During the two resistances against French colonialists and American imperialists, local people and soldiers in Binh Thuan made a great contribution to the liberation of the southern region and national unification. Due to the devastation of war, the province had to receive food aid from the government for many years. With its glorious revolutionary tradition, the provincial Party, administration and people spare no effort to make the province become more and more prosperous and beautiful.

One of the province’s successes is sustainable agricultural growth. With support from the government, the province has built hundreds of irrigation projects to supply water for daily use and production. It has raised the total cultivated areas to nearly 190,000 hectares, annually producing nearly 435,000 tonnes of rice, 105,000 tonnes of corns and 383,000 tonnes of wheat. Binh Thuan has not only ensured food supply for the local people but also exported thousands of tonnes of farm produce.

To restructure its economy, the province has shifted all low-yield paddy fields to grow perennial trees. The province now has nearly 78,000 hectares of crops, including 30,000 hectares of cashew nuts, more than 20,000 ha of rubber and nearly 10,000 ha of dragon fruit and the remaining areas for coffee, pepper and fruit trees. Dragon fruit has helped farmers in districts of Ham Thuan Nam, Ham Thuan Bac and Bac Binh escape poverty and gradually increase their incomes. In addition, animal husbandry is also developing well.

Binh Thuan has also devised policies to assist fishermen in building large vessels to fish offshore. The number of offshore fishing vessels is estimated at nearly 1,200, accounting for nearly 14 percent of the total number of vessels in the province. They annual catch is around 150,000 tonnes for both domestic use and exports. The province has also helped seafood processing businesses to equip themselves with advanced technologies and machines to produce high quality products which meet the high food hygiene and safety standards of the integration process. It has created good conditions for businesses to promote trademarks and seek partners. Thanks to such activities, seafood exports have risen in value year on year. In 2007, seafood exports reached US$74 million, five percent higher than planned and accounting for nearly 60 percent of the province’s total export value.

In recent years, the Binh Thuan tourism sector has developed rapidly. 394 valid tourism projects are getting underway with a combined registered capital of more than VND16,000 billion accounting for one half of the total investment projects in the province. The province has received more than 1.8 million visitors, including 175,00 foreigners, earning VND1,060 billion.

At its recent 11^th congress the provincial Party Committee adopted a resolution with high determination to promote industrial production and lift the province out of its underdeveloped status by 2010. To this end, the province will focus on industrial and handicraft development. Most districts and towns have restored traditional lines of business such as fish sauce, dried cuttle fish, ceramics and handicraft products. In addition, the province has largely invested in infrastructure development in industrial zones and offered incentives to attract both domestic and foreign investors.

So far the province has attracted 416 investment projects with a total registered capital of VND7,000 billion, including 55 foreign invested projects capitalised at US$344 million. Most projects are in the areas of agriculture, forestry, aquaculture, oil and gas industry and services. Some of the projects have paid off, helping to raise the province’s industrial value in 2007 to more than VND3,200 billion, up 10 percent compared to the previous year. Industrial production in the first quarter of this year was estimated at more than VND1,000 billion, up nearly 29 percent compared to the same period last year.

Last year the former Ministry of Industry authorised the province to approve a Vinh Tan Electricity Centre project in Tuy Phong district, which is comprised of three thermal-power plants with a total capacity of 44,000MW. There is also researching a plan afoot to build a wind-generated power plant in the same district.

In 2008 – the pivotal year of the five-year development plan (2006-2010), the province targets a GDP growth rate of 15 percent, of which industry will increase by 20-21 percent. By the end of next year, the province will fulfill its main target for 2010. With its high determination, Binh Thuan is likely to make a breakthrough in the province’s economic development.