Tuan made the suggestion at a workshop on industrial and urban development in the Red River Delta under the Politburo’s Resolution 54 held several days ago.

According to Tuan, the regional linkage model is an apparatus which manages, regulates and lays down policy and cooperates with involved parties to conduct regional administration. It also examines the implementation of tasks to be sure that targets are attainable.

The steering committee should be headed by a leader of central agencies, while members are leaders of ministries, branches and localities.

The steering committee would be given certain powers and the responsibility of managing, coordinating, inspecting and making decisions (or submitting to higher levels for decision) on important issues of regional linkage development.

As for regional development advisory council, it is not an administrative agency but is an organization with members to be introduced by the government and localities in the regions.

They are managers, scientists and representatives of social professional associations in the fields related to regional linkage development goals. The council performs a number of tasks related to cooperation I  socio-economic development.

The council builds action plans to realize the regions’ socio-economic development goals; selects and suggests programs and investment projects with regional linkages; considers and appraises local socio-economic development plans; and supervises local government linkages in regions and the process of plan implementation.

It also has the task of suggesting policies related to regional socio-economic development and mobilizing resources for intra-regional development.

According to Tuan, the model has been applied in the US, France and South Korea. France, for example, has regional management boards, and 7-8 provinces are grouped in a region.

Expressing his interest in the regional council, deputy head of the Party Committee’s Economic Commission Nguyen Duy Hung said some achievements were gained after 17 years of implementing Resolution 54 such as the presence of institutions on their own, and cooperation in transport and tourism development. 

However, they still compete with each other in attracting investors and workers.

Meanwhile, deputy chair of the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance Le Van Nghi believes that it would be better not to have regional steering committees, which are just at an intermediate level. It is the government which has the power to make decisions.

Nghi suggested the establishment of regional coordinating bodies at the Government Office, or bodies under the government’s direct control.

Thu Hang