Hanoi (VNA) –♏ Party General Secretary To Lam, State President Luong Cuong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, and other officials attended an online conference on January 8 connected to all 63 centrally-run cities and provinces across the nation to review operations of the Government and local administrations in 2024 and sketch out tasks for 2025.

Participants focused on evaluating achievements across areas in 2024, and analysing limitations, challenges, and difficulties, along with their causes and lessons, thus proposing tasks and solutions to successfully implement directions and tasks stipulated in resolutions approved by the NA, especially the socio-economic development plan for 2025. Accordingly, amidst intertwined difficulties and challenges, in 2024, attention and priority were given to promoting growth, maintaining macroeconomic stability, controlling inflation, and ensuring major economic balances. Efforts have been made to address institutional and legal bottlenecks, accelerate key infrastructure projects, and enhance socio-cultural development, disaster prevention, and environmental protection. Special heed has been paid to preventing and fighting corruption, negative phenomena, and wastefulness; strengthening national defence and security; bolstering foreign relations and international integration; and staying informed of situations; formulating timely and effective policy responses to external fluctuations. Thanks to the high determination, great efforts, and decisive actions of the entire political system, the people, and the business community, under the leadership of the Party, the support of the NA, and the backing of the international community, the country recorded positive economic recovery, with all 15 key targets being achieved or exceeded. The country's GDP growth surpassed 7%, with the economy's size reaching around 470 billion USD. The inflation rate was controlled below 4%, and major balances of the economy were maintained. Total import-export turnover set a record, at around 800 billion USD, posting a trade surplus of about 24 billion USD. State budget revenue hit 2 quatrillion VND (over 78.8 billion USD.) Vietnam remains a safe and attractive destination for international businesses, partners, and investors. It ranks among the top 15 global developing countries in terms of attracting foreign investment, with inflows reaching about 40 billion USD, with a disbursement value of about 25 billion USD. It is also one of the top 20 economies in the world in terms of international trade size, with 17 free trade agreements, making it a key link in regional and global supply chains. In the year, great efforts have been made to create strategic breakthroughs, especially in reviewing and perfecting the institutional and legal framework; promoting infrastructure development, human resources, science - technology, innovation and start-ups; and accelerating the shift towards a digital and green economy, hi-tech industries, and environmentally friendly practices. Efforts in planning have been also significantly intensified, with the approval and full implementation of all 111 sectoral, field, provincial, and national planning schemes. The country's independence and sovereignty have been firmly safeguarded; defence and security potential and resources have been strengthened, while foreign affairs and international integration have been stepped up, contributing to improving the nation’s prestige and position in the international arena.

Acceleration, breakthroughs

At the conference, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh pointed out directions, tasks, and breakthrough solutions for implementing the socio-economic development plan for 2025 which marks many major national events.

He said the Government has set the theme for 2025 as discipline and responsibility, proactiveness and timeliness, streamlining and efficiency, acceleration and breakthrough, focusing on concertedly implementing all resolutions and conclusions of the Party and the National Assembly.

Priorities will be given to promoting growth, maintaining macroeconomic stability, controlling inflation, ensuring major balances, perfecting institutions and laws, developing infrastructure, improving the quality of human resources, advancing science and technology, fostering innovation, driving digital transformation, pursuing green transition and circular economy, promoting culture, ensuring social welfare, and raising people's lives.

Additionally, efforts will focus on fighting corruption, wastefulness, and other negative phenomena, strengthening national defence and security, protecting independence and sovereignty, maintaining political security and social order, enhancing foreign relations and international integration, and raising Vietnam's reputation and position on the global stage.

In 2025, Vietnam strives for a growth rate of above 8%, with its consumer price index (CPI) expected to expand by about 4.5%, and multidimensional poverty rate dropped by approximately 0.8-1%.

The official also highlighted streamlining the apparatus to enhance effectiveness and efficiency, and the organisation of all-level Party congresses, leading up to the 14th National Party Congress.

The country will push ahead with the development of strategic infrastructure, especially key national projects on expressways, research and development, airports, the North-South high-speed railway, urban railways, international financial centres, and free trade areas, according to the Deputy PM.

The Government will continue strengthening the Party building work; combatting corruption, wastefulness, and other other negative phenomena; and reviewing and removing obstacles to projects.

The Government, ministries, sectors, and localities will concentrate on cultural development, ensuring social welfare, and proactively preventing and responding to natural disasters and climate change. This includes harmonising cultural investment and development with socio-economic goals, formulating and issuing a strategy for the development of Vietnam's cultural industry, implementing policies on ethnic, religious, and demographic affairs, completing over 100,000 social housing units, and eradicating temporary and dilapidated housing.

The Deputy PM mentioned three major projects to be implemented this year, covering the prevention and control of subsidence, landslides, flooding, drought, and saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta and landslides and flooding in central and northern mountainous regions, and addressing air pollution in urban areas./.