Bac Lieu (VNA) – Bac Lieu should pay attention tothe development of wind power to become the first to capitalise on the cleansource of energy in the southwestern region, advised National AssemblyChairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.

Meeting with local authorities on June 20 during her workingtrip to the province, the top legislator praised local development andacknowledged the Mekong Delta province’s difficulties such as weaksocio-economic infrastructure and climate change impacts.

She said a national highway is planned to reach Can Tho by2021 and Bac Lieu after that, suggesting the province upgrade current roads toensure traffic safety while waiting for the new route.

Ngan recommended the local authorities closely follow theParty’s guidelines and Government’s policies and resolution on economicdevelopment, particularly the private sector.

Bac Lieu should capitalise on its potential for growth andencourage the private sector to do better in the fields of their strength likeaquatic farming and fruit tree planting.

Highlighting its potential for sea tourism and long-time practiceof the art of Don Ca Tai Tu (southern folk music), she said Bac Lieu should combineeconomic development and the preservation of traditional values.

Regarding the fact that the province has 16 out of 49communes meeting the standards for new-style rural areas, Ngan stressed it doesnot need to complete the rural building work one year ahead of schedule.

Apart from infrastructure construction, creating livelihoodsfor residents via facilitating the establishment of local businesses is alsoneeded, she said.

The NA chief said Bac Lieu should set a goal to reduce its povertyrate to 3 percent from the current 8.43 percent, with attention paid to therate of households becoming poor again after escaping poverty and theimplementation of preferential policies targeting ethnic people and thoseliving in mountainous and remote areas.

Local economic development must take into considerationpeople’s benefits, she said, asking the authorities to boost communicationscampaigns to raise public awareness of the Party’s policies and the State’slaws.

The same day, Ngan paid a visit to the high-quality shrimpfarming complex of the Viet – Uc Seafood Corporation, which spans 315 ha inHiep Thanh commune, Bac Lieu city. It is set to become a concentrated material areafor production and processing for export, contributing to turning Bac Lieu intoa hub of Vietnam’s shrimp industry.

The NA Chairwoman also visited a coastal wind power plant inVinh Trach Dong commune, Bac Lieu city, the biggest energy project in thelocality. The plant became operational in early 2018 with a total capacity of99.2 MW.

As part of her working visit to Bac Lieu, Ngan visited andgifted local policy beneficiary families.-VNA