Representatives of Party committees from Lao Cai, Ha Giang, Dien Bien, Bac Kan and Yen Bai provinces also presented draft resolutions and a list of candidates for their forthcoming congresses.

Politburo member and National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong praised their thorough preparations for the congresses, particularly their political reports dealing with socio-economic development and national defence and security.

The Politburo member said he was impressed with the rapid economic growth the five provinces had achieved, especially their promotion of industrial development and the service industries, including tourism.

He asked that the provincial Party committees draw lessons from the restructuring of their economies to define the orientation of future development.

The Politburo member reminded the committees to pay attention to gender equality, ethnic minorities and the young when choosing personnel.

He told the Lao Cai delegates to focus their efforts on narrowing the gap between their province and other provinces and cities throughout the country.

Ha Giang province should focus on human resources as the key to its socio-economic development, he said.

The province should also utilize the great potential of its land, forests and border gates.

Although Dien Bien had made progress, it remained a poor province of obsolete and small-scale production.

He asked that its strengths and weaknesses be identified and then prioritized during the next five years.

Politburo member Trong said he was impressed with the preparations of the provincial Party committees for their congresses, including the selection of personnel which suited the local situation.

He was also convinced that Bac Kan would soon be removed from the list of less-developed province.

Yen Bai delegates were told that the economic restructuring of the province in the heart of the northwestern should be embodied in the development of agriculture, especially commodities, with the focus on farms and co-operatives.

Politburo member Trong asked all the provincial delegates to give Party-building work more attention, renew their work methods, intensify the fight against bureaucracy and corruption and accelerate the campaign to follow President Ho Chi Minh’s moral example.

They should complete their reports and selection of personnel which were crucial to the success of their congresses and a prerequisite for the success of the country’s renewal and development, he said.