Decisive actions to achieve goals

Nguyen Chi Dung - Minister of Planning and Investment

During the first half of 2020, Vietnam achieved positive and impressive growth in economic development. However, challenges in the remaining months still exist and even grow fiercer, especially after the new infections were found recently in the central city of Danang. Therefore, the government has outlined solutions for socioeconomic growth.

Facing the serious development of the pandemic, the ministry keeps monitoring and building up related policies to submit to the government. Those include the Resolution No.42/NQ-CP stipulating aid for people who have suffered difficulties due to the pandemic, Resolution No.84/NQ-CP outlining duties and solutions to ease burdens for manufacturing activities, accelerating the disbursement of public investment capital, and ensuring the political and social safety amidst the health crisis, among others. Regarding the implementation of the middle-term investment plan and also the Law on Public Investment, the ministry focuses on stimulating the capital disbursement to support economic growth.

Regarding the management of official development assistance (ODA) and soft loans of foreign sponsors, the ministry has developed and submitted the related documents related to the government. Those include Decree No.56/2020/ND-CP providing regulations on managing and utilising the assistance from non-governmental organisations. Moreover, the ministry will continue to draft a decree regarding Vietnam’s assistance for foreign countries and the plan for attracting, managing, and utilising ODA and overseas soft loans in the 2021-2025 period. The ministry has also been carrying out plenty of solutions to boost the disbursement of ODA and foreign soft loans during the last half of 2020.

Tran Duy Dong - Director, Department of Local and Territorial Economy

The global economy is facing a deep recession. Meanwhile, the domestic economy continues in be in the doldrums due to the pandemic’s implications with unpredicted proceedings. Therefore, central tasks are to craft a public investment plan for the 2021-2025 period, prudently working on another one for 2021, and push disbursement of public investment capital to quickly resume economic development in the ‘new normal’.

Both of these plans must be crafted seamlessly, taking into account experiences from the implementation of the previous plans to ensure optimal efficiency.

With regards to capital allocation for investment preparation, the lessons drawn from building a medium-term public investment plan during 2016-2020 show that projects with capital allotment prior to working on investment preparation have a better quality with quicker disbursement in place, with little requirements for project adjustment.

Localities, therefore, must take the initiative in capital allocation right from 2021 so as to effectively conduct investment preparation as well as select suitable projects matching the planning scheme with connectivity and interregional impacts to push up quick and sustainable socioeconomic development.

Dinh Trong Thang - Director, Department of Planning Management

Aware of the importance of planning activities as noted in the regulations on planning, the ministries, sectors, and localities have focused on making planning at all levels, including the three national plannings, 39 national-level sectorial ones, and 63 municipal and provincial ones for the 2021-2030 period with a vision toward 2050. The ministries, sectors, and localities have been gradually aware of the importance of building and overseeing the implementation of planning schemes to orientate space disposition and pen out sector-based development policies in their territory to ensure rational and effective exploitation of resources. From there, they are able to push socioeconomic development in quickly and sustainably. Generally, the ministries, sectors, and localities are very proactive in simultaneously drawing planning schemes for the period 2021-2030 in accordance with the national planning system. One hurdle is that the national database on planning has yet to be fully and synchronously developed, causing a lack of information in the process of drawing and overseeing the planning implementation.

Do Thanh Trung - Director, Department of National Economic Issues

With strict adherence to the government’s guidance throughout 2020 as well as the action programme for the 2016-2021 period, in the second half of this year, the MPI will further promote its innovative spirit and take drastic actions for the successful accomplishment of assigned tasks noted in resolutions of the Central Party Committee, the National Assembly, the government, as well as the instructions from the prime minister.

Some major tasks involve taking the initiative cooperating with relevant ministries and central and local agencies to keep close tabs on the socioeconomic situation, domestically and internationally; working on summarising, analysing, and forecasting to timely consult the government and the prime minister in regards to management solutions, striving for completion of all targets and plans set for 2020.

Meanwhile, the MPI will focus on ensuring radical and consistent implementation of strategic breakthroughs, pared with studying the mechanisms and policies to effectively mobilise and use diverse resources for investment development and the business community.