On the morning of August 10, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Head of the Steering Committee for the implementation of Resolution No. 98/2023/QH15 of the National Assembly on piloting a number of mechanisms and policies for the development of Ho Chi Minh City, and the working delegation worked with Ho Chi Minh City on the results of the city's socio-economic development and the implementation of Resolution No. 98.

Also attending the meeting were comrade Nguyen Van Nen, Politburo member, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee; comrades of the Party Central Committee: Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung, Minister, Head of the Government Office Tran Van Son, Minister of Construction Nguyen Thanh Nghi, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai; leaders of ministries, branches, central and local agencies.

At the conference, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai reported on the socio-economic development situation and results. Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung reported on the situation and results of implementing Resolution 98 of the National Assembly.

The Ministry of Finance reported on the Project on developing the carbon credit market in Vietnam and the tasks that need to be done for Ho Chi Minh City. The Ministry of Transport reported on the expansion of the Ho Chi Minh City-Trung Luong and Ho Chi Minh City-Long Thanh-Dau Giay expressways to full scale; the construction of the Thu Duc City Master Plan and solutions for Ho Chi Minh City's urban development.

Resolution No. 98/2023/QH15 stipulates the piloting of 6 groups of specific mechanisms and policies for the development of Ho Chi Minh City on (i) investment management; (ii) finance and state budget; (iii) urban, resource and environmental management; (iv) priority industries and occupations to attract strategic investors to the City; (v) science and technology management, innovation; (vi) organization of the City government and Thu Duc City.

Regarding the specific results of implementing Resolution 98, reports and opinions at the meeting said that so far, the Government has issued 3/4 decrees, the Prime Minister has issued 1 decision. Ministries and agencies continue to actively implement the 4 regular tasks assigned.

Regarding the tasks under the authority of Ho Chi Minh City, the City People's Council has issued 31 resolutions for implementation. The City People's Committee has completed 13/25 tasks, issued 24 decisions to implement the contents related to Resolution No. 98.

In the field of investment management, in 2023-2024, priority was given to allocating VND 3,794 billion for the Poverty Reduction Program for 52,000 customers; allocating VND 1,500 billion of public investment capital to support interest rates for priority investment projects for socio-economic development; allocating VND 2,900 billion for the Ho Chi Minh City - Moc Bai expressway project; issuing a list of projects calling for investment under the public-private partnership method, the culture and sports sector with 23 projects (total investment of VND 22,394 billion).

In the field of finance and state budget, the beneficiaries of income increase policies have been added, creating motivation for civil servants, public employees and workers in the context of Ho Chi Minh City having high population density and diverse and complex economic and social activities.

In the field of science and technology management and innovation, policies on salaries, wages, welfare regimes and remuneration for performing science and technology tasks have been effective; initially attracting applications for performing science and technology tasks.

The organizational structure continues to be consolidated and completed with the establishment of the City Food Safety Department; the appointment of 1 Vice Chairman of the People's Council and 1 Vice Chairman of the People's Committee and the completion of the Thu Duc City apparatus, 1 Vice Chairman of the People's Committee for 3 districts (Can Gio, Nha Be, Hoc Mon) and 51/52 Vice Chairmen of the People's Committee for 51/52 wards, communes and towns with a population of 50,000 people or more.

Regarding socio-economic development, the City's GRDP in the first 6 months of 2024 increased by 6.46%, higher than the same period in 2023 (3.55%). In 7 months, the consumer price index (CPI) was well controlled, increasing by 3.29%, lower than the same period and the national average.

Total retail sales of goods reached VND661,000 billion, up 10.3% over the same period. Total tourism revenue is estimated at VND108,000 billion, up 15.4% over the same period, reaching 67.5% of the plan.

FDI attraction reached 1.545 billion USD; outstanding credit increased by 11.8%; state budget revenue reached over 308,000 billion VND, reaching 63.94% of the estimate, up 13.96% over the same period. The city accelerated the progress of key projects and works such as: Ring Road 3 Project; An Phu and Thu Duc Traffic Projects... Digital transformation and implementation of Project 06 were promoted. Cultural and social fields were focused on. Politics and society were stable; social order and safety were ensured.

Delegates expressed their opinions on the achievements, limitations and difficulties in implementing Resolution 98, and socio-economic development of Ho Chi Minh City; identified causes and drew lessons, and proposed appropriate directions and methods for the coming time.

