Vietnam Today

The Prime Minister has issued a Decision allocating targets for land use planning in the 2021-2030 period and a five-year national land-use plan for 2021-2025 for all 63 cities and provinces, the Ministry of National Defense, and the Ministry of Public Security. In Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the use of agricultural land will decrease gradually, while non-agricultural land and urban land will increase gradually.

At a meeting with leaders from south-central Khanh Hoa province on March 13, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that the province must closely combine socio-economic development with solidly protecting national sovereignty and diversify its resource mobilization for development. In particular, planning must be in place for its Truong Sa (Spratly) island district to become an economic, cultural, and social center at sea.

On March 12, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and a delegation visited the Van Phong Economic Zone in south-central Khanh Hoa province and the construction sites of its functional zones. The Prime Minister said it is necessary to promote public-private partnerships (PPPs) in infrastructure to further develop the economic zone, which clearly has outstanding potential and competitive advantages in economic development, especially in the marine economy and tourism.

In a recent report, the World Bank (WB) assessed that economic activity in Vietnam is continuing to recover, with a number of bright spots clearly visible, and recommended that the country encourage export enterprises to seek new markets and create new products through global value chains and FTAs to strengthen export resilience.

The “Climate Public Expenditure and Investment Review (CPEIR)” report shows that total budget spending on climate change by six ministries and 29 surveyed cities and provinces was nearly $6.5 billion in the 2016-2020 period. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Transport account for 80 per cent of spending.

A Maritime Transport Working Group (MTWG) conference was held in Hanoi on March 9 and 10. Vietnam and ASEAN countries are to make efforts to maintain a safe seaport chain to cope with the lingering effects of the pandemic. The country has signed seven maritime and shipping agreements with ASEAN countries and six agreements on recognizing the professional qualifications of seamen under the 1978 STCW Convention (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping).