On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Lam Dong Provincial Liberation Day, a reporter from Lao Dong Newspaper had an interview with Mr. Tran Hong Thai - Chairman of Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee about the achievements over the past half century and development orientations in the coming time.
Can you share about the important achievements that Lam Dong province has achieved after 50 years of Liberation Day?
Mr. Tran Hong Thai: After 50 years of liberation and nearly 40 years of renovation, Lam Dong has achieved many important achievements in all fields.
From a province facing many difficulties, Lam Dong has now risen to a strong economic development, modern infrastructure, and improved people's lives.
The economy has grown steadily, GRDP in 2024 will reach 140,500 billion VND, average income per capita will be 103.6 million VND/year, budget revenue will be over 13,000 billion VND - leading the Central Highlands region.
The high-tech agricultural sector has developed remarkably with more than 70,000 hectares of modern production, creating typical products such as vegetables, Da Lat flowers, B'Lao tea, Di Linh coffee...
The new rural construction program helps all 106 communes meet the standards. Of which, there are 47 advanced communes and 23 model communes, contributing to improving farmers' lives.
Tourism has become a spearhead economic sector, Da Lat has been honored by UNESCO as a "Music Creative City", attracting 10 million visitors in 2024, with revenue reaching VND18,000 billion.
The accommodation system is constantly developing, along with agricultural and ecological tourism models, bringing new experiences to tourists.
Agricultural processing industry and renewable energy are focused on, effectively exploiting the potential of the province. Traffic infrastructure has been strongly improved with the Tan Phu - Bao Loc, Bao Loc - Lien Khuong expressway projects and the upgrading of Lien Khuong airport, helping to increase regional connectivity.
Poverty reduction work has achieved positive results, the poverty rate in ethnic minority areas has decreased to 6.25%.
Lam Dong is today developing dynamically and sustainably, affirming its role as a bridge between the Central Highlands, the Southeast and the South Central Coast. Lam Dong is ready to enter a new stage of development, deep integration and reach international standards.
In addition to the achievements, what difficulties and challenges does Lam Dong have?
In addition to the achieved results, Lam Dong province still faces many difficulties and challenges.
The economy is mostly dependent on agricultural production; there is a shortage of facilities and infrastructure, making transportation difficult.
Social management work still has limitations. People's lives, especially in ethnic minority areas, are still difficult.
The complex natural terrain makes it difficult to produce and increases the cost of investment in the construction and development of the transportation system.
The geographical location of the province is not favorable for investment attraction and economic development because it is far from major economic centers, connecting with the Central Coast and Southeast regions is still difficult.
Infrastructure is still lacking, weak, not synchronous and modern; far from major ports, difficulty in transporting goods for export, no railway connecting to other localities.
The scale of the region's economy and market is still small, planning is not synchronous, competitiveness is low, and infrastructure is not yet complete. Development investment resources are still limited, especially development investment outside the budget.
The quality of human resources is still low, the ability to access the digital economy and the knowledge economy is still limited. Another problem is that internal and external linkages have not met development requirements.
Faced with these difficulties and challenges, what solutions does Lam Dong province have to overcome, sir?
With high political determination, great efforts, and drastic actions, Lam Dong is synchronously implementing solutions.
First, lead and direct focusing, persistently implementing long-term goals, and removing bottlenecks.
Second, comprehensive leadership, closely following the Party's guidelines and policies and the State's laws.
Thirdly, effectively mobilize public and socialized investment resources for socio-economic development and infrastructure investment.
Fourth, closely monitor the situation, learn from experience, and improve forecasting capacity.
Fifth is to strictly comply with discipline and administrative discipline, promoting the pioneering and exemplary spirit.
Sixth, maintaining stability in national defense, security, social order and safety, corruption prevention and control...
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Liberation Day, what do you share with the people in the province?
On this occasion, I would like to express my deep gratitude to generations of leaders, cadres, soldiers and people of the province who have contributed to the development of the locality.
Lam Dong today has many positive changes, with a strong socio-economic development and people's lives increasingly improved.
However, the road ahead is still full of challenges, requiring solidarity, innovation and creativity.
Therefore, calling on the business community inside and outside the province to accompany the Lam Dong government and people in investing and developing the socio-economy.
The locality is always open, ready to create all favorable conditions for business development and commits to strongly reforming administrative procedures, in order to make Lam Dong an attractive destination for investors.
Lam Dong's investment attraction strategy focuses on three economic pillars: tourism, high-tech agriculture and green industry.
Sincerely thank you!
