Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung made the comment at a ceremony held on April 21 to mark the generation of electricity from turbine No. 2 and the 1 billionth kWh produced by turbine No. 1 at the Son La power plant in northern Son La province.

The PM praised the efforts of design and construction units as well as officials and workers to overcome difficulties and hardships to complete turbine No. 2 ahead of schedule.

PM Dung also requested the project’s investors, design and construction units, officials, engineers and workers continue to accomplish the installation of turbines No. 3 and No. 4 in August and December as planned.

The Son La hydroelectric power plant, the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia, is invested, designed, built and operated by Vietnam itself. It was put into operation three years ahead of schedule.

The same day, PM Dung and leaders of relevant ministries and agencies made field trips to the Ban Chat and Huoi Quang hydroelectric power plants in Lai Chau province.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has urged the northern mountainous province of Lai Chau to tap local potential in land to achieve a higher economic growth rate.

While working with provincial authorities on April 21, PM Dung told them to take advantage of the total 9,000 sq.km land area to develop forests and the wood processing industry, as well as boosting agriculture and husbandry.

The Government leader also told the province to make full use of investment capital from the government to rapidly reduce poverty and train human resources.

PM Dung praised Lai Chau for having made great efforts in the past seven years to obtain remarkable socio-economic achievements, especially high economic growth and rapid poverty reduction, while maintaining national defence and security.

He also praised local authorities and people for having strictly implemented Party and Government policies on resettlement for over 11,000 households which provided land for the building of Son La, Lai Chau, Huoi Quang and Ban Chat hydroelectric power plants, making important contributions to the country’s development.

PM Dung affirmed that the government will help Lai Chau grow rapidly and sustainably, while focusing on resettlement, hydroelectricity development and rare earth processing.
Secretary of the provincial Party’s Committees Lo Van Giang briefed the PM on recent socio-economic developments and current preparations for the 13^th National Assembly and People's Council elections at all levels for the 2011-16 term.

In 2011, the province plans to obtain a GDP growth rate of 16 percent and per capita income of VND9.2 million, reduce the rate of poor households by 5 percent, and ensure all of its communes are accessible by car.