tho 500kV line, the 500kV feeder line connecting the Duc Hoa 500kV station to the Phu Lam-Cau Bong 500kV line, and Long An 2 line to the Hau river-Duc Hoa feeder line.

c/ The 220kV high-voltage power grid

- To retain the capacity of three 220kV stations (Long An, Duc Hoa and Ben Luc); to increase the capacity of the Can Duoc 220kV station; to build eight 220kV stations (Duc Hoa 2, Duc Hoa 3, upgraded Duc Hoa, Tan Tap, Kien Tuong, Can Giuoc, Can Giuoc 2, and Duc Hue). The total capacity of the province’s 220kV stations will be around 5,750MVA.

- The 220kV lines will play the role of transmitting and supplying electricity to the 220kV source stations in the province.

d/ The 110kV high-voltage power grid

To renovate and upgrade the existing 110kV lines that no longer meet quality requirements, and build 110kV lines connected and supplying electricity to the new 110kV stations, ensuring the satisfaction of N-1 criterion.

dd/ The medium-voltage power grid

- To renovate existing medium-voltage main lines and feeder lines and build new ones to ensure electricity supply for residential areas.

- To build outlet lines for 110kV stations, increase the cross-section and loop link of medium-voltage axial lines to efficiently exploit 110kV transformer stations.

- To develop power grids for industrial parks, cottage industry zones, residential areas, urban areas, and other socio-economic establishments in the province.

(Details are provided in Appendices VIII and IX to this Decision).

3. Plan on development of the information and communications network

- To develop the post sector toward higher quality of digital services; to efficiently exploit and apply the address code platform associated with digital maps (Vpostcode); to develop professional, humanistic and modern journalism and communications; to form and develop a safe and convenient digital environment serving sustainable development on the basis of research and application of science and technology.

- To upgrade existing postal network infrastructure facilities and build new ones, focusing on the conversion of traditional infrastructure facilities into digital infrastructure facilities, and development of e-commerce and logistics; to promote the provision of public services via the public postal network; to build provincial-level postal networks in Tan An city, Ben Luc district and Kien Tuong town; to encourage all economic sectors to invest in building, operating and sharing postal infrastructure facilities.

- To develop interconnected, complete and modern information technology infrastructure, digital infrastructure and Internet of Things (IoT) networks to serve comprehensive digital transformation in the province; to make breakthroughs in infrastructure facilities and application of information and communications technology; to turn Long An into a province with high indicators in terms of development of digital government, digital economy and digital society of the whole country; to strive for the target that the digital economy will account for 15% of GRDP by 2030.

- To build and upgrade inter-provincial optical-fiber transmission lines (including also backup transmission lines) belonging to the lines of Ho Chi Minh City-Long An, Long An-Tien Giang, and Long An-Tay Ninh; to build intra-provincial optical transmission lines with high capacity, ensuring inter-district and inter-regional connection, especially for dynamic areas; to prioritize the development of Tan An city into a smart city, closely associated with the development of the Ho Chi Minh City region; to lay underground peripheral network infrastructure facilities in Tan An city; Kien Tuong town center; and Ben Luc, Duc Hoa and Can Giuoc urban areas; to strive for the target that by 2030, the 5G mobile broadband network will cover the entire population, proceeding to develop next-generation advanced mobile networks; to ensure that infrastructure development goes hand in hand with assurance of national defense, information security and network safety.

4. Plans on development of hydraulic-work, water supply and drainage networks

a/ Plan on development of the hydraulic-work network

To develop the system of hydraulic structures in conformity with relevant zoning plans, disaster prevention and control master plans, regional master plans and hydraulic-work master plans; to take the initiative in applying solutions to adapt to impacts of climate change, sea level rise, riverbank landslides, floods, high tides, seawater intrusion and upstream flow degradation; to promptly protect water sources and the ecological environment. The hydraulic-work network consists of 6 zones below:

- Zone I, embracing Vinh Hung and Tan Hung districts and part of Moc Hoa and Tan Thanh districts and Kien Tuong town.

- Zone II, embracing Moc Hoa and Thanh Hoa districts and part of Tan Thanh district.

- Zone III, embracing Duc Hue and Thu Thua districts and part of Ben Luc district.

- Zone IV, embracing Duc Hoa district.

- Zone V, embracing Ben Luc, Can Duoc and Can Giuoc districts and part of Duc Hoa district.

- Zone VI, embracing Chau Thanh, Tan An and Tan Tru districts and part of Ben Luc and Thu Thua districts.

(Details are provided in Appendix X to this Decision).

b/ Plan on development of the water supply network

- Division of water supply areas and major water-supply facilities:

+ The Duc Hoa-Can Giuoc area, embracing all urban areas and industrial parks and cottage industry zones located to the east of Vam Co Dong river (Can Duoc, Can Giuoc, Duc Hue and Duc Hoa districts) and part of Ben Luc district.

+ The Tan An area, embracing the whole Tan An city, the rest of Ben Luc district located to the west of Vam Co Dong river, and Thu Thua and Tan Tru districts.