Creating the premise and foundation for the rapid, strong and sustainable development of Ho Chi Minh City

In his concluding remarks, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that during his lifetime, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong always cared about the development of Ho Chi Minh City. General Secretary and President To Lam was also very interested and had plans to work with the City in the near future.

Appreciating the preparation work and the reports, opinions expressed frankly, passionately, and practically at the Conference, the Prime Minister assigned the Government Office to coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment (Standing Agency of the Steering Committee) and the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee to absorb opinions, complete and submit for promulgation the Conference's Conclusion Notice for implementation in the coming time, contributing to the whole country's goal of stabilizing the macro economy, controlling inflation, promoting growth, and ensuring major balances of the economy.

Further analyzing the position, role, potential and development advantages of Ho Chi Minh City, the Prime Minister said that Ho Chi Minh City is the country's economic and financial locomotive, the nucleus of the southern key economic region, accounting for about 17% of the country's GDP (according to the report of the General Statistics Office, if Ho Chi Minh City's GRDP grows by 1%, the country's GDP increases by 0.18%), state budget revenue accounts for over 27% of the country.

Ho Chi Minh City is also a pioneer in implementing new models for development such as developing export processing zones, industrial parks; stock exchanges, banking systems, development investment funds; software parks, high-tech zones, etc.; These innovative models have contributed significantly to helping the City make a strong breakthrough in economic and social development and international integration.

Regarding the implementation of Resolution 98, the Prime Minister assessed that looking back over the past year, the implementation of the Resolution has brought about very basic and positive initial results, creating the premise and foundation for the rapid, strong and sustainable development of Ho Chi Minh City.

Regarding the socio-economic development situation, on behalf of the Government, the Prime Minister commended and acknowledged the efforts of the Party Committee, government, army and people of Ho Chi Minh City to achieve many important results, contributing to the overall achievements of the whole country in the first 7 months of 2024.

In addition to the achievements, the Prime Minister pointed out some shortcomings and limitations. In implementing Resolution 98, the coordination between ministries, branches and Ho Chi Minh City sometimes lacked initiative, closeness and flexibility.

Along with that, Ho Chi Minh City must make more efforts in exploiting potentials and advantages, developing infrastructure, disbursing public investment capital, reforming administration, removing difficulties for business production, ensuring people's needs for hospitals, schools, housing, and social welfare systems.

In particular, the Prime Minister hopes that Ho Chi Minh City will contribute more actively with central agencies to remove institutional difficulties and obstacles, including amending the Law on Public Investment.

Regarding lessons learned, the Prime Minister said that it is necessary to continue promoting the spirit of "not saying no, not saying difficult things, not saying yes but not doing"; rectifying discipline and administrative order; promoting the responsibility of leaders; not allowing the situation of avoiding, pushing away, and fearing responsibility; protecting cadres who dare to think and dare to act for the common good.

At the same time, focus on removing difficulties, promoting production and business, focusing on improving the investment and business environment; unblocking, mobilizing and effectively using all internal and external resources; promoting decentralization and delegation of power; promoting the spirit of proactiveness, positivity, innovation, creativity, daring to think, daring to do; strengthening solidarity and unity; stabilizing socio-politics; consolidating national defense and security; promoting foreign affairs, international integration and information and communication, creating social consensus.

"Only discuss action, no retreat" in implementing Resolution 98

Regarding the work in the coming time in implementing Resolution 98, the Prime Minister emphasized, "the thinking is mature, the ideology is clear, the mechanism is in place, the flag is in hand", there must be higher determination, greater efforts, more drastic actions, "only discuss doing, not retreat", work with more focus, finish each task to gain motivation and inspiration for the next task, further promote the idea of ​​attack, encourage and protect those who dare to think, dare to do, dare to innovate, dare to break through for the common good.

With the requirement of achieving better results next month than last month, higher results next quarter than last quarter, higher results next year than last year, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh requested the Standing Office of the Steering Committee, ministries, branches, and Ho Chi Minh City to continue to thoroughly grasp Resolution 98 and, based on their functions, tasks, and powers, to carry out tasks and solutions in a proactive and positive spirit. If beyond their authority, they must propose to competent authorities, closely coordinate with each other in organizing implementation, clearly assign people, clearly assign tasks, clearly assign time, clearly assign products, clearly assign results, strengthen inspection, supervision, timely and strict rewards and disciplines. The way to resolve and remove obstacles must be stronger, sharper, and more methodical.

