Son La province has implemented many solutions for socio-economic development and achieved many successes, becoming a bright spot and new growth driver of the Northwest region.

VTV Times reporter had a conversation with Mr. Nguyen Thanh Cong-Vice Chairman of Son La Provincial People's Committeearound this story.

VTV Times reporter presented Onair - Business publication to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Cong - Vice Chairman of Son La Provincial People's Committee. Photo: Duy Trung

In 2024, Son La province set the following targets: Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) increased by 7.5%; GRDP per capita: 55.5 million VND. In the economic structure, industry and construction account for 26.5%; services 41.7%, agriculture - forestry - fishery 25.0%, product tax minus product subsidy 6.7%. Total social investment capital is 26,000 billion VND. The value of exported goods reaches 196.1 million USD, the local budget revenue is 4,450 billion VND, the urbanization rate is 18%, the total number of tourists is 4,800 thousand, revenue from tourism activities is 5,500 billion VND, ...

-Over the past years, Son La has taken the achievements, accomplishments, and lessons learned from the 2015-2020 term as a foundation. Right from the beginning of the 2015-2020 term, the Son La Provincial Party Committee issued many resolutions to implement socio-economic, national defense and security, and Party building tasks in the area. At the same time, it directly led and directed the successful implementation of 28 targets set by the Provincial Party Committee during the term. On the basis of those socio-economic targets, Son La has focused on overcoming internal difficulties, taking advantage of every opportunity to build the province to develop in a green, fast, and sustainable direction.

Son La province has always maintained a positive growth target, specifically: 2.2% in 2021; 8.7% in 2022; 0.75% in 2023 and 0.67% in the first 6 months of 2024. Notably, in the first 9 months of 2024, with the growth rate of industry, trade and services, the growth rate reached 7.26%. Thus, the expectation for all 3 years 2021, 2022, 2023 is 4.8%./This year plus 2024 as well as the end of the term in 2025 will ensure the growth target set by Son La province.

In addition, GDP/person in 2023 increased by 51.7 million/person/year, in 2024 it strives for 55.5 million/person/year and by the end of the term it will strive to reach 60 million/person/year. In addition to these targets, Son La province also implements national target programs including the sustainable poverty reduction program, the new rural program, Resolution 88... to synchronously develop the socio-economy among regions in the province, especially prioritizing extremely difficult areas, mountainous border areas and ethnic minority areas.

In particular, Son La focuses on infrastructure investment, investment, support for production development and especially creating a development environment for districts, communes, particularly disadvantaged areas and border communes. The driving force for organizing and implementing these are the mechanisms, policies and new approaches that the province has determinedly strived for in the past time.

In particular, Son La focuses on infrastructure investment and supporting agricultural production development.

In 2024, Son La sets a target and steadfastly implements the orientation with a specific economic growth scale: Maintain agricultural growth at 24.58%; Construction industry always maintains about 27%; Services maintain about 41.6%; Taxes on products maintain about 6.8 - 6.9%... Maintain a stable economy, achieve positive growth, and at the same time sustainably eliminate hunger and reduce poverty at a scale of 3.5%/year.

In particular, Son La province aims to have no more poor districts, striving for the poverty rate to be below double digits by the end of the term. Specifically: currently 14.41%, by the end of 2024 it will be more than 10% and by 2025 it will be below 10%.

PV: So to achieve the socio-economic targets in 2024, what solutions has Son La province been implementing, sir?

- To complete the socio-economic goals for 2024, from the beginning of the year, the Provincial People's Committee has focused on directing specific groups of tasks and solutions, in line with the general goals such as promoting structure, improving internal capacity, resilience and adaptability of economic sectors; promoting green economy, environmentally friendly circular economy.

