DECISION

APPROVING THE MASTER PLAN ON SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF BAC KAN PROVINCE THROUGH 2020

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the December 25, 2001 Law on Organization of the Government;
Pursuant to the Government's Decree No. 92/ 2006/ND-CP of September 7. 2006, on the formulation, approval and management of socioeconomic development master plans; and Decree No. 04/2008/ND-CP of January 11, 2008, amending and supplementing a number of articles of Decree No. 92/2006/ND-CP of September 7, 2006;
At the proposal of the People's Committee of Bac Kan province,

DECIDES:

Article 1. To approve the master plan on socio-economic development of Bac Kan province through 2020 (below referred to as the plan), with the following principal contents:

I. DEVELOPMENT VIEWPOINTS

1. To create sustainable internal strengths and concurrently take advantage of external resources: to bring into play advantages and effectively use resources in order to boost the economic growth and gradually improve the growth quality.

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3. To place Bac Kan province*s development within the general development strategy of the whole country and the northern midland and mountainous region. To develop Bac Kan province into an open economic area with trade relations with other provinces. To expand cooperative relations in economic, cultural, educational and healthcare sectors and. at the same time, take the initiative in international integration as a basis for development.

4. To associate economic growth with social and cultural development; to create opportunities for every citizen to participate in common affairs and benefit from development achievements; to narrow the gap in living standards among people of different strata and among areas in the province. To create jobs and accelerate hunger eradication and poverty alleviation, paying special attention to extreme difficulty-stricken areas and areas with a large number of social policy beneficiaries. To combine economic development with social development, preservation of national cultural straits and promotion of the province's cultural and historical values.

5. To develop urban centers as development centers tied with surrounding rural areas. To accelerate urban development along the line of modernization while building a new civilized countryside where cultural values of villages, hamlets and communes will be well preserved. To combine the industrialization of agriculture and rural sector with the expansion and building of new urban centers in key economic areas.

6. To make the fullest use of the human factor, considering quality of human resources an important element in accelerating socio­economic development. To prioritize human resource training and development and adopt appropriate policies to strongly promote the creativeness of human resources and attract high-quality human resources to meet the province's socio-economic development requirements.

7. To combine socio-economic development with environmental protection, ensuring sustainable development in all economic, social and environmental areas. To exploit natural resources without adversely affecting and degrading the environment and natural landscape so as to maintain eco-balance and sustainable development.

8. To closely combine socio-economic development with security and defense consolidation; to build strong political and administrative systems; to increase the capacity of preventing and responding to natural disasters, floods and inundation in the province.

II. DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES

1. General objectives

To build and develop Bac Kan province in all economic, cultural, social and environmental fields by promoting the province's comparative advantages in forest and mineral resources for quick and sustainable development. To positively change economic and labor structures. To develop agriculture based on forest resources and husbandry under the forest canopy. To develop industries on the basis of processing industries. To protect the environment, create jobs and stable incomes for laborers so as to improve their living standards. To strive to attain moderately good results in living standard, cultural and social norms compared to the national average; to narrow the income gap among different population communities and areas in the province. To develop infrastructure facilities to meet economic development, social life and defense and security requirements. To develop information infrastructure and the power industry to satisfy the requirements of daily-life and production activities. To consolidate the unity block of all ethnic groups. To firmly maintain defense, security and social order and safety.

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a/ Economic targets:

- The annual average gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate will reach over 15% during 2011-2015 and over 14% during 2016-2020; GDP at real prices in 2015 will be 2.9 times the 2010's figure while the 2020's figure will be 2.6 times that of 2015. Annual per capita GDP at real prices will reach VND 26.4 million by 2015 and VND 65-66 million by 2020, approximately 59% and 75% of the national average;

- To carry out economic restructuring in the direction of gradually reducing the ratio of the agricultural sector while increasing those of industrial and service sectors, especially tourism and trade. Agriculture will be developed with husbandry as its spearhead which will be based on a clean agriculture with the application of modern technologies and bio-technologies.

Industries will be quickly developed through accelerating processing industries while services will be developed with a high added value proportion. Industries and construction will account for 31%, services 34%, and agriculture and forestry 35% of GDP by 2015, and 41%, 30% and 29% by 2020, respectively.