Regarding the leadership and direction viewpoint, the Prime Minister requested to review the assigned tasks to continue implementing, to better understand the role, position, potential, and importance of the City in the overall development of the country and the Southeast region; to clearly identify difficulties, challenges, shortcomings, limitations, and weaknesses, to closely follow reality, to start from reality, to respect reality, to take reality as a measure; to gradually expand while doing, not to be perfectionist, not to be hasty, to focus on summarizing, summarizing, drawing good experiences, valuable lessons, and effective ways of doing things to continue to promote, replicate, and create high spreading power.

Strengthen decentralization, delegation of authority, and individualization of the responsibility of the head, along with inspection, supervision, and control of power; take measures to inspect and supervise the implementation of each level. Build a system of administrative agencies that are united, honest, active, and effective, taking people and businesses as the center of service. Build a team of professional, civilized, modern, clean, dedicated officials and civil servants to serve the people.

Regarding key solutions and tasks, the Prime Minister requested that Ho Chi Minh City must be more determined, make greater efforts, take more drastic actions, and promote specific mechanisms and policies more effectively with the spirit of 6 "pioneers".

These "6 pioneers" include: Pioneering in innovation of synchronous, comprehensive, inclusive, effective, sustainable development thinking, taking people and businesses as the center and subject; pioneering in digital transformation and smart urban development, green development, circular economy, knowledge economy, sharing economy; pioneering in developing and applying science and technology, promoting startups and innovation; pioneering in developing high value-added service industries; pioneering in developing high-quality human resources, leading experts in key areas; pioneering in implementing social policies, social security, not sacrificing progress, social justice, environment to pursue pure growth, leaving no one behind.

Regarding some specific tasks, the Prime Minister first requested to continue to thoroughly grasp and concretize Resolution 24 of the Politburo on socio-economic development, ensuring national defense and security in the Southeast region, Resolution 31 of the Politburo on the direction and tasks of developing Ho Chi Minh City until 2030, Resolution 131 of the National Assembly on organizing the urban government model of Ho Chi Minh City and Resolution 98 of the National Assembly, successfully completing the goals and tasks set for 2024, striving for the City's economic growth to reach 7.5-8% for the whole year.

At the same time, establish a task force to promptly resolve arising problems and difficulties. Strongly promote the role of the country's economic locomotive; synchronously deploy solutions to stimulate the economy, stimulate investment and consumption; control prices, prevent smuggling and trade fraud.

At the same time, improve the efficiency of management, use and promote disbursement of public investment capital, focusing on large and key projects. Timely resolve difficulties and obstacles, create maximum convenience for people and businesses in production and business activities; drastically improve the investment and business environment; promote start-ups and innovation.

Promote administrative procedure reform, enhance decentralization and delegation of authority in work processing; improve the Provincial Public Administration Performance Index. Promote national digital transformation, build smart cities, Project 06 and increase the deployment of online public services on the National Public Service Portal.

The Prime Minister requested that socio-economic development go hand in hand with preserving and promoting traditional cultural values ​​and protecting the environment. Solve social issues well; implement social security policies well, and create jobs. Continue to improve the quality of education and training; focus on forming leading education and training centers in the country, region and internationally.

Strengthening national defense and security, maintaining political security, social order and safety; creating favorable conditions and environment for socio-economic development. Paying attention to the work of building a clean and strong Party and political system, improving the leadership capacity and fighting strength of Party organizations and Party members. Focusing on building a streamlined apparatus that operates effectively and efficiently, building a contingent of qualified and capable cadres, especially leaders, restructuring and improving the quality of cadres, civil servants and public employees.

The Head of Government emphasized that Ho Chi Minh City must promote its important role as "the nucleus and growth pole of the region", as "a civilized, modern, dynamic and creative city", as "the economic, financial, commercial, scientific and technological, and innovation center of the whole country", and believes that Ho Chi Minh City will excellently complete its tasks in 2024 and the assigned tasks.

Also at the meeting, leaders of ministries and branches responded and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh gave instructions on the City's proposals and recommendations related to the draft Decree regulating mechanisms and policies to encourage the development of self-produced and self-consumed rooftop solar power (to be issued in the coming days), the Pilot Project for offshore wind power development, the Pilot Project for developing the carbon credit market in Vietnam and amending Decree 06/2022/ND-CP on Regulations on greenhouse gas emission mitigation and ozone layer protection; Can Gio International Transit Port project; urban railway system development project; Vietnam International Finance Center in Ho Chi Minh City...