Hanoi (VNA) – The National Assembly (NA)Standing Committee on May 8 commented on the Government’s reports which gaveadditional assessments on the socio-economic development and state budgetsituation in 2018 and the first months of this year.

This was part of activities for the NA StandingCommittee’s 34th session that opened the same day.

On behalf of the Government, Minister ofPlanning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung reported that Vietnam recorded a GDPgrowth rate of 6.79 percent in the first quarter of 2019, higher than the pacein the same period of 2011-2017. However, there have been signs of growthslowdown.

African swine fever has been a significant challengeto livestock farming over the past few months, greatly affecting theagro-forestry-fishery sector as well as farmers’ incomes.

He said the Government, ministries, sectors, andlocalities will persist with the set targets and take drastic actions toeffectively carry out the planned socio-economic development solution.

Commenting on the Government’s reports, Chairmanof the NA’s Committee for Economic Affairs Vu Hong Thanh said the relativelycomprehensive results were seen in the implementation of the development planfor 2018. 

He asked the Cabinet to further analyse bothobjective and subjective reasons for these outcomes so as to servesocio-economic governance in 2019 and the years to follow.

Some lawmakers asked for a thorough assessmentof contributions by the tourism sector, which attracted near 15.5 millionforeign visitors to Vietnam last year, to the country’s economic growth inorder to develop it into a spearhead industry.

The Government should also continue reviewingthe 11 groups of major shortcomings that it pointed out in its reports,including those related to the growth model reform, restructuring of somesectors, public investment, and the equitisation of state-owned enterprises,participants said.

At the meeting, NA Vice Chairman Phung Quoc Hiensaid the NA Standing Committee highly valued the achievements of 2018 andefforts by the Government, ministries, sectors, localities, as well asbusinesses and people of all strata. It supports the solutions devised by theGovernment and shares its view on current shortcomings.

The committee requested that in its reports, theGovernment should focus more on solutions to improve the quality of economicrestructuring and growth model reform, facilitate the key economic regions andthe private sector, speed up public investment capital disbursement andstate-owned enterprise equitisation, and enhance budgetary discipline.

Relevant agencies were asked to revise thereports so as to submit them to the NA for discussion at its upcoming seventhsession scheduled to begin later this month.–VNA