- The province's export turnover will reach USD 10 million by 2015, and over USD 30 million by 2020;

- Revenue mobilization will account for 11-12% of GDP by 2015, and 12-12.5% by 2020;

- The total investment capital demand will be about VND 22 trillion during 2011-2015 and VND 50 trillion during 2016-2020. The annual growth rate of investment capital will be 34% during 2011-2015 and 32% during 2016-2020.

b/ Social development targets:

- The annual natural population growth rate will be reduced to 1.2% by 2015 so as to attain a stable growth rate of 1.1 % after 2015. The ratio of urban population will be 20% by 2015, and 30% by 2020. The proportion of agricultural labor to the total workforce will decrease to 65% by 2015, and 58.4% by 2020;

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- The ratio of trained labor to the total labor force will reach 35% by 2015, and 45-50% by 2020. The percentage working time of rural laborers will reach 85% by 2015, and 90% by 2020. The urban employment rate will be reduced to 3.2-3.5% and about 7,000 jobs will be created on an annual average during the planning period.

- The poor household ratio will be reduced by 3-3.5% on an annual average to below 10% by 2015. By 2020, there will be no household living below the current poverty line;

- To firmly maintain the results of lower secondary education universalization. By 2015, 2 district-level units will reach lower secondary education universalization standards while by 2020,6 district-level units and more than haft of commune-level units will reach these standards;

- By 2015, all communes will reach the pre­school education universalization standards for five-year-old children;

- About 80% of communes and wards will reach the national standard on commune-level healthcare, all villages and hamlets will have basic-degree health workers and all commune-level health stations will have doctors. By 2015, there will be about 8 doctors for every 10,000 people and 10 doctors for every 10,000 people by 2020;

- The malnutrition rate of under-5 children will be reduced to below 20% by 2015. and below 12% by 2020;

- By 2015, all communes will have cultural, information and sports centers and cultural and information institutions; 90% of villages and hamlets will have cultural houses and places for community-based cultural activities; all households will have access to radio and television broadcasts. By 2020. these rates will be 100%.

c/ Environmental protection targets:

- To plant trees on deserted land and bare hills and mountains; the forest coverage will reach 62% by 2015, and over 65% by 2020;

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- By 2015, 80% of garbage in district centers and 100% of garbage in the center of Bac Kan town will be collected and treated, over 70% of solid waste will be collected and treated while hazardous hospital waste will be collected and basically treated by 2015. and by 2020, this rate will increase to 100%.

d/ Defense and security targets:

To firmly maintain security, defense and social order and safety and strive to attain the enlistment rate according to regulations.

III. DEVELOPMENT ORIENTATIONS OF SECTORS

1. Agriculture, forestry and fisheries

To strive to attain the annual growth rate of 8% during 2011-2015 and 7% during 2016-2020 for agriculture, forestry and fisheries. The share of agriculture, forestry and fisheries in GDP will be 35.1% by 2015 and 29% by 2020, while its labor ratio will decrease to 65.8% by 2015 and 58,4% by 2020. The production value of husbandry will account for 40%, cultivation, 59% and services, 1% by 2015, while by 2020, these figures will be 60%, 39% and 1%, respectively. To carry out industrialization and modernization so as to create a qualitative breakthrough in agricultural, fisheries and forest production and rural economy. To raise the technological level and apply advanced sciences and technologies in agricultural production, forestry, fisheries and processing in order to increase income and economic benefits per hectare of agricultural land. To invest in the building and extension of models of agricultural production with the application of high technologies and clean technologies. To establish production relations in conformity with the agricultural and rural economy. Specifically:

a/ Agriculture:

- Cultivation: To conduct intensive cultivation of food crops, using new varieties of high yield (striving to attain the productivity of 5.5 tons of rice/hectare and 4 tons of hybrid maize/hectare) and high quality; to develop the growth of tobacco, soybean, peanut and sugar cane, using new varieties and applying advanced technologies so as to improve productivity and quality; to conduct intensive fanning and form food belts to provide clean vegetables to urban centers; to plant flowers to meet market demands; to concentrate efforts on developing such fruit trees as seedless persimmon, orange and tangerine. To build and develop consolidated production areas, including 1,000-hectare areas under orange and tangerine in Bach Thong and Cho Don districts and Bac Kan town; 700-hectare areas under soybean and taro in Bach Thong, Ba Be and Cho Moi districts and Bac Kan town; 500-hectare areas under seedless persimmon in Ba Be. Ngan Son and Cho Don districts; and 1,000-hectare areas under tobacco in Ngan Son, Cho Moi, Na Ri, Cho Don and Bach Thong districts;

- Husbandry: To increase buffalo, cow, goat and pig herds and poultry flocks by developing industrial and semi-industrial rearing farms. First of all, to apply semi-industrial modes to raise livestock on flat land and hills. By 2015, the cattle herd will increase by 1.5 times the current figure while the 2020's figure will be 1.7 times that of 2015, while attaching importance to livestock products.

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- To accelerate forestry economy, strongly shifting to the development of production forests to serve the processing of key products such as bamboo mats, wood furniture, artificial boards, paper and forest specialties. To develop 3 kinds of forests, special-use forests with 25,600 hectares (including 9,022 hectares of Ba Be national park, 14,722 hectares of Kim Hy nature reserve and 1,788 hectares of Nam Xuan Lac wild species conservation zone), including 24,300 hectares of forest land and 1,300 hectares of land without forests; protection forests with 94.200 hectares, including 69,300 hectares of forest land and 24.900 hectares of land without forests; and production forests with 268,300 hectares, including 170,000 hectares of forest land and 98,300 hectares of land without forests;

- To accelerate the planting of production forests to provide raw materials for the timber processing industry, striving to plant 60,000 hectares of forests in the next 5 years.

c/ Fisheries: To make full use of ponds, lakes and water surface for fisheries development;

d/ Rural development: To speed up investment in rural infrastructure, especially in transport and irrigation works; to strongly develop cottage industries using local materials, expand services and create non-agricultural jobs to boost the process of labor restructuring in rural areas; and to accelerate the planning and building of a new countryside.

2. Industries, construction and cottage industries

To strive to reach the annual average growth rate of 26% during 2011-2015 and 20% during 2016-2020. The share of industries and construction in GDP will be 31.2% by 2015, and 40.7% by 2020. while its labor ratio will be 13.7% by 2015. and 16.6% by 2020. To accelerate industrial development in order to create a motive force for promoting the province's economic growth, increase contributions to the economy and lay a foundation for the agricultural and rural industrialization and modernization. Specifically:

a/ To concentrate investment in developing potential and advantageous industries and carry out industrial restructuring along the line of further focusing on mining and processing, agricultural and forest product processing, electronics, mechanical assembling and manufacture during 2011-2015 and directing lo the production of high-quality consumer products and hi-tech industries during 2016-2020 in conformity with the province's conditions and market demands;

b/ To exploit minerals of rich deposits to supply materials for industrial production and export; to combine the development of metallurgy with mining which will be developed from small lo large scale both extensively and intensively, modernizing existing establishments while building new plants; to attach importance to the renovation, expansion and renewal of equipment lo increase the output and quality of local mechanical products; lo focus on developing agricultural and forest product processing in association with the local material sources: to restore and develop traditional craft villages, develop brands for such products and goods as "dan tinh" (a long-necked lute with a gourd body and two or three silk strings), traditional brocades, handicraft and art works and bamboo and rattan articles so as to make full use of local materials and workforce, creating employment and increasing income for people; to diversify trades by adopting new ones in order to create more jobs for rural laborers;

c/ To combine industrial development with urban development, forming small urban centers along trunk roads and near big urban centers and industrial parks. To form economic centers and urban quarters serving as a pervasive basis for boosting economic development while meeting the requirements of defense and security consolidation.

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To strive to reach a growth rate of 16-17% during 2011-2015 and 14-15% during 2016-2020. The share of services in GDP will be 33.8% by 2015, and 30.4% by 2020. The rate of labor in the service sector will reach 20.5% by 2015, and 54.4% by 2020. To focus on quickly developing trade, services and tourism into the province's key sectors, prioritizing trade, transport, warehousing and storage, post and telecommunications, banking, finance and credit, insurance, real estate and tourism. To develop an export-led economy with the target of reaching an annual average growth rate of export turnover of 11-12% during 2011-2020. Specifically:

a/ To prioritize the development of services that serve industrial production such industries as mining, transport, trade and tourism in association with the economic corridor along national highway 3 and the border-gate economies of Cao Bang and Lang Son provinces; to develop finance and banking, technology and telecommunications services.

b/ To improve the quality of trade services to meet production and consumption demands with reasonable and stable charges suitable to the integration and competition process;

c/ To enhance the provincial administration's regulating and managing role, assuring sustainable trade development, stabilizing the market, detecting and preventing negative practices such as trading in fake goods, poor-quality goods or smuggling;

d/ To invest in developing a commercial infrastructure system of a reasonable scale and level while further improving the common infrastructure system; to build a network of markets, including wholesale markets in urban areas, farm produce markets as well as wholesale and retail networks in the province;

e/ To develop high-quality human resources, including a pool of state management officials who possess planning, management and administration qualifications: to qualitatively and quantitatively develop a contingent of qualified businessmen experienced in doing business under the market mechanism in the context of international integration; to develop a contingent of skilled employees and workers.