+ The Dong Thap Muoi plain and Chau Thanh district, embracing Kien Tuong town, and Moc Hoa, Tan Hung, Vinh Hung, Tan Thanh, Thanh Hoa and Chau Thanh districts.

- Orientations for building Long An water plant (Duc Hoa district), and a water plant in Kien Tuong town; to renovate for increasing the capacity of Nhi Thanh water plant in Hoa Khanh Tay commune, Duc Hoa district, and 4 water plants in urban centers in the Dong Thap Muoi plain and Tam Vu township (Chau Thanh district).

- To develop the network of main pipelines and regional pipelines (level 1) in conformity with development orientations for water plants; to include in master plans the (level-2) distribution network and (level-3) service network as specified in detailed master plans, zoning master plans and specific projects; to control the exploited groundwater quality and output meeting sustainable development requirements in rural areas not yet connected to water plants and regional water supply networks.

(Details are provided in Appendix XI to this Decision).

c/ Plan on development of the surface water drainage system

The whole province will have 4 main basins for surface water drainage into Vam Co Tay, Vam Co Dong, Vam Co and Can Giuoc rivers, specifically as follows:

- Basin 1 embraces the areas of Vinh Hung, Tan Hung, Kien Tuong, Moc Hoa, west of Thu Thua, Tan Thanh, and Thanh Hoa; and Tan An, west of Chau Thanh, with a total area of around 235,000 ha; rainwater will be drained along canals and ditches into Vam Co Tay river.

- Basin 2 embraces the areas to the east and southwest of Duc Hue, and the southeast of Thu Thua; and the south of Tan Tru, with a total area of around 102,000ha; rainwater will be drained along canals and ditches into Vam Co Dong river.

- Basin 3 embraces the areas to the east of Tan Tru, part of the southeast of Chau Thanh, and south of Tan Tru, with a total area of around 33,000ha; rainwater will be drained along canals and ditches into Vam Co river.

- Basin 4 embraces Can Giuoc and Can Duoc areas, with a total area of around 42,000 ha; rainwater will be drained along canals and ditches into Can Giuoc river.

d/ Plan on development of the wastewater treatment system

- Tan An city will have 2-3 basins; each of urban areas of grade 4 or higher grade will have 1-2 basin(s); each of district-level urban areas and newly developed urban areas will have 1 basin. The surface water system in the locality will receive treated wastewater, ensuring satisfaction of distance and technical requirements stated in current technical regulations; to build a wastewater treatment system for concentrated urban areas.

- For industrial parks and cottage industry zones, it is required to use separate water drainage systems and to collect and treat wastewater in these parks and zones under current technical regulations and standards before it is discharged into the environment. For medical establishments, wastewater will be collected and treated in internal treatment tanks in facilities under current regulations before being discharged into the general collection system.

(Details are provided in Appendix XII to this Decision).

5. Plan on development of solid waste treatment facilities

- To build 1 solid waste treatment facility in Thu Thua district for treatment of normal solid wastes for Long An province and Ho Chi Minh City and for treatment of hazardous wastes for Long An, Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, Vinh Long and Dong Thap provinces; to upgrade and convert incineration technology at Tam Sinh Nghia factory for garbage treatment for Thanh Hoa and Tan Thanh districts; to build 3 solid waste treatment facilities in Duc Hue, Vinh Hung and Can Giuoc districts, each located on an area of at least 30ha.

- To establish solid waste transfer stations in all urban areas which are more than 20 kilometers far from solid waste treatment facilities; to locate small-sized solid waste transfer stations in urban areas with a service radius of up to 10 kilometers.

- Waste will be sorted at source. Treatment technologies include reuse-utilization, composting, incineration of non-recyclable wastes (waste incineration for electricity generation), and landfilling.

(Details are provided in Appendix XIII to this Decision).

6. Plan on development of fire prevention and fighting and salvage rescue

To plan locations for building infrastructure facilities for fire prevention and fighting and salvage and rescue in centers of districts, towns, cities, urban areas, industrial parks, cottage industry clusters and trade centers highly prone to fire and explosion, protection forests and special-use forests; to ensure convenience in terms of transport, water sources and communication in conformity with the national-level sectoral
master plan on fire prevention and fighting infrastructure under current regulations.

VI. PLANS ON SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT

1. Plan on development of the network of medical and healthcare establishments

- To develop the medical system meeting the people’s medical examination and treatment needs; to improve the operational efficiency of the preventive medicine and disease control system; to develop medical human resources, and train medical doctors and pharmacists.

- To ensure the synchrony of networks, infrastructure and physical foundations for medical examination and treatment, especially in areas where many industrial parks and cottage industry zones are located; to promote the mobilization of social resources for building non-public medical establishments.

