HCMC – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh wants the Red River Delta region, which includes 11 cities and provinces in Northern Vietnam, to further promote its role as the country’s major driver of economic growth, heard a conference held in Quang Ninh Province’s Halong City on February 12.

The Red River Delta should be Vietnam’s leading hub of education, training and high-quality workforce, and develop a culture on a par with the socioeconomic and political growth, said the prime minister.

Chinh asked the relevant agencies and the authorities of the region’s 11 localities to promptly develop a detailed action plan until 2030 with a vision toward 2045 to further unlock the potential of the region, the local media reported.

He also urged the region to boost regional economic growth, step up sea-based economic programs, bolster the application of high technology and speed up agricultural sustainability.

The region should be developed into the country’s leading innovation center. To do so, the authorities of the region must encourage firms to invest in science and technology projects, form a network of tech startups and build innovation and hi-tech centers, said the prime minister.

The prime minister affirmed that the Red River Delta region plays a key role in the nation’s political, economic, cultural and environmental development strategies, and national defense and maritime sovereignty; and acts as a northern gate of Vietnam and Southeastern Asia with China in export and import.

Between 2005 and 2020, the region’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP) averaged out at 7.94% per year, well above the country’s 6.36% GDP growth. The delta contributed 29.4% to the country’s GDP growth in 2020, making it second among Vietnam’s contributors after the southeastern region.

The Red River Delta region’s GRDP is targeted at some 9% per year by 2030.