4. Tourism

To strive for the target that the total number of tourist arrivals (both domestic and foreign) will increase by 25-28% and tourism turnover will increase by 30-35% on an annual average. To diversify the province's tourism products and develop brands for eco-tourism, cultural and historical tourism products and festivals. Specifically:

a/ To strongly develop tourist routes, combining the province's tourism with tourism in Hanoi and the northern midland and mountainous region.

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c/ To embellish and upgrade revolutionary-historical and cultural relics in the province to serve sightseeing tours and revolutionary education for next generations;

d/ To improve service quality of hotels, guest houses and tourism resorts to meet tourists' catering, accommodation and recreation needs (especially in Ba Be tourism resort); to encourage investors of various economic sectors to build new tourism resorts; to re-organize the state management and coordinated management of tourism services in Ba Be district in particular and the whole province in general.

5. Infrastructure

a/ Transport:

To synchronously develop the province's transport system to meet requirements for socio­economic development and defense and security consolidation. In the immediate future, to prioritize investment in upgrading and modernizing key roads and works so as to facilitate the development of industrial parks, tourism resorts and key areas. To strive for the target that by 2020, all national highways and provincial and district roads will be covered with asphalt concrete, asphalt or cement concrete and 80% of rural roads will reach grade-A standards with asphalt or cement concrete surface. Specifically:

- During 2011-2015:

+ National highways:

To renovate and upgrade national highways 3B and 279 up to grade IV of mountainous roads; to build Cho Moi-Bac Kan section of national highway 3 up to grade 11 or 111 of mountainous roads;

To build Van Tung and Na Phac (Ngan Son district) detours and commence the building of Ho Chi Minh Road;

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+ Provincial roads: to upgrade provincial roads 257, 258, 258B and 259 up to grade IV of mountainous roads.

+ Rural transport: To renovate and upgrade district and inter-commune roads so as to ensure transport all the year round.

+ Urban roads: To build some townships' thoroughfares up to standards of urban roads.

+ Inland waterways: To install signal buoys and signposts and dredge some alluvial sections of Nang river, Ba Be lake.

+Transport: To create conditions for transport enterprises to develop their business scope and improve the quality of vehicles; to renovate and upgrade the province's coach stations; to consolidate and build coach stations of Na Ri, Cho Don and Ba Be districts.

- During 2016-2020:

+ National highways:

To complete the construction of Ho Chi Minh Road's section running through Ban Kan province and its by-roads;

To build national highway 3B*s extended sections along provincial roads 257 and 255 to Tuyen Quang province through Keo Mac pass which will be upgraded to grade IV of mountainous roads: sections running through towns and townships will be built under separate plans of these towns and districts;

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+ Provincial roads: To upgrade provincial road 256, the 63-km Cho Moi-Yen Cu-Liem Thuy-Xuan Duong-Hao Nghia section into a mountainous road of grade IV. It is a newly built Ang Toong pass detour of national highway 3B which leads to Na Ri district.

+ To exploit waterway routes around Ba Be lake for tourist purposes.

+ To plan the building of Thai Nguyen-Cho Moi railway after 2015.

+ To plan the building of a new airport of 150-180 hectares in the area about 15-20 km away from the center of Bac Kan town to facilitate security and defense activities of Military Zone I and regional economic development.

+ To develop a mass transit system to meet people's needs.

b/ Irrigation:

To repair existing irrigation works and build new ones, focusing on reservoirs, irrigation dams, small-sized hydropower plants and water supply facilities in rural areas, ensuring sufficient water sources for production and daily-life activities while serving aquaculture, electricity generation, flood mitigation and eco-tourism; to increase the rate of irrigated land areas to 60% by 2020.

c/ Information and communications

By 2020, the number of Internet subscribers will be 6,900-7,000 to reach a density of 2.17 subscribers/100 persons; broadband Internet subscribers will account for 99% of the subscribers: broadband Internet services will be provided in all communes: all villages will be covered by mobile phone signals; all communes will have optical fiber cables, all communes, wards and townships will have public-address systems; all households will have access to television; and all commune-level public-address stations will be upgraded and use digital technology.