+ To upgrade Long An province’s General Hospital into a class-I hospital when the law-specified conditions and criteria are met; to build infrastructure facilities and furnish equipment for the hospital to serve as a regional-level health center; to upgrade physical foundations and medical equipment of 12 provincial-level general hospitals and specialized hospitals, 16 district-level health centers and 4 other medical facilities as suitable to the medical examination and treatment capacity of medical workers.

+ To build 8 hospitals in Tan An city and Ben Luc district and 5 other medical establishments.

(Details are provided in Appendix XIV to this Decision).

2. Plan on development of the network of education and training institutions

- To build a contingent of teachers and education administrators meeting the requirements on fundamental and comprehensive education and training reform; to build smart education platforms with intensive application of information technology and digital technology.

- To develop systems and networks of early childhood schools and classes and general education schools to be complete, standardized and modernized; to promote the mobilization of social resources for development of non-public education institutions suitable to the practical education and training development in the locality; to accelerate the development of private early childhood education schools and general education schools in industrial parks, cottage industry zones and new urban areas.

+ To maintain and upgrade physical foundations and equipment in order to efficiently implement the new general education program and develop upper secondary education institutions and Long An University of Economics and Industry; to build Tan Tao University up to international standards; to establish a branch of Ho Chi Minh City University of Education on the basis of Long An Pedagogical College.

+ To build 13 upper secondary education institutions and Tam Anh University in Ben Luc district and consider building a number of universities to meet local development requirements.

(Details are provided in Appendix XV to this Decision).

3. Plan on scientific and technological development

- To intensify the application of science, technology and innovation in all sectors and fields from state management to socio-economic activities; to strive for the target that the total factor productivity (TFP)’s contribution to the provincial economic growth will surpass 50%; to take the initiative in seeking new technologies, technology transfer cooperation opportunities and scientific research outcomes.

- To increase investment in the development of science, technology and innovation toward modernity, meeting the province’s development requirements; to focus on biotechnology, pharmaceutical materials and hi-tech agriculture; to invest in the development of science and technology organizations and science and technology enterprises in the province; to consider building and developing startup and innovation centers of the province.

4. Plan on development of vocational education institutions and social assistance establishments

- To develop human resources with high professional qualifications and skills; to upgrade Long An College into a high-quality college and the Medical Secondary School into a medical college; to invest in physical foundations and equipment for provincial-level vocational education institutions; to mobilize social resources for the establishment of non-public vocational education institutions in localities having demand therefor; to establish new vocational education institutions meeting requirements of on-the-job human resource training for industrial parks and cottage industry zones in the province.

- To fully and promptly implement regimes and policies and promote the mobilization of social resources to care for persons with meritorious service to the revolution and social protection beneficiaries; to quickly narrow the rich-poor gap and region-locality gap in the province in terms of accessibility to social services, thereby ensuring sustainable poverty reduction; to realize gender equality; to guarantee children’s rights and create a safe and healthy living environment for children’s all-round development; to pay greater attention to disadvantaged children and lonely elderly people; to attach importance to social evil prevention and combat; to upgrade physical foundations of existing 8 social protection establishments; to build 7 new social protection establishments.

(Details are provided in Appendices XVI and XVII to this Decision).

5. Plan on development of cultural and sports institutions

- To preserve, protect and promote cultural identity; to invest in, conserve, embellish, and promote the values of, historical-cultural relics and scenic spots, giving priority to cultural and historical relics ranked as national-level relics; to pay attention to building grassroots cultural life, especially in rural, deep-lying and remote areas and areas accommodating many industrial parks and cottage industry zones; to strengthen linkage with the tourism industry in the sustainable development of cultural services; to promote the mass sports movement and develop high-performance sports.

- To develop the system of cultural and sports institutions and facilities so as to meet the people’s demand for creativity and enjoyment of cultural and sports values; to build the province’s museum-library and Dong Thap Muoi culture-sports center; to invest in the province’s culture-sports complex up to national standards; to develop golf courses for sports and tourism activities in Thu Thua, Duc Hoa, Ben Luc, Can Giuoc, Can Duoc and Duc Hue districts to ensure economical, sustainable and efficient exploitation and use of land resources.

(Details are provided in Appendix XVIII to this Decision).

6. Plan on development of the network of service, trade, exhibition and fair establishments

- To develop large-scale trade centers and markets in regional centers, sub-regions and border gates; to form high-quality multi-function, complex and general trade centers in Tan An city, Ben Luc urban area, Hau Nghia, Duc Hoa and Can Giuoc districts and Kien Tuong town; to organize the system of supermarkets in urban centers, industrial parks and tourist zones.

- To invest in a center for exchange of agricultural products and commodities in the Dong Thap Muoi plain; to complete the system of rural markets, particularly in deep-lying and remote areas, thereby facilitating commodity trading and exchange activities of farmers.

- To build an infrastructure system for petroleum and gas supply and stockpiling to ensure adequate, safe and continuous supply for socio-economic development and security and national defense assurance for the province and the region.

