The Party Politburo made the instruction while working with the executive members of the HCM City Party Committee in Hanoi on August 12.

Regarding the city’s orientations and tasks for 2010-2015, it emphasised that as the country’s largest urban centre and with its important political position, HCM City needs to fulfill its role of creating a momentum for other provinces and cities to grow

The city should mobilise all resources and make the best use of its potential and advantages for rapid, stable and sustainable development.

It should also serve as a bridge for effective cooperation with regional countries while becoming a civilised and modern socialist city and a key centre in Vietnam and Southeast Asia, the Party Politburo said.

It asked the municipal authorities to work actively with ministries and central agencies to build and implement plans, mechanisms and policies as well as cooperate with other provinces and cities nationwide to create a connection and strength for mutual development.

The municipal authorities and people must actively and effectively struggle against hostile forces’ schemes of sabotage to maintain political stability and social order, thus creating a favourable environment for the city’s development, the Party elites stressed.

It requested the city to closely coordinate with ministries and central agencies to adopt measures to mobilise domestic and foreign resources for infrastructure development, especially transport, electricity and water supplies.

In the next five years, HCM City aims to attain an annual economic growth rate of more than 12 percent, 1.5 times higher than the country’s average level, and a per-capita income of more than 4,800 USD by 2015. The city also strives to reduce its poverty rate to below 2 percent by 2015.