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- By 2020, all households in the province will use electricity supplied from the national grid; medium- and high-voltage lines will be basically upgraded so as to ensure electricity supply for industrial production and daily-life activities;

- To develop a system of medium- and small-sized hydropower plants along with the national electricity grid; to build low-voltage transformation stations in residential areas, prioritizing communes with a low rate of households supplied with electricity;

- To develop electricity infrastructure facilities in line with the plan on development of industrial production establishments in the province; to ensure sufficient supply of electricity for production and business activities.

e/ Water supply and drainage:

- Water supply: To upgrade and increase the capacity of the surface water treatment plant by 6.000 m3 of water/day so as to reach the full capacity of 12.000 m3 of water/day and night;

Water drainage: To prioritize investment in controlling inundation in Bac Kan town, consolidating and upgrading dikes so as to respond to Cau river floods of a frequency of 0.5%. building pump stations of a capacity of 15-20 m3/second; to upgrade and maintain the drainage system for both rainwater and household wastewater. In urban centers and industrial parks, separate drainage systems will be built for rainwater and household wastewater; wastewater will be treated up to A standards before being discharged into the environment; 70% of household wastewater will be collected while 80% of rainwater will be drained: and 80% of urban residents will benefit from water drainage services.

6. Social and cultural domains

a/ Education and training:

- To further create a significant improvement in education quality to reach an advanced level in conformity with local practical conditions. To renew teaching and learning methods to improve their effectiveness and meet development requirements. To build and develop a sufficient and properly structured contingent of teachers and education administrators; to strive to attain the target that all teachers will reach standards by 2020;

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- To build a learning society, expand forms of association in education and training and establish community learning centers in communes. To bring into full play the role of study promotion societies and promote in time typical examples in learning and effectively using study promotion funds in the locality;

- To invest in developing training and job- training systems; to accelerate and encourage die participation of all economic sectors in job- training activities; to train a new workforce while further improving the existing one; to prioritize investment in improving the quality of human resources, attaching importance- to high- qualification scientific and technological human resources, managers and businessmen who will help raising the economy's competitiveness: to train ethnic minority workers and appoint trained ethnic minority officials to suitable posts.

b/ Population and public healthcare:

- To step by step build a complete, modern and developed healthcare system; to improve the quality of healthcare services, facilitate public access to medical services, especially high-quality services, improve people's physical strength, increase the average life expectancy and develop young generations;

- To develop local healthcare systems: To set up a medical assessment center; to complete the building or renovation and upgrading of district-level general hospitals, chemical and cosmetic testing centers, HIV/AIDS control centers, a 500-bed provincial general hospital and a secondary medical school by 2015. After 2015, to invest in building commune-level health stations so as to reach national standards by 2020 and invest in building a health communication and education center, a 50-bed traditional medicine hospital, a general hospital for Na Phac and Yen Cu districts and population centers in all districts and towns.

- To develop regional healthcare systems: To upgrade-tile 500-bed general hospital into a general hospital for the northeastern region after 2015.

c/ Labor, employment and hunger eradication and poverty alleviation:

- To effectively implement employment programs in association with raising the quality of workforce; to enhance the management of, and extend, employment fairs, job placement and employment counseling services and labor export; to create conditions for all people of working age to have employment opportunities;

- To attach importance to mobilizing investment capital; to effectively integrate socio­economic development programs and projects with poverty alleviation, especially in rural, mountainous, poor and extreme difficulty-stricken areas; to well implement supportive policies, especially those on residential houses and land and production techniques; to pay attention to socio-economic development in mountainous areas and poor and extreme difficulty-stricken communes.

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- To accelerate and improve the quality and effectiveness of the movement "All people unite in building a cultured life"; to preserve and bring into full play the values of cultural relics and fine customs and traditions of ethnic minorities in the province, manage and embellish relics and restore traditional festivals in association with tourism development; to fight, prevent and step by step repel social evils; to pay attention to the training of cultural and art talents; to formulate plans and adopt appropriate policies and regimes to accelerate cultural and information development, create a motive force for comprehensive and sustainable socio-economic development in the period of accelerated industrialization and modernization for the goal of a prosperous people, a strong country and an equal, democratic and civilized society;

- To accelerate mass sports and physical training movements while raising funds from various sources for sports and physical training activities; to improve the quality of physical training activities in schools; to restore and develop traditional sports; to conduct propagation and communication so as to create ebullient sports movements and, on that basis, uncover and train gifted athletes for sports competitions; to improve the quality of physical training activities in schools and sports and physical training movements in aimed forces. To concentrate efforts on developing 6 high-achievement sports, namely archery, teakwondo, athletics, badminton, pencak silat and karatedo and, at the same time, boosting the development of traditional sports.