At the same time, the province accelerates the progress of building synchronous socio-economic infrastructure, enhancing the application of science and technology, digital transformation; developing information infrastructure, science and technology databases in a modern and synchronous direction; investing in improving the capacity and efficiency of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation; supporting and connecting programs, projects and innovative startups to operate effectively. Focusing on promoting administrative reform, improving the investment and business environment, enhancing competitiveness to remove difficulties and obstacles for people and businesses; improving the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI), the Provincial Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI), the Public Administration Reform Index (PAR INDEX); facilitating the calling for and attracting investment, mobilizing resources to implement the Plan. In addition, Son La strictly manage resources, protect the environment, proactively take measures to prevent natural disasters, respond to climate change...

PV: TAccording to the planning for the period 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050, Son La province will develop according to "4 economic regions, two growth poles, six development corridors". Could you please share specifically about this issue?

In the economic structure, industry and construction account for 26.5%; services 41.7%, agriculture - forestry - fishery 25.0%.

- Son La organizes the socio-economic development space according to the model of "four economic regions, two growth poles, six development corridors" to promote intra-regional linkage, territorial division and cooperation, ensuring that the potentials, strengths, comparative advantages, and competitiveness of each locality of the province, in the Northern Midlands and Mountains region, and neighboring provinces are maximized, complementing each other, and developing together.

Promoting the strengths of Son La province with its role and position as the center of the Northwest sub-region, the orientation of the development framework, the province has identified 04 typical economic spaces that support each other including: Urban area and National Highway 6 in Son La city, Mai Son district and Thuan Chau district. This is a densely populated area; Son La city has a central urban area; Thuan Chau has advantages in large forest and hydropower resources; Mai Son has Na San port with advantages in developing high-tech agricultural areas. It is a dynamic development area, playing a leading role in the economic development of the province.

By 2050, Son La will strive to become a development pole of the Northwest region; with a synchronous and modern infrastructure system; an economic foundation that is competitive enough with other provinces in the region and the whole country. The urban system will develop with a focus on forming large urban areas associated with urban green belts, acting as a driving force for socio-economic development, balancing the territory on the basis of strongly exploiting the advantages of highland areas, Da River reservoir area, Moc Chau plateau for the purpose of developing agriculture and tourism.

Moc Chau plateau and its vicinity in Moc Chau, Van Ho and Yen Chau districts have beautiful landscapes, fertile land, cool climate, dense population, and a large total infrastructure. Moc Chau tourist area is identified as the main driving force of the province and a counterweight to the development of Son La city center.

The reservoir area and Da River basin in Quynh Nhai, Muong La, Bac Yen, Phu Yen districts are the basin areas of the Da River, densely populated, fertile land, rich in minerals and resources such as forests, hydropower, groundwater; beautiful climate and landscape; favorable for multi-industry development, aquaculture, special agriculture...

The highland border area of ​​Song Ma and Sop Cop districts is the front line in the national defense and security strategy; firmly protecting the country's territory and sovereignty...; is an area for protecting the ecological environment, protecting forests, planting forests and developing; exploiting minerals and construction materials...

Reporter: In recent times, Son La tourism has seen strong growth in terms of visitors, revenue, and investment. Could you please tell us about the spillover effects of tourism on trade as well as other related industries and the province's socio-economic goals?

- Son La province focuses on developing tourism - agriculture in conjunction with the National Target Program on New Rural Development. Developing tourism - agriculture is identified as a driving force to promote sustainable new rural development. At the same time, new rural areas are the foundation to support the diverse, quality and stable development of tourist destinations. Son La clearly identifies that effective development of agricultural tourism will contribute to simultaneously achieving two goals: developing tourism into a key economic sector and achieving the national goal of sustainable new rural development.

Currently, in Son La province, there are nearly 30 locations exploiting agricultural and rural tourism activities. Most of them are being exploited according to the community tourism model, the eco-garden tourism experience model. In the coming time, Son La province will continue to implement policies to support tourism development associated with new rural construction to encourage, motivate and provide practical support to organizations and individuals who want to invest in developing eco-tourism and agricultural tourism products in the whole province. At the same time, promote activities to promote, propagate and advertise tourism resources, potentials, advantages, tourism products, national cultural identity, local products, ensure security and safety in tourism activities. Improve the quality of human resources in agricultural development activities associated with tourism development.

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