Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc required the prompt resumption of work immediately after the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, ending the outdated thinking that the first lunar month is a time for festivals.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc (middle) at the Cabinet meeting on Tet holiday

Chairing a meeting between the Government’s standing board and some ministries and sectors on February 21, the first working day after the week-long Tet holiday, the PM commended the good preparation for Tet, the largest festival in a year of Vietnamese. 

He said supply of goods was ensured, prices were kept stable, with due support given to disadvantaged groups. Average Tet bonus for workers increased by 13 percent, while farmers’ income also improved.

PM Phuc also hailed the work of the armed forces, the health sector, the media and other agencies in ensuring an abundant and safe holiday for the people, citing the example of a policeman who died and five others who were wounded doing their duty.  

However, he expressed concern about the large number of traffic accidents despite a reduction compared to previous years, as well as the abuse of alcohol and firecrackers. 

He stressed that the administration at all levels, all sectors, all units must set out on specific tasks immediately. 

The Ministries of Planning and Investment, Finance, Industry and Trade, and the State Bank must keep close watch on the macro economic situation, prices and market fluctuations in order to take timely actions to maintain macro-economic stability and control inflation, the PM instructed.  

He requested Cabinet members to monitor the situation in fields and units under their management, and urged continued administrative procedure reform and improvement of investment and business environment to stimulate production activities, in line with the motto of the Government in 2018.

Minister – Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung presented a report, affirming that the Tet holiday took place in a joyful and safe atmosphere across the country. Purchasing power during the period increased by 12-15 percent from normal days, the report said. 

Farmers in many localities resumed working from the third day of the first lunar month to keep up with cultivation schedule.

The report highlighted a surge in tourism in many areas, with the number of visitors to most key tourism sites going up 15-20 percent compared to the previous Tet. 

The Ministry of Public Security and the National Committee for Traffic Safety reported that political security and social order and safety were maintained across the country. There were 218 traffic accidents during the seven-day holiday from February 14 to 20, a reduction of 150 cases year-on-year, while the number of deaths went down by 8 to 195.–VNA