IV. ORIENTATIONS FOR TERRITORY-BASED SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Development of urban centers, population redistribution and building of a new countryside

To plan and develop a system of urban centers in line with socio-economic development; by 2015, there will be 1 city, 1 town and 13 townships and by 2020, 1 city, 3 towns and 11 townships. Specifically:

a/ Bac Kan city will be formed by upgrading Bac Kan town into a grade-Ill urban center by 2015, with a population of 100,000-110,000. It will be a political, economic, cultural and scientific and technological center of Bac Kan province and the core of the province's southern area;

b/ Towns:

- Clio Ra town will be formed by upgrading Clio Ra township after 2015 to become a socio­economic development urban center and an economic center of the province's northwestern area. Tts population will reach 70,000-80,000 by 2020;

- Cho Moi town will be formed by upgrading Cho Moi township by 2015 to become a socio­economic development urban center and an economic center of the province's southern area. Its population will reach 10,000 by 2020;

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c/ Townships

- Yen Lac township, the district capital and economic, cultural and social center of Na Ri district, with a population of 10,000 by 2020, and major economic activities being agricultural and forest product processing and trade services;

- Phu Thong township, the district capital and economic, cultural and social center of Bach Thong district, with a projected population of 7.000-8.000 by 2020. and major economic activities being agricultural and forest product processing, tourism and trade services;

- Van Tung township, which will be formed by upgrading Van Tung commune into the district capital and economic, cultural and social center of Ngan Son district, with a projected population of 7,000-8.000 by 2020, and major economic activities being agricultural and forest product processing, tourism and trade services. In the township, an industrial cluster of 22 hectares will be built;

- Boc Bo township, the district capital and economic, cultural and social center of Pac Nam district, with a projected population of 7,000-8,000 by 2020, and major economic activities being agricultural and forest product processing, tourism, trade services, forestry and horticulture;

- Na Phac township, the economic center of the sub-area IV in the south of Ngan Son district, with a projected population of 7,000-8,000 by 2020, and major economic activities being agricultural and forest product processing and trade services;

- To form the new township of Chu Huong (grade-V urban center) in Pu Mat. which will be the district capital and economic, cultural and social center of Ba Be district, with a projected population of 5,000-6,000 by 2020, and major economic activities being agricultural and forest product processing, tourism, trade services, forestry and horticulture;

- Don Den township (grade-V urban center) which will be a resort center in high mountains, serving as a motive force for economic development in Ba Be district, with a projected population of 4,000-5,000 by 2020, and major economic activities being forest eco-tourism, trade services and forestry;

- Ban Thi township, Cho Don district, which will be a center for mineral exploitation and processing, trade and services, with a projected population of 5,000-6.000 by 2020;

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- Sau Hai township, Cho Moi district, which will be the northern center of Cho Moi district serving as a motive force for socio-economic development in Cho Moi district, with major economic activities being trade and services and a projected population of 5,000-6,000 by 2020;

- Cu Le township, Na Ri district, which will be the northern center of Na Ri district, serving as a motive force for socio-economic development in Na Ri district, with major economic activities being trade and services and a projected population of 3,000-4.000 by 2020.

d/ To organize rural residential areas by forming townlets and commune clusters' and communes' centers; it is estimated that by 2010, there will be 8 townlets and 19 commune cluster centers while 7 more townlets will be formed by 2020.

2. Orientations on development of sub-areas

a/ The sub-area along the economic corridor of national highway 3 (covering Cho Moi and Bach Thong districts and Bac Kan town) which is the central area serving as a motive force for socio-economic development of the province. Specifically:

- To carry out economic development in the direction of developing industrial parks and such industries as construction materials, agricultural and forest product processing, mechanical engineering, and consumer product industries; planting of industrial trees, fruit trees and forestry;

- The sub-area's economic centers will be Bac Kan town, Cho Moi township and Phu Thong township.

b/ The eastern sub-area (covering the whole area of Na Ri district):

- To carry out economic development in the direction of focusing on construction materials, mechanical engineering, agricultural and forest product processing and consumer product industries; planting of fruit trees, forestry, wet rice cultivation, husbandry and trade services;

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c/ The western area (covering the whole area of Cho Don district):

- To conduct economic development in the direction of focusing on such industries as mineral exploitation and processing, agricultural and forest product processing and mechanical engineering; planting of fruit trees, wet rice cultivation, husbandry and tourism;

- The sub-area's economic centers will be-Bang Lung and Ban Thi townships.

d/ The northwestern and northern sub-area (covering Ba Be, Pac Nam and Ngan Son districts)

- To carry out economic development by developing Ba Be lake sightseeing tours, eco-tourism, services, trades, mineral exploitation and processing, agricultural and forest product processing and industries for tourism;

- The area's economic centers will be Cho Ra, Van Tung, Na Phac, Boc Bo and Pu Mat townships.

