Addressing the National Assembly’s 14-day working session Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung delivered a supplementary report on socioeconomic development and state budget, and put forward tasks for 2007.
In 2006, Vietnam maintained stable and high gross domestic product growth of 8.17 per cent, with a positive shift toward the market economy despite facing natural calamities, pandemics of bird flu, foot-and-mouth diseases and brown hoppers.
The consumer price index rose 6.6 per cent compared with 8.4 per cent in 2005, and total export revenue reached US$39.8 billion, up 22.8 per cent on year. Nine key exports posted revenue of over US$1 billion.
However, the trade gap stood at US$5.09 billion.
Total state budget revenue reached VND272.87 trillion, expenditures were VND321.37 trillion and surplus state budget spending accounted for roughly 5 per cent of GDP.
Ratios of agriculture, forestry and aquatic products, of GDP, were down to 20.4 per cent from 20.9 per cent, while the industry and construction sector rose to 41.52 per cent from 41 per cent, and service stood at 38.08 per cent.
Social investment capital was estimated at VND393.5 trillion, equivalent to 40 per cent of GDP, including VND86.4 trillion from the state budget, VND26.3 trillion from state development credit, VND61.6 trillion from state-run enterprises and VND132.6 trillion from domestic private businesses and VND65.6 trillion from FDI.
Besides, the Vietnamese government issued state bonds worth VND10.66 trillion for transport and irrigation projects.
Over 1.6 million jobs were generated, helping push poverty down to 18.1 per cent.
On integration into the world economy and external relations, Vietnam became a WTO member, successfully hosted the 14th Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit and was named for non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council.
This year, the Vietnamese government has set three targets; gaining GDP growth rate of 8.5 per cent, further boosting administrative reform and fighting corruption.
To do that, Vietnam government will continue (1) completing the market mechanism, (2) implementing investment development plans with measures to improve the investment environment, (3) strengthening management and control over the financial and stock markets to ensure stable and sustainable development, (4) actively carrying out WTO commitments, (5) boosting environmental protection, (6) intensifying administrative reform and enhancing the capacity and efficiency of state mechanisms and (7) adopting resolute measures to root out rampant corruption.
In the first two months this year, Vietnam maintained stable economic growth, industrial production value estimated at VND89 trillion, up 17.5 per cent on year. The retail and services reached VND112 trillion, up 24.1 per cent from 2005.
The trade gap was US$1 billion, accounting for 15.8 per cent of the country’s export value.
Notably, two ODA agreements were reached with total capital of US$159 million, of which US$135 million was disbursed.
State budget revenue was estimated at VND39.74 trillion, equivalent to 14.1 per cent of year 2007 estimates.
The CPI rose 3.24 per cent from December of 2006. (Deputy PM Nguyen Sinh Hung’s Report, The People)
Vietnamese