- To develop inter-provincial tourist routes connecting Long An province to Ho Chi Minh City and provinces in the Mekong Delta region, and intra-provincial tourist routes connecting Tan An city to Duc Hoa, Duc Hue, Moc Hoa, Tan Hung and Tan Thanh districts, and Vam Co river route; to prioritize investment in Lang Sen wetland reserve, Tan Lap floating village ecotourism site and Dong Thap Muoi biodiversity-herbal plant conservation area, and rural tourism in Tan Tay apricot-tree village, etc.; to develop a number of amusement parks in the districts in the vicinity of Ho Chi Minh City; to attract investment in high-quality, safe, modern and civilized tourism service establishments.

(Details are provided in Appendix XIX to this Decision).

VII. PLANS ON LAND ALLOCATION AND ZONING

Land resources shall be surveyed, evaluated, counted and inventoried, and economically, efficiently and reasonably used to meet requirements of socio-economic development and national defense and security assurance; education, culture and sports development; environmental protection and climate change adaptation, thereby creating a driving force for the province’s development. To ensure rational land use on the basis of balancing the land use demand of sectors and fields in conformity with norms of the approved 2021-2030 national land-use master plan.

- By 2030, the total land area of Long An province will be 449,478.66 ha, including around 328,875.66 ha of agricultural land and around 120,603.00 ha of non-agricultural land.

- To recover around 29,500.6 ha, including around 27,046.22 ha of agricultural land and around 2,454.38 ha of non-agricultural land.

- To repurpose around 27,046.22 ha of agricultural land to non-agricultural land.

The People’s Committee of Long An province shall formulate provincial-level land use plans, and district-level land use master plans and plans in conformity with plans on land allocation and zoning by functional area and land category stated in provincial master plans for use as a basis for land recovery for national defense, security and socio-economic development for the sake of national and public interests as specified in Clause 2, Article 63 of the Land Law.

(Details are provided in Appendix XX to this Decision).

VIII. PLANS ON CONSTRUCTION OF INTER-DISTRICT AND DISTRICT AREAS

1. Plans on construction of inter-district areas: To formulate master plans on inter-district areas in conformity with the province’s development orientations under regulations.

2. Plans on construction of district areas:

a/ The Can Duoc district area will be an industrial, urban, cultural and hi-tech agriculture area. In this area, it is planned to locate industrial parks, cottage industry zones and logistics centers connected to Long An international port, and develop hi-tech agriculture.

b/ The Chau Thanh district area will be the province’s key area for agricultural development. In this area, it is planned to develop hi-tech agriculture and build a logistics center to meet needs of large-scale agricultural development associated with the agricultural product processing industry.

c/ The Duc Hue district area will be an industrial, energy and service center. In this area, it is planned to develop industrial parks, cottage industry zones and a solar power plant; and develop border trade associated with the My Quy Tay-Luong Hoa-Binh Chanh dynamic axis.

d/ The Tan Tru district area will be an area for concentrated agricultural production and then for industrial and urban development. In this area, it is planned to develop large-scale and hi-tech aquaculture and invest in the agricultural product processing industry.

dd/ The Thu Thua district area will be a satellite area for supply of raw materials for industrial and urban development, and an area with potential for tourism development. In this area, it is planned to develop processing and clean industries; and form high-class urban and wellness tourism areas.

e/ The Thanh Hoa district area will be an area for development of agriculture and agricultural product processing industry. In this area, it is planned to develop cattle and poultry farms; and form agricultural product processing and concentrated agricultural production areas based on science and technology application.

g/ The Tan Thanh district area will be a transshipment center and an area for agricultural development and agricultural product processing. In this area, it is planned to develop cottage industry zones associated with agricultural product processing; and form agricultural production areas based on science and technology application.

h/ The Moc Hoa district area will be the province’s key area for agricultural development, and an area for development of ecotourism, trade and services. In this area, it is planned to form hi-tech agricultural areas; build destination brands and typical images of the Dong Thap Muoi plain associated with Tan Lap floating-village tourist site and the Dong Thap Muoi herbal plant conservation area, and develop infrastructure in the Binh Phong Thanh and Binh Hoa Tay areas.

i/ The Vinh Hung district area will be an area for agriculture and ecotourism development. In this area, it is planned to form concentrated agricultural production zones; build complete infrastructure facilities and promote the development of community-based ecotourism.

k/ The Tan Hung district area will be an agriculture and community-based ecotourism. In this area, it is planned to form a concentrated agricultural production zone and concentrated livestock production; and promote the development of community-based ecotourism.

IX. PLANS ON ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION; EXPLOITATION, USE AND PROTECTION OF NATURAL RESOURCES; DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AND CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION

1. Plans on environmental protection and nature and biodiversity conservation

a/ Zoning of areas for environmental protection

- Strictly protected areas: Lang Sen wetland reserve; Dong Thap Muoi biodiversity-herbal plant conservation area; concentrated residential area in grade-I urban area (Tan An city), grade-II urban area (Kien Tuong town) and grade-III urban areas (Ben Luc, Can Giuoc and Duc Hoa); and areas where surface water sources are used for domestic water supply in Duc Hoa - Can Giuoc, Tan An, Dong Thap Muoi and Chau Thanh areas.

