Over the past 50 years, the construction sector has always played a key role in developing infrastructure facilities for the country.

PM Dung praised the sector’s achievements and contributions to the cause of national industrialisation and modernisation.

The sector has made great strides in developing mechanisms, policies, and plans and helping the Government and National Assembly to revamp laws on housing development, real estate business, and urban planning.

Despite the global economic downturn, the construction sector achieved an annual growth rate of more than 20 percent in the 2006-2010 period, contributing significantly to Vietnam’s steady economic growth.

However, Mr Dung pointed out there are limitations that need to be dealt with in the future such as poor planning, ineffective management of urban construction and property business operations, inadequate human resources development and weak technological growth which have fallen short of meeting the practical needs of national industrialisation and modernisation.

Mr Dung asked the sector to renew its management mechanisms pertaining to construction and investment by streamlining administrative procedures, using effectively all capital resources, practising thrift, and combating wastefulness and corruption.

The same day, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Nguyen Duc Kien attended the third patriotic emulation congress in Quang Ninh province.

Mr Kien hailed the achievements that the province recorded in the last five years and urged it to adopt Party and State guidelines and policies on emulation, rewards, and enhancing leadership capacity in the political system.

Quang Ninh needs to attach its emulation movement to the campaign “Studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s moral example” to make it a driving force towards the province’s  socio-economic development targets for building an industrial province by 2020, Mr Kien said.

Over the past five years, Quang Ninh’s average economic growth rate hit 12.5 percent with per capita income rising to US$1,408, 1.92 times the figure for 2005.

During this period, the province provided funding for the construction of nearly 4,000 houses for poor households and reduced the percentage of poor households from 10.62 percent in 2005 to 4 percent in 2010 while creating nearly 13,000 new jobs and reducing the unemployment rate to 4 percent.

At this year’s congress, Quang Ninh’s Party committee and people were awarded the Ho Chi Minh Order, six collectives received the Government’s Emulation Flag, and 62 individuals were honoured with the insignia “ For the Cause of Emulation and Rewards”.