3. Organization of the development of cultural and tourist spaces

a/ The tourism cluster of Bac Kan town and surrounding area, which will be the central tourism cluster serving as a focal point in regulating tourism activities in Bac Kan province. There will be hotels, restaurants, recreation centers and temples and pagodas such as Tham temple, Thach Long pagoda, Thac Rieng temple and Thuong temple and tourist sites such as Nam Cat lake, Khuoi Lang lake and Na Tu historical-cultural relic;

b/ The tourism cluster of Ba Be lake and Cho Ra township tourism service center, including such tourist sites as Ba Be national park, Ba Be lake, Dau Dang waterfall, Tien pond, Nang river and Puong grotto;

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d/ The tourism cluster of Na Ri and surrounding areas, including Kim Hy nature reserve, Nang Tien grotto and Na Dang waterfall.

V. KEY PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS PRIOR1ZED FOR INVESTMENT STUDY

(See the enclosed appendix)

VI. MAJOR SOLUTIONS FOR IMPLEMENTING THE PLAN

1. Solutions on mechanisms and policies to encourage development

a/ To apply incentive policies and, at the same time, timely adjust and supplement attractive policies to encourage investment in conformity with WTO accession commitments; to build appropriate infrastructure systems for industrial development; to pay special attention lo supporting small- and medium-sized enterprises in capital, tax, technology and investment environment information so as to promote the potential of all economic sectors, especially non-state ones, while reserving an appropriate fund for the provision of support to, investment in, and development of, cottage industries, especially in rural areas and craft villages, and new trades so as to contribute to rural economic restructuring.

b/ To accelerate the equitization of state-owned enterprises, diversify forms of ownership of production materials so as to raise funds, and resolutely handle loss-making state-owned enterprises by appropriate modes in order to raise the efficiency of stale capital.

2. Solutions on raising of development investment capital

The total investment capital during 2011 -2020 will be about VND 72.4 trillion, of which investment in services and infrastructure development will account for 30%. Of this total capital, about VND 22.1 trillion will be raised during 2011-2015 while the rest of VND 50.3 trillion will be needed during 2016-2020. Specific solutions are listed below:

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b/ To make the fullest use of investment capital and support capital from the central budget for developing the infrastructure system and infrastructure facilities in difficulty-stricken areas. To adopt mechanisms and policies lo encourage and attract domestic and foreign enterprises to invest in infrastructure;

c/ To incorporate capital for socio-economic development in poor districts into the province's annual plans.

3. Solutions on market development

a/ To combine the expansion of markets with the improvement of product and goods competitiveness: to focus on the domestic market while maintaining and developing the Chinese market as an export outlet and taking the initiative in seeking new foreign markets;

b/ To timely disseminate economic information, especially those on mechanisms and policies, to facilitate socio-economic activities;

c/ To accelerate trade promotion, seek and expand domestic and overseas product outlets.

4. Solutions on human resources

a/ To accelerate the on-site training of human resources in conformity with the province's socio­economic structure; to train and re-train cadres and public employees to meet industrialization and modernization requirements;

b/ To expand cooperation with training institutions outside the province so as to train skilled technical labor; to encourage enterprises to contribute capital and invest in equipment in order to improve these institutions' training quality or provide associated training for their laborers;

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5. Scientific and technological solutions

a/ To encourage enterprises in the province to invest in renovating production technologies in replacement of obsolete technologies and equipment;.

b/ To modernize technologies in industries with competitive edge such as mineral exploitation and processing, agricultural and forest product processing and food processing;

c/ To collect and provide information on new technologies to enterprises and create conditions for them to renovate production and management technologies;

d/ To expand forms of association between production establishments, scientific research agencies and universities so as to transfer scientific and technical advances and new technologies to production to raise goods and product competitiveness and, at the same time and create new products of high economic value to keep pace with the development in the country and the world.

6. Solutions on raising the effect and effectiveness of management and administration activities

To further implement administrative reform and improve the management effect and effectiveness of administrations at various levels, considering it an important task to fulfill the objectives and targets set in the master plan.

7. Solutions on inspecting and supervising the implementation of the master plan

a/ To publicize and disseminate the master plan after it is approved; to conduct public information to draw the attention of people and domestic and overseas investors to involve them in implementing the master plan; to take the initiative in studying and proposing adjustments to the master plan in conformity with practical conditions;

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c/ To supervise development investment under the master plan; by the end of each period (2015 and 2020), to review the implementation of the master plan and supplement and adjust set objectives in conformity with practical conditions;

d/ To elaborate economic, cultural and social development programs for each period under orientations set in the master plan; to coordinate with ministries, central branches and other provinces in implementing development programs for common development; to review the adoption of local development strategies and policies in the direction of cooperation and improvement of inter-regional relations so as to ensure mutual development

Article 2. Organization of implementation

1. The plan will serve as orientations and grounds for the elaboration and submission of specialized plans and investment projects in Bac Kan province to competent authorities for approval and implementation according to regulations.