- Low-emission zones: buffer zones of Lang Sen wetland reserve and Dong Thap Muoi biodiversity-herbal plant conservation area; important wetlands through which major rivers flow (Vam Co, Vam Co Dong, Vam Co Tay, and Rach Cat-Can Giuoc rivers); protection corridors for surface water sources used for domestic water supply; concentrated residential areas being the inner areas of urban centers of grade IV and grade V; water recreation areas; and other areas with environmentally sensitive elements that are vulnerable to impacts of environmental pollution and in need of protection.

- Other areas being remaining areas of the province.

(Details are provided in Appendix XXI to this Decision).

b/ Biodiversity conservation

- To ensure that most endemic species with scientific and economic values are effectively conserved; and most of natural forests and wetlands are considered for inclusion in strategies for operation and conservation at different levels.

- To integrate biodiversity conservation programs and plans into the province’s socio-economic development master plans and plans; to develop human resources and increase resources for biodiversity conservation.

- To build and develop a number of facilities for conservation of precious and rare animal and plant species and genetic resources; to effectively manage Lang Sen wetland reserve and Dong Thap Muoi biodiversity-herbal plant conservation area; to develop community-based biodiversity protection and management models, and formulate plans on stabilization of lives for the people in these reserves as well as population relocation and resettlement plans; to attach importance to the development of ecotourism and sightseeing; to intensify the provision of support for production investment in buffer zones.

(Details are provided in Appendix XXII to this Decision).

c/ Orientations for environmental protection in waste treatment facilities and cemeteries

- Orientations for environmental protection in waste treatment facilities: These facilities shall be located outside urban areas, ensuring a safe distance for environmental sanitation under current relevant technical regulations, which must not be close to watersheds or initials of wind directions; have complete technical infrastructure systems and systems for thorough leachate collection and treatment; and apply advanced and modern technologies.

- Orientations for environmental protection in cemeteries: Water used in cemeteries must satisfy sanitation standards. Wastewater shall be collected separately and treated up to current standards; wastes generated during burial activities shall be collected and transported to isolated areas and treated so as not to pollute the environment; wastes shall be treated under current regulations on treatment of infectious medical wastes.

d/ Environmental quality monitoring

To develop monitoring infrastructure, equipment and networks for each type of environment; to build automatic environmental monitoring stations, water environment monitoring stations and air environment monitoring stations. By 2030, the province will have 59 surface water environment monitoring stations and points; 77 points for periodical monitoring of the groundwater environment; 36 air environment monitoring stations and points; 28 points for periodical monitoring of the soil environment; and 5 points for periodical monitoring of the sediment environment.

dd/ Sustainable development of special-use forests, protection forests, production forests and forestry infrastructure facilities

- The total forest land area in Long An province is expected to reach 20,850 ha by 2030, including:

+ 1,820 ha of protection forests in Thanh Hoa district.

+ 2,560 ha of special-use forests mainly in Dong Thap Muoi biodiversity-herbal plant conservation area (Moc Hoa district) and Lang Sen wetland reserve (Tan Hung district).

+ 16,470 ha of production forests in Kien Tuong town and Tan Hung, Moc Hoa, Tan Thanh, Thanh Hoa, Duc Hue, Duc Hoa, Ben Luc and Thu Thua districts.

- To develop a system of forestry roads associated with roads serving forest patrol and protection in parallel with ecotourism; to build capacity for, and invest in complete and modern physical foundations and information technology infrastructure of, the forestry sector, particularly infrastructure serving the forest management and protection and forest fire prevention and fighting.

2. Plans on protection, exploitation and use of natural resources

a/ Protection, exploration, exploitation and use of natural resources

- To carry out basic geological surveys of minerals; to use advanced technologies to save energy and natural resources, ensuring the satisfaction of environmental standards and no impacts of mineral exploitation and processing projects on natural landscapes.

- To continue to explore, exploit and process mineral water for bottling; to include contents on ground leveling earth, brick and tile clay, sand for construction/sand for ground leveling, and peat in master plans on exploration, exploitation, processing and use of minerals as common construction materials.

(Details are provided in Appendix XXIII to this Decision).

b/ Zoning of areas banned or temporarily banned from mineral activities

- Areas where mineral activities are prohibited include: land areas for security, national defense and religious activities, historical-cultural-archaeological relics, and land areas for safety corridors of transport works, hydraulic structures, dikes, water supply and drainage systems, waste treatment systems, electricity, petroleum and gas conductive systems, and communication systems, except national defense land areas where exist minerals, mainly ground leveling earth, brick and tile clay, and 2 ground leveling earth mines included in the master plan on national highway N2.

- Areas where mineral activities are temporarily prohibited include 3 construction sand mines (in Duc Hoa, Duc Hue and Ben Luc districts), 4 mines of sand for ground leveling (in Can Giuoc, Can Duoc, Tan Thanh and Thanh Hoa districts) and Trap Mop Xanh peat mine in Thanh Hoa district.

