Ha Giang province determines to build for rapid and sustainable development

Political will and important results

Ha Giang, a mountainous province on the northernmost border of the country, has a particularly important geopolitical position, and a natural area of 7,929.5 square kilometers, with a border line with China of 277.556 kilometers long, and 19 groups living together in solidarity, love and unique cultural identity. However, the province has a strongly fragmented terrain, with mainly rocky mountains, many high mountains and deep abysses, leading to extremely difficult traffic. People’s knowledge is not equal compared with those in plains provinces. A lot of potential and the magnificent natural landscape resources have not been effectively exploited, and people's lives are still facing many difficulties.

To remove barriers and seize opportunities, effectively exploit and promote the potential and strengths of the province, thereby boosting rapid and sustainable economic development in parallel with implementing democracy, social justice, improving people's lives and environmental protection, the Resolution of the 17th Ha Giang Provincial Party Congress, term 2020-2025, sets out 5 key tasks and 3 breakthroughs in its development goals for the 2020-2025 term, with orientation to 2030 and vision to 2045. The 5 key tasks include: (1) Strengthening the building and rectification of the Party and the political system, consolidating the national unity bloc; improving the effectiveness and efficiency of state management and quality of socio-economic development policies; (2) Improving the quality of economic growth, developing advantageous sectors and fields; mobilizing resources to build socio-economic infrastructure; (3) Focusing on socio-cultural development, raising people's knowledge, training and attracting human resources; building Ha Giang people to meet the requirements of sustainable development; preserving and promoting cultural identities of people’s groups; continuing to consolidate and perfecting the health system;(4) Focusing on building defense zones at all levels and a solid all-people national defense; Well performing the work of managing and protecting national borders, building borders of peace, friendship, cooperation and development; Building a strong and comprehensive provincial armed force with high combat readiness, strengthening measures for state management of security and order; (5) Well implementing social policies, boosting quick and sustainable poverty reduction, taking care of people's lives; improving the effectiveness of social policy credit, the proportion of people participating in social insurance and health insurance; strengthening vocational training and job creation.

The breakthroughs include: (1) Constructing transport infrastructure; (2) Developing tourism and agriculture featuring high-quality goods along the value chain; (3) Creating livelihoods, improving the people's material and spiritual life.

In order to speed up the synchronous implementation of the Resolution of the 17th Provincial Party Congress, the Provincial Party Committee has issued 28 thematic resolutions; developed many programs; and proposed solutions and tasks for each year. Party organizations at all levels have seriously mastered, disseminated and popularized the plans through many diverse, rich and vivid forms associated with local realities, focusing on translation into ethnic languages with digital transformation.

Implementation of 3 breakthroughs

In order to effectively implement the three above breakthroughs, the province has focused on allocating resources, focusing on synchronously building and completing the transport infrastructure, identifying the lack of adequate traffic as one of the biggest barriers for socio-economic development and for improvement of people’s living standards in Ha Giang. On December 22, 2021, the Executive Committee of the Provincial Party Committee issued Resolution 22-NQ/TU on "breakthroughs in the construction of transport infrastructure in the period of 2021 - 2025 and to 2030". On that basis, the Provincial People's Committee issued an implementation plan. In the period of 2021-2025, the province is prioritizing central and provincial budget on investment in transport infrastructure, to carry out strategic transport projects in the area, including 3 national highways, 5 provincial roads, inter-commune roads and 1,736km of rural roads. The program to make rural roads, urban embellishment and the province's cement support has promoted high efficiency, received the participation, support, and active participation of the people in donating land and contributing materials and working days. Up to now, 100% of communes, wards and towns have car roads to the center, 2,069 out of 2,069 villages have motorized roads, and 64% of the village roads have been concreted. In 2021-2022, the province completed investment in upgrading the national highway 279 with a length of 36 kilometers. National highway 4c connecting 4 districts of Dong Van Karst Plateau, and Highway 34 connecting Cao Bang province were upgraded, expanded to help the movement of people and tourists be convenient and safe. Five provincial roads with a total length of about 170 kilometers are being upgraded with a total investment of nearly VND1.5 trillion. The east bank of the Lo River using ODA capital is gradually improved, ensuring traffic connection between Ha Giang city and Vi Xuyen and Bac Quang districts. The province is preparing to invest in Tuyen Quang - Ha Giang expressway (CT15 - phase I) with 4 lanes, roadbed width of 25.25 meters, with a total investment of VND3.198 trillion expected to start construction in the first quarter of this year. It is an important and arterial traffic route connecting Ha Giang with Hanoi capital and other provinces in the region.

