Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính chairs the Government meeting to review Tết activities on Sunday. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính on Sunday chaired a meeting of the Government’s standing members to review the Tết (Lunar New Year) celebrations and implement key task for the post-holiday period.

The PM highlighted the comprehensive and positive outcomes across all aspects of serving the public throughout the Lunar New Year holiday, saying that that people across the country enjoyed a joyful, warm, safe and healthy Tết, imbued with a strong sense of solidarity, in line with directives from the Secretariat and the Government.

At the same time, he said, relevant agencies effectively supported and ensured the success of Party General Secretary Tô Lâm’s trip to the US.

During Tết, healthcare facilities nationwide maintained medical examinations and emergency services throughout the holiday. No cases of diphtheria or major infectious disease outbreaks were reported.

More than 6.2 million beneficiaries received Tết gifts worth over VNĐ3.7 trillion (US$142 million), while the average Tết bonus for workers reached VNĐ8.69 million per person, up 13 per cent from the previous Tết.

Markets remained stable, with adequate supply of essential goods and no abnormal price surges. Thousands of workers continued working on major national infrastructure projects to ensure progress during the holiday.

Traffic safety improved compared to the previous year, with 339 traffic accidents nationwide resulting in 208 deaths and 235 injuries, meaning reductions across all three indicators. However, one waterway accident at Thác Bà Lake left six people dead.

Border control, political security, and social order were maintained nationwide during the holiday.

At the meeting, PM Chính praised ministries, sectors, and localities, as well as healthcare workers, police, military personnel, engineers and workers for their dedication during the holiday.

He stressed that 2026 presents significant challenges, including maintaining macroeconomic stability, controlling inflation, promoting growth, safeguarding major economic balances, managing public debt and budget deficits, improving living standards, and ensuring national sovereignty and social order,

He urged all ministries and localities to “get to work immediately from the first day back,” emphasising stronger administrative discipline, anti-waste measures, and the acceleration of public investment disbursement, targeting a 100 per cent disbursement rate.

Other priorities include efforts to have the European Commission’s “yellow card” against seafood exports for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing lifted, the full and effective implementation of social welfare policies, and the acceleration of construction of 100 inter-level boarding schools in border areas, as well as preparations for simultaneous groundbreaking on the remaining 148 schools this February.

The Government leaders also called for concentrated resources to ensure the quality of draft laws, the implementation of the 2026-30 state administrative reform plan.

Ministries, sectors and localities must focus on the implementation of the Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress, strategic resolutions of the Politburo, directives from the Politburo, the Secretariat, the Government and the Prime Minister, while preparing the elections of deputies to the 16th National Assembly and People’s Councils for the 2026-31 term.

The Ministry of Finance was instructed to pursue a focused and effective expansionary fiscal policy, cut 10 per cent of recurrent spending at the outset of the year, and save 5 per cent of development investment spending while strengthening oversight to prevent waste and corruption.

The State Bank of Việt Nam was directed to conduct proactive and flexible monetary policy in coordination with other macroeconomic measures to control inflation while supporting growth, and to closely monitor gold market developments.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade was tasked with stabilising market prices and assessing the impact of the newly imposed 10 per cent additional US import tariff to formulate timely responses, while ensuring sufficient energy supply.

Other ministries were assigned sector-specific priorities, including agricultural monitoring and disaster prevention, transport infrastructure acceleration, educational stability after the holiday, science and technology development under Resolution 57, legal reforms, traffic safety control, and enhancement of the country’s standing.

News agencies and media outlets were asked to intensify coverage of the success and significance of the 14th National Party Congress, as well as the key tasks now being rolled out. Reporting must be comprehensive, timely, accurate and objective, helping generate fresh momentum to drive development and achieve the 10 per cent growth target in 2026.

State-owned corporations and economic groups were encouraged to strive for growth rates of 10 per cent or higher this year. — VNA/VNS