Opening his speech at the session on December 11, the head of the Cao Bang administration announced positive news: the provincial budget revenue has reached VND4,073 billion, surpassing the VND4,000 billion target set by the provincial party standing committee. 

This is the first time that both domestic revenue and import–export revenue have seen remarkable growth. However, affirming that the province will not “sleep on victory,” Hoa compared Cao Bang with other localities.

“Looking at Hai Phong, its budget revenue is nearly VND190,000 billion. Quang Ninh has maintained revenue of VND85,000 to VND100,000 billion for years. The gap between Cao Bang and developed provinces is still very large,” he said.

And he noted that the disadvantage is not only geographical but lies in the “method of implementation.”

He cited the case of an investor in Hai Phong whose request to expand a major project was approved in just 1.5 days; or an education complex completed and put into operation exactly one year after receiving.

“Why can other provinces get things done, while we have money but cannot spend it?” he questioned the council.

The fear-of-responsibility mindset

The chairman pointed to delays in land clearance and public investment as the biggest obstacles.

He mentioned the bypass road project near the town center: “It had a 30-year vision but it took 20 years to build. Costs kept rising, with the additional cost even exceeding the original investment.”

He said the cause lies in weak administrative execution, poor land data management, and especially the habit of shifting responsibility through multiple middle layers.

“The top leadership is determined, but the implementing agencies still work just to get things done, to finish the task, fearing responsibility more than fearing falling behind. Determination is worn down by these middle layers,” he stressed.

He highlighted the situation when authority has been strongly decentralized, but officials “do not dare to take the authority.” Some commune-level and even department-level officials still hesitate, seeking opinions in circles instead of deciding what is already within their authority.

A new metric: do not count meetings, count final products

To break through in the next term with the targets of 10 percent growth and mobilizing around $6.3 billion in total investment, Le Hai Hoa emphasized a major shift in evaluating officials from 2026 onward.

“I hope the council and voters evaluate the provincial leaders, department leaders, and commune chairs not by how many tasks we list out, but by the final products: things that can be seen, measured, and felt,” he said.

He added: “If an issue requires 20 meetings and is still not solved, it means we have not done it.”

He specifically demanded a change in legal-compliance thinking for public service. He noted that “following the law” must not be used as a shield for inertia. He proposed changing the motto to: “Comply with the law but ensure it fits local realities.”

Work beyond one’s authority must be reported for resolution, he said, instead of using “right process” as an excuse for delays.

He emphasized that unity across the entire political system is the key to development.

He expressed expectations for a bold transformation: “If the upper level is decisive and the lower level executes, we will have a Cao Bang that dares to ask directly, dares to act quickly, does not make things difficult for businesses, dares to admit mistakes to correct them, evolves and develops, becoming the fastest and most decisive province.”

He stressed that this is essential to unlock resources: “Only when we deliver this message and do what we promise, only then will investors and projects come to us.”

The 2025 PII (provincial innovation index) report released in November 2025 showed that Cao Bang was at the bottom with 22.78 points. 

Cao Bang ranked lowest in four key pillars: infrastructure (14.91 points), market (12.92 points), innovation impact (16.44 points), and overall ranking (bottom).

Institutions, an important starting point, only achieved 30.26 points, much lower than the national average.

Tran Thuong