3. Plan on exploitation, use and protection of water resources; prevention, control and remediation of water-caused harms

a/ Division of water resource zones:

- Zone I will embrace Tan Hung and Vinh Hung districts, and the western part of national highway 62 of Moc Hoa and Tan Thanh districts.

- Zone II will border the Vietnam-Cambodia borderline to the north; national highway 62 to the west; Tien Giang province to the south; and boundary between Thanh Hoa district and Duc Hue and Thu Thua districts to the east. This zone will embrace the whole Thanh Hoa district, part of Moc Hoa district and part of Tan Thanh district.

- Zone III will border Tay Ninh province to the north; the Vietnam - Cambodia borderline and Thanh Hoa district to the west; Thu Thua canal to the south; and Vam Co Dong river to the east, embracing the whole Duc Hue district and most of Thu Thua district’s area and the western part of Ben Luc district.

- Zone IV will embrace the whole Duc Hoa district.

- Zone V will border An Ha bridge canal to the north; Vam Co Dong river to the west; border Vam Co river and Tien Giang province to the south; and Ho Chi Minh City to the east, embracing the whole Can Giuoc, Can Duoc and Duc Hoa districts and part of Ben Luc district.

- Zone VI will be surrounded by Thu Thua and Bac Dong canals in the north; border Tien Giang province to the west and south; and surrounded by the Vam Co Dong and Vam Co rivers in the east, embracing the whole Tan An city, Chau Thanh and Tan Tru districts, part of Thu Thua district and part of Ben Luc district.

b/ Allocation of water resources

- The order of priority in allocation of water resources to water users in the planning period shall be as follows: domestic use; industry; tourism-services; agriculture; and fisheries.

- In normal conditions: Water sources will be sufficient to meet 100% of water demand, prioritizing water for domestic use, social security, and production sectors with high socio-economic efficiency.

- In case of drought or water shortage: The proportion of water allocation to water users will be 100% for domestic use, 90% for industrial activities, 85% for tourism-services,  80% for agriculture, and 75% for fisheries.

c/ Backup water sources for domestic use

- To extract water from groundwater sources by drilling wells, pump water into treatment systems, and then distribute treated water to each household. This method will be applied mainly to zones V and VI.

- To build reservoirs and surface water intakes in places where exist freshwater sources running from rivers and main canals, pump water to treatment tanks, and then distribute treated water to each residential quarter. This method is applied to zones I, II, III and IV.

- To build water tanks and install jars or dredge ponds in all regions during rainy seasons in places with scattered population.

d/ Water resource and water exploitation and use surveillance systems; water resource regulation, exploitation, use and development facilities;

- To upgrade and complete water resources monitoring networks to be synchronous, advanced, comprehensive and modern, ensuring uninterrupted and uniform connection and sharing of information. To invest in building concentrated and efficient water resource and water exploitation and use surveillance systems in conformity with socio-economic conditions in each period. To develop human resources capable of accessing and fully exploiting advanced scientific and technological achievements in the management and operation of the systems.

- To build water resource regulation, exploitation, use and development facilities in conformity with function-based zoning of water sources. The province’s axis system will be arranged in the west-east and northwest-southeast directions.

dd/ Water resource protection and rehabilitation of polluted, deteriorated or depleted water sources

- To effectively control waste sources; to collect and treat wastewater up to the prescribed technical regulations. To encourage production establishments to gradually renew machinery using water-saving technologies and enhance water re-use capacity. When put into operation, all industrial parks and cottage industry zones will have a rational greenery area; and industrial parks, cottage industry zones and establishments with a wastewater discharge flow of 1,000 m³ or more per day will conduct automatic output wastewater surveillance and monitoring under regulations.

- To improve water quality and remedy pollution in polluted river sections and intra-provincial water sources; to maintain and protect the quality of surface water sources that have not been polluted to ensure water quality.

e/ Solutions for raising the quality and effectiveness of the prevention, control and remedy, warning, forecasting and mitigation of water-caused harms

- To complete and upgrade the water resource information system and database, associated with local databases on the environment, land and other disciplines of the natural resources and environment field, ensuring integration with the central systems and databases.

- To plan the construction of urban centers, residential areas, traffic works, and production activities in the riverside which must neither obstruct the flow nor cause man-made flooding but ensure drainage.

- To intensify the management of sand mining and waterway transport activities on rivers, riverside activities, and other production activities that may increase the risk of riverbed and river bank erosion, especially for rivers that play an important role in providing water for large-scale water intake projects and important waterway transport activities.

4. Plan on disaster prevention and control and response to climate change

a/ Risk zoning by type of natural disaster in the province and identifying priority areas for prevention and control of each type of natural disaster

- Floods flow from the upstream area of the Mekong River through canals into the Dong Thap Muoi region; floods overflow through the borderline with Cambodia and floods from the upstream areas of Vam Co Dong and Vam Co Tay rivers.

