Party General Secretary Tô Lâm chairs a working session with the Party Committee of Điện Biên Province on Sunday. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

ĐIỆN BIÊN — Party General Secretary Tô Lâm on Sunday worked with the Party Committee of Điện Biên, during which he requested the northern mountainous province not to remain merely a witness to history but to strive to become a shining example of determination, reform, innovation, and development.

The General Secretary recalled that 71 years ago, it was on this land that the forefathers created a historic miracle and wrote a golden chapter in the nation’s history, with the Điện Biên Phủ Victory.

The “Điện Biên Phủ spirit” must continue to be reignited in peacetime, as a development mandate, a call to action that no one else but Điện Biên itself must set and fulfil in this new era, he stressed.

General Secretary Lâm also emphasised that although Điện Biên is not subject to the provincial-level administrative reorganisation, this is a favourable moment for the province to comprehensively restructure its organisational apparatus, development strategies, operational models, and governance approach.

The renewal of leadership methods, enhancement of administrative capacity at all levels, and reform of the civil service system must be implemented in a unified and coherent manner, in order to unlock resources, activate internal dynamism, and effectively adapt to the increasingly high demands of national development and global trends, he noted.

The Party leader stressed the need to face the existing shortcomings head-on. The internal strength of the local economy remains weak.

Although the province’s budget revenue has increased, it is still low relative to development needs and remains significantly dependent on support from the state budget.

Socio-economic infrastructure, especially inter-regional transport, logistics, energy, and urban infrastructure, continues to be a major bottleneck, as Điện Biên lacks direct connectivity with key national and regional economic corridors.

If these bottlenecks are not properly identified, if breakthrough solutions are not implemented, and if the province’s capacity for execution is not improved, Điện Biên will struggle to make real progress, despite its clear potential and favourable policy priorities, he pointed out.

General Secretary Lâm said that the province should thoroughly grasp and effectively implement the Politburo’s Resolution No 11-NQ/TW, dated February 10, 2025, on the orientations for socio-economic development and national defence and security in the northern midland and mountainous region by 2030, with a vision to 2045.

Điện Biên should regard the private sector as a key driver of development; shift agriculture from fragmented production to commodity-based production with traceability and export potential; strengthen regional connectivity and international integration; and bring into full play its border location, cross-border economy, and international tourism, he said.

The locality was also advised to focus on socio-cultural development, improve quality of life, and preserve ethnic identity, and give priority to investment in health care, education, social insurance, and support for those who rendered service to the nation, and ethnic minorities.

It is also necessary to ensure sustainable poverty reduction, improve the quality of education in remote areas, and expand each hamlet's access to modern culture and information, he added. — VNA/VNS