To make a breakthrough in tourism development, the Provincial Party Committee issued Resolution 11-NQ/TU, dated August 2, 2021 on Ha Giang tourism development in the 2021-2025 period. On that basis, many activities were held to promote tourism development such as the tourism stimulus program in 2022 with the theme "Ha Giang - Safety, identity and friendliness"; Conference to meet businesses and individuals doing business in tourism in 2022; Program to welcome the first guests to Ha Giang in 2022; and the 13^th Program "Throughout the heritage region of six Viet Bac provinces”.

At the same time, the province will apply digital transformation to promote the image of Ha Giang tourism with its magnificent natural scenery associated with friendly and hospitable people, and the diverse cultural identity of ethnic minorities. Dong Van Karst Plateau Global Geopark has been re-recognized by UNESCO for the third time, which will create a breakthrough in tourism development in the province in the future. Ha Giang has become a favorite destination of domestic and international tourists. In 2022, the province welcomed      over 2.2 million tourists, an increase of 142.3%, reaching 146.7% of the plan. Revenue from tourism services reached VND 4,306 billion, up 165.8% compared to 2021.

Along with that, the province promotes agricultural development featuring high-quality goods along the value chain. In which, it is necessary      to pay attention to guiding people and cooperatives to improve the quality of typical local products according to the evaluation criteria; carry out product assessment, classification and certification (OCOP) for products. Up to now, the province has 270 certified products; in which there are 229 3-star products, 39 4-star products and 2 5-star products at national level. Besides, the province supports and guides businesses and cooperatives to find and expand consumer market consumption through the introduction of typical local agricultural products into supermarkets and on reputable e-commerce platforms. Up to now, many agricultural products of Ha Giang are favored by friends at home and abroad, such as: Sanh orange, Mint honey, ancient Shan Tuyet tea, black pork and medicinal products.

It can be seen that Ha Giang people have a tradition of hard work, but their life is still difficult. The Provincial Party Committee issued Resolution 05-NQ/TU, dated December 14, 2020 on developing household economy to create livelihoods for people, reduce poverty sustainably, in the period of 2021 - 2025 with the aim of transforming people's thinking and methods of husbandry and cultivation, planning, rearrange the works to ensure environmental sanitation, thereby increasing income and reducing poverty sustainably in their own garden. The province has developed policies and the budget to support poor and near-poor households to borrow loans at 0% interest rate to invest in buying trees, seeds, agricultural materials, training support, production process.

Also in an effort to create livelihoods for people, the province has continued to firmly direct the program to support the construction of houses for people with meritorious services, poor veterans, and poor households with housing difficulties in Ha Giang province. After 3 years of implementing the program to support the construction of houses for policy families, veterans and poor households in the whole province, up to now, 6,700 houses have been built for the people with the funds of VND 1,000 billion mobilized from socialization, far exceeding the original goal of the program.

Implementing 5 key tasks

Up to now, the province has completed and maintained a specialized data transmission network in Party and State agencies, the online conference system in Ha Giang province has been deployed with a scale of 241 bridge points from the provincial level connecting to the communes; 100% of administrative agencies can participate in online meetings at the central, provincial, district and commune levels; The province's information system to handle administrative procedures has been completed with nearly 2,000 online public services.

Up to now, the province has completed and maintained a specialized data transmission network in Party and State agencies, the online conference system in Ha Giang province has been deployed with a scale of 241 bridge points from the provincial level connecting to the communes; 100% of administrative agencies can participate in online meetings at the central, provincial, district and commune levels; and the province's information system to handle administrative procedures is focused and completed with nearly 2,000 online public services.

In 2022, 100% of districts have established 3-level boarding schools and put them into operation effectively. This is an important development in the education and training sector of the province, creating favorable conditions for ethnic children to study and complete the high school program; the province has completed the dossier for the Ministry of Education and Training to make a decision to establish the branch of Thai Nguyen University in Ha Giang and start enrolling students from 2023; while the study and talent promotion fund has mobilized nearly 24 billion VND to support poor students and encourage development, attracting talents, teachers and students.

