Also attending the conference were Mr. Nguyen Van Nen - Politburo member, Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee; Party Central Committee members, leaders of ministries, branches, Central agencies, leaders of Ho Chi Minh City and provinces in the Southeast region; consulting units, scientists, experts, and researchers.

On Binh Duong province's side, attending were Mr. Nguyen Van Loi - Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Head of the Provincial Delegation of National Assembly Deputies; Mr. Nguyen Loc Ha - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee (PPC) and leader representatives of provincial departments, committees and branches.

Overview of the conference

At the conference, the Ministry of Planning and Investment consulted and sought opinions from members of the Regional Coordination Council, relevant agencies, organizations, localities, experts and scientists on the Draft planning for the Southeast region for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment said that the Southeast regional planning for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050 is a step to concretize the National Master Plan, demonstrating the major and basic orientations of national branch planning on spatial organization of development; helping to "open the way", creating development driving forces, development potential, new development space for the whole country and region and is expressed specifically on the spatial scale of each locality.

Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung speaks at the conference

Clearly defining the role of planning, right from the early days of organizing the Southeast regional planning, the Ministry of Planning and Investment has closely coordinated with ministries, branches and localities in the region to implement regional planning.

The Southeast regional planning has researched the advantages, potentials and limitations of the region and made new and groundbreaking identifications and proposals.

The planning affirms the view that we must innovate thinking about regional development, proactively grasp and take advantage of opportunities, and focus resources to resolve bottlenecks, contradictions, conflicts, and obstacles in development. In particular, it is important to create mechanisms and policies to form new growth drivers and new development space. The planning emphasizes the need to innovate growth models, prioritizing the development of a number of modern industries and services to become new growth drivers such as semiconductor industry, chip manufacturing, and financial services, etc. At the same time, promoting research and application of science, technology and innovation associated with the innovative startup ecosystem; forming and quickly developing new economic models such as green economy, digital economy, and circular economy in accordance with the world's development trends. Regional planning clearly identifies the system of major development corridors in the region. Along with that is concretizing economic corridors in the region stated in the National Master Plan (North - South economic corridor, Moc Bai - Ho Chi Minh City - Bien Hoa - Vung Tau economic corridor, industrial - urban - service belt, Central Highlands - Southeast economic corridor). At the same time, adding economic corridors is important to the region, complementing the national economic corridors, strengthening links and promoting the development of sub-regions. In addition, the Regional Planning raises the issue of exploiting space along the Saigon River and Dong Nai River to act as a green - ecological space connecting the region. The planning orients the reorganization of the regional industrial development space associated with sharing functions among localities in the region, while creating conditions for the process of converting functions and development models of industrial zones and clusters to reserve space for modern urban development in existing high-density areas. The planning highlights the need to form a gradually synchronous and modern infrastructure network; contributing to fundamentally solving environmental pollution, traffic congestion and flooding. Focusing on promoting the development of transport infrastructure to ensure smooth connections between urban areas, economic centers, seaports of the region and inter-regional connections.

Secretary of Binh Duong Provincial Party Committee Nguyen Van Loi comments on the draft Planning 

Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai comments on the draft Planning

The comments focused on a number of main contents: Development perspective and development space layout; general goals and specific goals; identifying industries with advantages; key tasks that need to be resolved; developing regionally linked infrastructure; solutions to organize and implement planning.

Speaking in conclusion, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh acknowledged and appreciated the efforts of the Ministry of Planning and Investment in developing the Southeast Regional Planning, which has so far completed the planning appraisal dossier; and thanked the thoughtful, objective, responsible, enthusiastic comments and suggestions for many appropriate, practical and feasible solutions.

The Prime Minister emphasized that planning must be one step ahead with innovative thinking, strategic vision, solving problems, difficulties, challenges, best promoting different potentials, outstanding opportunities, competitive advantage of the region.

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Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the conference's conclusion

The Prime Minister requested that, in the process of developing the Planning, it is necessary to be more deeply aware of the position, role, and special importance, to clarify the potential for differentiation, outstanding opportunities, competitive advantages and all the difficulties and challenges of the region. With very special potential in people, nature and historical and cultural traditions, the region has enough conditions to become the largest socio-economic center, a locomotive and a model of development for the whole country.

Regarding goals, the Prime Minister proposed choosing a high growth scenario for the region in the coming years, accompanied by appropriate leadership, direction, implementation, mechanisms, policies, and resource mobilization. Regarding economic structure, the region's rapid and sustainable development relies mainly on science and technology, innovation, focusing on developing the digital economy, green economy, circularity, and sharing. Developing industry, services, and tourism is the focus; economic development of green agriculture, high technology, modern rural areas, ecological agriculture, and civilized farmers.

Emphasizing the importance of connection, the Prime Minister stated clearly that it is included economic connection, traffic connection, national security connection, and resource connection.

Regional economic connection with the Central Highlands, South Central and Southwest regions is complementary and mutually promoting; connection with the whole country; international connection with Laos, Cambodia, ASEAN; connection with major economic centers in the world. Connection on national security and defense with Laos, Cambodia and ASEAN countries, paying attention to connecting in ensuring water security and responding to climate change, especially in the Mekong sub-region.

The Prime Minister requested localities in the region, Ministries, branches and regions to coordinate more closely, synchronously and effectively. Organizing and implementing systematic planning, with appropriate sanctions, open mechanisms and policies, smooth infrastructure and smart management.