Long An (VNA) – Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong visited the Mekong Delta province of Long An on March 15 to inspect the local performance in socio-economic development, security-defence and in Party building. Visiting Duc Hoa Dong, which was originally a remote commune with one third of its area deserted, the leader rejoiced at local industrialisation which, he said, is the right direction that has improved local infrastructure and people’s living standards. He also applauded the performance of the Dong Quang Textile Joint Stock Company based at the Hai Son Industrial Park in Duc Hoa Ha commune. The firm is currently providing jobs for over 6,000 people, mostly local residents, and contributes more than 100 billion VND (4.5 million USD) to the State budget annually. At a working session with provincial officials, the Party chief highlighted Long An’s location in the southern key economic region between the southeast region and the Mekong Delta, which is favourable for development. The province has made breakthroughs in development, as seen in an annual economic growth rate of over 11 percent – the fastest in the Mekong Delta, along with an annual per capita income of 50.4 million VND (over 2,260 USD) – ranking third in the region. The rate of household poverty has dropped to 2.5 percent. While maintaining the rice farming area to guarantee food security, Long An has switched to the cultivation of profitable trees like dragon fruit and lime. There has also been an increase in the proportion of processing, mechanics and electronics industries, along with a decrease in labour intensive and polluting industries. Long An ranked seventh among the 63 provinces and cities in Vietnam and second in the Mekong Delta in terms of the provincial competitiveness index. It is now housing more than 6,700 Vietnamese businesses, 395 operational FDI projects, 28 industrial parks and 32 industrial clusters. It has also upgraded and built a number of arterial traffic routes linking highways, national roads and waterways, facilitating the transportation of goods. General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong pointed out growing challenges ahead as well as the unsustainability in local economic growth. The province must not be subjective but have a good grasp and forecast of the reality. He took the ongoing drought and saltwater intrusion as an example, which is the worst in a century and has damaged over 8,600ha of rice. Tens of thousands of hectares in Long An are predicted to be affected by the phenomena. If precise forecasts were made, efficient responses could be taken to minimise impacts on agriculture and people’s life, he stressed. The leader told local authorities to internalise the resolution of the provincial Party organisation’s congress, together with the resolution of the recent 12th National Party Congress. The province should also continue the Party building task of consolidating a pure and strong political system, while thoroughly preparing for the approaching election of deputies to the National Assembly and all-level People’s Councils, he added. During his stay in Long An, the Party General Secretary visited Nguyen Thi Ba, who holds the titles of Vietnamese Heroic Mother and the Hero of the People’s Armed Forces. She is 100 years old this year and has been a Party member for eight decades.-VNA