Deputy PM Phuc urges steering committees to exchange experience

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has called on steering committees for the Northwestern, Central Highlands and Southwestern regions to step up involvement in sharing experience with one another as a way to enhance their performance.

Deputy PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc during a meeting with three steering committees for Vietnam's poorest regions
Deputy PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc during a meeting with three steering committees for Vietnam's poorest regions

The deputy PM said on March 17 that steering committees should continue discussing the issue of linking regional areas to change the mind-set of only caring for local interests and promote collaboration for comparative advantages of the entire region in socio-economic development.

He noted that committee officials should highlight new production models and outstanding examples so that local people and authorities can learn from and use them to gradually eliminate poverty.

The Northwestern, Central Highlands and Southwestern regions are the most disadvantaged in Vietnam.

Deputy Chairman of the Steering Committee for the Southwestern region Nguyen Phong Quang proposed that competent agencies amend a number of legal documents to make them more relevant to the current situation.

Meanwhile Deputy Chairman of the Steering Committee for the Northwestern region Truong Xuan Cu said locally constructed policies are needed to develop the region, saying that there are many policies for northwestern provinces but not all of them are effective.

He added that the link between localities in the greater region is weak, especially between urbanised areas and less developed ones.

On the same day, Deputy PM Phuc had a meeting with the High Command of Military Region 9 in Can Tho city where he urged the military region to build a strong defence force and co-ordinate closely with border guard and public security forces to combat illegal trafficking of petrol and tobacco along the border.