Red River Delta should be sustainable, interconnected: Party chief

At a conference on socio-economic development and national security and defense at the Red River Delta until 2030, with vision until 2045, Trong said the Delta has always had a strategic importance regarding politics, economy, culture, society, defense and security. It is a gateway for Vietnam and ASEAN to develop the economy and trade with China, as well as having coordinated traffic infrastructures, he added.

However, the region’s socio-economic development has yet to match its potentials, with a small scale economy, low percentages of modern technological manufacturing industry and worsening pollution. Meanwhile, a resolution aims for the Red River Delta, until 2030, to quickly and sustainably develop, focusing on industry, modern services and agriculture, with a coordinated socio-economic infrastructure.

Until 2045, the Delta would be a modern and ecological development area and the nation’s foremost center regarding education, technology, innovation and healthcare, with modern socio-economic infrastructures and certain major economic and financial hubs for the region and the world.

To achieve that goal, the Politburo said regional interconnectedness must be a central theme for development, and the Delta also needs to cooperate effectively with China, ASEAN and Northeastern Asia.

The planning for the region until 2030, with vision until 2045, must be green, sustainable and comprehensive, it added.

The Red River Delta, with 11 localities, spans 21,200 km2 and accounts for 6.4% of Vietnam’s total area. It has a population of 23 million, accounting for 24% of the total population. Its per capita income is about 1.3 times higher than the national average, and it contributes around 33% of the national budget.