This was the view expressed by State President Nguyen Minh Triet during a working visit to the south-central province of Binh Thuan on July 9.

At a meeting with local leaders, President Triet praised the province’s achievements in Party building, poverty reduction and socio-economic development.

Secretary of the provincial Party Committee, Huynh Van Ti briefed Mr Triet on Binh Thuan’s economic picture in the first half of this year, which continues to take a turn for the better despite facing numerous difficulties.

He said the province’s GDP increased 10.1 percent compared to the same period last year. Progress was made in agricultural production, with cultivated areas increasing 23.7 percent. Industrial and light industrial production values totaled VND 2,273 billion, 42.9 percent of the yearly target and 1.76 percent higher than the same period last year.

During the past six months, the province attracted 1.263 million tourists and earned US$92 million in export turnover, an increase of 13 percent. Tax revenues reached VND3,807 billion, fulfilling 67.8 percent of the set target. The province has renovated dilapidated houses for many poor households.

Satisfactory results were obtained in judicial reform with the quality of court rulings, prosecutions and operational efficiency improving significantly.

On July 8, President Triet visited the Cham Culture Museum in Bac Binh district, presented gifts to martyrs and war invalids’ families and heroic mothers and took a tour of several provincial businesses.