Prime Minister Dung urges progress on key projects

25 July 2006

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung urged ministries and agencies at conference on Saturday to hasten implementation of key projects, amend regulations to conform to the nation’s integration process and the market mechanism, and further decentralise administration of investment.

Dung stressed especially the need for regulations on ground clearance and resettlement.

He asked the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) to complete a report showing obstacles to progress on key projects as well as proposing solutions which could serve as a basis for a new directive on State administration in infrastructure construction in the second half of this year.

According to the MPI, investment in development in the first six months of this year was estimated at VND39.5 trillion (US$2.43 billion), accounting for 48 per cent of this year’s target and a 23 per cent increase from last year. State capital investment alone reached VND36 trillion ($2.25 billion), accounting for 47.6 per cent of this year’s target.

Foreign direct investment continued to increase during the first half of the year, with newly-licensed projects totalling $2.8 billion, an increase of 4.2 per cent over the same period last year.

Gross domestic product (GDP) in the first six months grew 7.4 per cent, with the agriculture-forestry-aquaculture growing 3 per cent; industry and construction, 9.3 per cent; and services, 7.7 per cent.

Total rice output grew to 17.6 million tonnes, an increase of 100,000 tonnes over the same period last year. Aquaculture output gained 1.7 million tonnes in the last six months, increasing 8.1 per cent over last year.

Sales of retail goods and social consumption increased 19.7 per cent compared to the same period last year. Export turnover gained $18.7 billion, increasing 25.7 per cent over the same six-month period last year.

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