On addressing the ceremony, Vo Lam Phi, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee highlighted the event ‘s significance, which contributed greatly to the nation’s reunification.

Since national liberation, Khanh Hoa has been in continuous development and has become one of the richest provinces in Vietnam. In the 1989-2009 period, the province saw an year-on-year increase of 11 percent in GDP. In 2009, the GDP per capita was US$1,330, 40 times more than in 1990, industrial production value exceeded VND14 trillion, export turn over reached US$546 million, tourism revenue VND1,567 billion and foreign investment over US$1 billion.

Since 2005 Khanh Hoa has been amongst the country’s 8 leading provinces in terms of state budget collection, which reached more than VND6,5 trillion in 2009.

There are now no hungry families in Khanh Hoa and the rate of poor households has fallen by 1.9 percent (according to the national criteria). Thousands of houses have also been built for poor and ethnic minority people.

The province is now in the process of building three key economic regions including Nha Trang – Dien Khanh Centre, the Van Phong Economic Zone and Cam Ranh Bay, in an effort to make Khanh Hoa the central region’s major economic centre.