- Salinity intrusion, droughts and heatwaves in Can Duoc, Can Giuoc, Chau Thanh, Tan Tru, Thu Thua districts and Tan An city.

- Landslides and land subsidence in Thanh Hoa, Can Giuoc, Can Duoc, Ben Luc, Tan Tru, Chau Thanh districts and Tan An city.

- Thunderstorms, tornadoes, lightning and hails in Tan Hung, Vinh Hung, Tan Thanh, Thu Thua, Tan Tru, Can Giuoc districts and Kien Tuong town.

- Forest fires in Duc Hue, Tan Hung, Thanh Hoa and Thu Thua districts.

b/ Plan on natural disaster risk management and response to climate change

- To timely and effectively provide forecast and warning of the risks of disasters and climate change and establish a system for surveiling and assessing the impacts thereof. To ensure the resilience of infrastructure systems to climate change; to renovate, upgrade existing natural disaster prevention and control works and build new ones to ensure safety for people. To update the disaster prevention and control database in the province.

- To effectively implement the Climate Change Adaptation Plan in the province. To focus on making and updating the list of establishments subject to greenhouse gas inventory and strengthen inspection and supervision.

X. LIST OF PROJECTS PRIORITIZED FOR INVESTMENT

Based on orientations for development of key sectors and fields and orientations for organizing socio-economic activities, to identify large and important projects that help create a driving force for growth and socio-economic development for investment and investment attraction, depending on the demand and capacity to balance and mobilize investment capital in each period.

(Details are provided in Appendix XXIV to this Decision.)

XI. SOLUTIONS AND RESOURCES FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MASTER PLAN

1. Mobilization of investment capital

a/ To concentrate on mobilizing resources for development investment. Based on the state budget balance capacity, to prioritize investment capital sources for important technical and social infrastructure facilities so as to lead and attract investment from other economic sectors, creating sources to promote the fast and sustainable development of the province’s growth impetus regions. To formulate and implement mechanisms and policies to encourage domestic and international groups to invest in large-scale production and business activities in the province. To accelerate the mobilization of funds from non-state sectors for education and training, healthcare, environmental protection and other social welfare sectors.

b/ To step up administrative reform, improve business and investment environment, enhance provincial competitiveness, create breakthroughs in investment attraction for development of infrastructure, especially transport infrastructure, in accordance with law; to attract and raise the proportion of foreign direct investment in the total social investment capital.

c/ To formulate breakthrough policies and mechanisms in accordance with law to attract strategic investors capable of leading and forming ecosystems of key economic sectors.

2. Human resource development

a/ To adopt policies to attract human resources, especially high-quality human resources and skilled workers in association with labor restructuring; to promote vocational training at vocational education institutions; to strengthen linkages between vocational education institutions and the labor market and enterprises; to ensure material and spiritual lives of workers working and living in the province for a long term. To efficiently use human resources for economic sectors, especially important sectors, processing and manufacturing industries, energies, logistics and seaports.

b/ To raise public service ethics; to renovate recruitment forms; to effectively carry out personnel planning work, provide training and further training to, arrange, and use, the contingent of cadres, civil servants and public employees who possess sufficient qualities, capabilities and prestige to serve the people.

3. Environmental solutions

To effectively disseminate information and conduct communications about environmental protection. To apply international environmental management standards; to develop and apply circular economy, clean production, and energy- and natural resource-saving models in all sectors and fields in the province. To proactively cooperate with other localities in the country and international partners in environmental protection. To focus on enhancing state management capacity for environmental issues.

4. Science-technology and digital transformations

a/ To intensify the application of scientific and technological achievements, especially digital technology, in all socio-economic fields; to build e-government, digital government and smart cities.

b/ To promote scientific and technological research and application and investment in physical foundations; to develop international cooperation and integrate into science and technology markets. To ensure the spending on science, technology and innovation make up 2% or more of the total annual state budget expenditures and gradually increase to meet science and technology development requirements.

5. Development association mechanisms and policies

 a/ Regional and national cooperation

- To intensify cooperation with Ho Chi Minh City and adjacent provinces, giving priority to cooperation in linking national and regional key traffic routes, developing logistics services, farm produce processing, industrial parks, waste treatment, and energy. To proactively and actively participate in coordination and linkage activities in the Mekong River delta, closely coordinate in processing and exporting farm produce, building infrastructure and providing logistics and special services to support the export of agricultural products.

- To enhance cooperation with southeastern provinces in building hi-tech industrial development clusters, especially in electronics, hi-tech agriculture and urban development.

- To diversify inter-locality and inter-regional cooperation channels. To step up coordination between levels of administration; to encourage and prioritize cooperation between enterprises, unions and trade associations.

b/ International cooperation

- To assure security and stability in the area bordering Cambodia; to ensure the fulfillment of development targets of the non-tariff zone and logistics system in Long An border-gate economic zone.

- To complete information collection and data connection and sharing for key markets, large, potential countries and partners.