Along with the preservation and promotion of the fine traditional cultural identities of the ethnic groups, Resolution 27-NQ/TU of the Provincial Party Committee was issued on the abolition of bad customs and outdated customs to build a civilized life. The fields of culture and health are also paid special attention, especially investment in health infrastructure, cultural institutions, linkage of medical examination and treatment at all levels with the central government. The whole province has 5.2 staff/commune health station; 100% of health stations have working doctors. In 2022, 8,771 poor households were reduced, equivalent to 4.99% reduction in the poverty rate.

Performing at the opening ceremony of the Sports Congress in the province in 2022

Some initial experience in implementation

Firstly, directing the promulgation of thematic resolutions, building an implementation plan to concretize the Resolution of the 17th Provincial Party Congress quickly, promptly and synchronously to organize the implementation methodically, scientifically and appropriately with the situation of each level, each sector, and each locality, always taking product efficiency as a measure to evaluate and summarize reality.

Secondly, well promoting the active roles and responsibilities in the work of the heads of the Party committees, authorities and socio-political organizations; mobilizing synchronous and unified participation of the whole political system in association with the assignment of specific tasks to each level and each branch.

Thirdly, it is timely to replicate good, outstanding, creative and effective models and examples along with strengthening inspection, supervision, urging, correction and overcoming of obstacles and limitations during the implementation organization process.

Key tasks and solutions in 2023

With the drastic, synchronous and comprehensive participation of the whole political system, the enthusiastic participation of the people, the implementation of resolutions at all levels in Ha Giang province has achieved remarkable results, creating a favorable environment, an important driving force for the process of socio-economic development, gradually reducing poverty, improving and enhancing people's living standards, changing the face of urban and rural areas. Besides the gained achievements, there are still some difficulties and limitations that need to be overcome such as: unsynchronized technical infrastructure, there are still concave areas lacking electricity, water, and phone service and the internet. Human resource is still low, activities of linking value chain production have not achieved high results; administrative reform has not been really effective, the backlogs have not been thoroughly resolved; the progress of disbursement of public investment capital is still slow, small enterprise scale, and low competitiveness.

In order to be determined to complete three breakthroughs, five key tasks, as well as the main goals and targets of the Resolution, in 2023, the Ha Giang Provincial Party Committee has identified a number of key tasks and solutions in the coming time, consisting of: researching and promptly promulgating resolutions and guiding documents, implementing close to reality; mobilizing the participation of the whole political system, associated with the responsibility of the head; well performing the Party building work and building the political system; effectively implementing socio-economic development tasks, ensuring national defense and security; focusing on well implementing the socio-economic development and recovery program; effectively implement the planning contents of the Ha Giang province for the 2021 – 2030 period, with a vision to 2050 after being approved by the Prime Minister. Strengthen the formulation and management of construction planning, urban embellishment development and new-style rural area construction; continue to perfect the synchronous strategic infrastructure system, especially breakthrough in the transport infrastructure construction; closely coordinating with central ministries and sectors to speed up the construction investment progress of the Tuyen Quang - Ha Giang highway project (phase 1) through Ha Giang province. Attracting investment, mobilizing resources to improve infrastructure of Thanh Thuy economic zone to call for investment in industrial parks and economic zones. Strengthening resource management and environmental protection; effectively respond to climate change, prevent, combat and mitigate natural disasters.

Mong ethnic culture and tourism village in Meo Vac district’s Pa Vi commune.

Focusing on mobilizing resources, especially socialization resources, effectively implementing support programs and credit programs, creating favorable conditions for businesses, economic organizations and people to promote production, business; focusing on decentralizing the effective implementation of three National Target Programs according to regulations; continue to carry out fundamental and comprehensive renovation of education and training to improve the quality of teaching and studying, not following achievement, preventing students from failing to meet standards at all levels; doing preventive medicine well, improving the quality of medical examination and treatment for people; promoting and preserving the national cultural identity, promoting Ha Giang tourism on digital platforms; improving the quality of human resources associated with the labor market; determined to direct the reduction of the household poverty rate by an average of 4%/year or more; minimizing the situation of re-poverty and appearing new poor households.

With the tradition of solidarity and unity and the strong, determined and drastic participation of the entire Party Committee, administration and people of all ethnic groups in organizing the implementation and completion of the goals, targets, breakthroughs, and the key tasks of the Resolution of the 17th Provincial Party Congress, it is believed that in the coming years with the right and timely guidelines and orientations and focal, synchronous and effective implementation, Ha Giang province will continue to have new development, becoming a richer and more civilized province./.

Dang Quoc Khanh, Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Ha Giang Provincial Party Committee, Head of the 15^th Ha Giang National Assembly Delegation

By CPV