2. Assignment of implementation responsibilities

a/ The People's Committee of Bac Kan province shall, based itself on socio-economic development objectives, tasks and orientations set in the plan, assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with concerned ministries and branches in, directing the elaboration, submission for approval and implementation of the following documents:

- A master plan on socio-economic development at the district level; a plan on development of a system of urban centers and residential areas, a construction plan; a land use plan; a plan on development of branches and domains to ensure comprehensive and coordinated development;

- Five-year and annual plans; key development programs; specific projects for concentrated and prioritized investment in a rational manner;

- To study, elaborate and promulgate according to its competence or submit to competent state agencies for promulgation mechanisms and policies in conformity with the province's development requirements and according to law in each period so as to fulfill socio-economic objectives and tasks set in the plan.

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- Assist the People's Committee of Bac Kan province in studying and making the plans specified at Item a;

- Study, elaborate and promulgate according to their competence or submit to competent state agencies for promulgation a number of specific mechanisms and policies for Bac Kan province to effectively use resources, increase state support and attract investment for the fulfillment of the province's socio-economic development objectives, tasks and orientations specified in the master plan.

- Speed up the investment in and implementation of works and projects of a size and nature significant to the province's socio economic development in which investment has been decided;

- Study and consider adjustments and supplements to sectoral development plans and plans on investment in works and projects to be invested under the plan; allocate funds from their budgets and assist Bac Kan province in seeking capital from foreign organizations and individuals for the implementation of the plan.

Article 3. This Decision takes effect on the date of its signing.

Article 4. The chairperson of the People's Committee of Bac Kan province, ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies and heads of government-attached agencies shall implement this Decision.

Prime Minister




Nguyen Tan Dung

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APPENDIX

LIST OF KEY PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS PRIORITIZED FOR INVESTMENT STUDY
(To the Prime Minister's Decision No. 1890/QD-TTg of October 14, 2010)

A

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

1

Industrial development program

2

Comprehensive agricultural and forestry development program

3

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4

Infrastructure and urban development program

5

Human resource development, hunger eradication and poverty alleviation program

6

Socio-cultural development program

7

Environmental protection program

8

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9

Security and defense program

B

DEVELOPMENT INVESTMENT PROJECTS

I

Infrastructure projects in the province invested with state budget funds

1

Ho Chi Minh Road's section running through Bac Kan province

2

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3

Hanoi-Thai Nguyen-Cho Moi (Bac Kan) expressway

4

Electricity transmission lines and 110 kV, 220 kV transformation stations

5

Hong Mount (Thai Nguyen) - Thanh Bmh industrial park railway (Cho Moi-Bac Kan)

6

Upgrading and renovating information and communication infrastructure

7

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II

Projects managed by the provincial administration

1

The project on building a 500-bed general hospital and the Secondary Medical School

2

The project on building infrastructure of Thanh Binh industrial park, Cho Moi district

3

The project on building infrastructure of Huyen Tung industrial cluster, Bac Kan town

4

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5

The project on building infrastructure of Cam Giang industrial cluster, Bach Thong district

6

The project on new urban centers and residential quarters

7

The scheme on upgrading commune health stations up to national standards

8

The scheme on building schools up to national standards

9

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10

The project on water drainage in industrial parks, clusters and urban centers

11

The project on building wholesale markets and rural markets

12

The project on building job-training centers

13

Projects on building embankments to control soil erosion along river banks and in residential quarters

14

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15

Projects on upgrading provincial roads

16

The project on upgrading the Teachers' College into a multi-disciplinary college

17

The project on Bac Kan water plant

18

The project on building the province's stadium

19

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20

The project on building Buoc Lorn and Nam Cuong reception centers for Ba Be lake tourism resort

21

The project on building provincial- and district-level cultural and sports centers

22

The project on building a vocational college

23

The project on building car terminals in districts

24

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25

The project on building working offices for district-level Party and state agencies

26

The project on upgrading infrastructure of Bac Kan town

27

The project on building working offices of communal administrations

28

The project on treatment of hospital garbage

29

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C

PRODUCTION AND BUSINESS PROJECTS

1

The project on building an agricultural and forest product processing plant

2

The project on planting production forests

3

The project on building a cement plant in Xuat Hoa commune, Bac Kan town

Quyết định 1890/QĐ-TTg năm 2010 phê duyệt Quy hoạch tổng thể phát triển kinh tế - xã hội tỉnh Bắc Kạn đến năm 2020 do Thủ tướng Chính phủ ban hành