- To expand cooperative relations with foreign countries and localities. To take initiative in seeking, connecting and maintaining close cooperation with international organizations and non-governmental organizations, and attend international and regional forums.

6. Urban and rural development management and control

a/ To improve the local administration’s  capacity to meet management requirements in urban and rural areas to ensure development along the line of modernity, civilization and environmental friendliness.

b/ To formulate and synchronously implement mechanisms and policies to develop urban centers which are regional centers into modern and smart cities. To regulate and strictly control urban population growth.

c/ To strictly manage and ensure the synchronous building of social and technical infrastructure systems. To continue effectively implementing schemes and programs on development of urban centers for adaptation to climate change and prevention and control of disasters and epidemics; to carry out urban renovation, embellishment, reconstruction and upgrading; to build and develop smart cities; to build new-style countryside in conformity with urbanization.

7. Organization and supervision of the implementation of the Master Plan

a/ To review, adjust and supplement current master plans on construction of inter-district and district areas, district-level land use master plans, and other master plans and formulate new ones in accordance with the planning law, ensuring their consistency.

b/ To formulate plans on implementation and regularly update and concretize the contents of master plans into 5-year and annual plans. All levels, sectors and district-level People’s Committees shall review, adjust and supplement development programs and plans to ensure their conformity with approved master plans. In the course of implementation, to regularly supervise and periodically evaluate the implementation of master plans under regulations.

c/ The organization of implementation of master plans need to be renovated to be suitable to the practical situation and international practice. To arrange dedicated leaders and qualified cadres and adopt management mechanisms of high effect and effectiveness so as to successfully implement the Master Plan.

XII. PLANNING MAPS

A detailed list of maps of the Master Plan on Long An province for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050, is provided in Appendix XXV to this Decision.

Article 2

1. The Master Plan shall serve as a basis for the formulation of urban and rural master plans, district-level land-use master plans, and technical and specialized master plans of Long An province in accordance with relevant laws.

2. Responsibilities of the People’s Committee of Long An province:

a/ To organize the announcement and publicization of the Master Plan in accordance with the planning law.

b/ To formulate and promulgate the Plan on implementation of the Master Plan.

c/ To continue implementing environmental protection requirements and regulations when organizing the implementation of projects to realize the Master Plan, ensuring the harmony between socio-economic development and environmental protection, thus contributing to quick and sustainable development; to organize environmental monitoring, surveillance and management; to store environmental databases and share environmental information and databases to serve digital transformation in the course of implementation of the Master Plan.

d/ To take full responsibility for the system of planning maps, diagrams, databases, records and the list of projects prioritized for investment in the planning period promulgated together with this Decision. The grant of approval for, or decision on, investment policy for projects not yet included in the list of projects priorized for investment promulgated together with this Decision must be consistent with the Master Plan specified in Article 1 of this Decision and other relevant master plans (if any); the investment policy deciders shall take full responsibility before law for their decisions.

3. To review the Master Plan after national master plans are decided or approved by competent authorities. If detecting any contradictions with higher-level master plans, to make adjustments and submit them to the Prime Minister for consideration and approval under Point c, Clause 1, Article 2 of the National Assembly’s Resolution No. 61/2022/QH15 of June 16, 2022 .

In the course of study and implementation of specific projects, agencies competent to approve or decide investment policy shall take full responsibility for the determination of project locations, areas, scale and capacity and investment phases, ensuring the conformity with their implementation schedules and practical conditions and compliance with Article 1 of this Decision and current relevant laws.

Article 3. The Chairperson of the People’s Committee of Long An province shall take responsibility before law for the accuracy of data, documents, records, maps, diagrams, databases and appendices (to this Decision) in the Master Plan’s dossier and shall:

1. Formulate 5-year and annual plans, key development programs and specific projects for implementation of the Master Plan.

2. Study, formulate and promulgate, or submit to competent authorities for promulgation, mechanisms and policies suitable with development requirements and in accordance with law to mobilize resources for implementation of the Master Plan.

3. Continue applying environmental protection requirements and regulations when organizing the implementation of projects on implementation of the Master Plan, ensuring the harmony between socio-economic development; organize environmental monitoring, surveillance and management; store environmental databases and share environmental information and databases to serve digital transformation in the course of implementation of the Master Plan.

4. If wishing to implement projects planned for investment after 2030 to serve socio-economic development and capable of mobilizing resources therefor, report thereon to competent authorities for approval of ahead-of-schedule investment.

Article 4. Related ministries and sectors shall, within the ambit of their assigned functions and tasks, guide the People’s Committee of Long An province in implementing the Master Plan; and when necessary, coordinate with the province in studying, formulating or submitting to competent authorities for promulgation appropriate mechanisms and policies in order to mobilize and efficiently use resources for implementation of the Master Plan.

Article 5. This Decision takes effect on the date of signing.

Article 6. Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government-attached agencies, and the Chairperson of the People’s Committee of Long An province shall implement this Decision.-

For the Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister
TRAN HONG HA

* All appendices to this Decision are not translated.