Party General Secretary and President Tô Lâm speaks at the meeting. — VNA/VNS Photo

QUẢNG TRỊ — Party General Secretary and President Tô Lâm has urged the central coastal province of Quảng Trị to reposition its development space under a “reaching East, spreading West” strategy, adding that the sea is the core growth driver while the East–West Economic Corridor needs to be leveraged to extend the maritime economy westward and expand to other regions.

Speaking at a working session with the Standing Board of the provincial Party Committee on Wednesday as part of his working trip to Quảng Trị, the top leader emphasised the need for a more decisive mindset, clearer priorities, and stronger performance.

He said that the East–West axis must serve as the backbone for reorganising production space, logistics, urban development, and regional linkages, while enabling strategic connectivity with Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, and the Greater Mekong Subregion. It will integrate Lao Bảo and La Lay, border gates, seaports, economic zones, and cross-border trade into a unified ecosystem. Meanwhile, the North–South axis will function as the integrative spine, consolidating and connecting the nation’s overall strength.

The local authorities were urged to re-design their development space across coastal, forest, and border areas with a more integrated, region-based approach. Priority should be given to synchronising infrastructure and investment across the Southeast Quảng Trị Economic Zone, Mỹ Thủy Port, Hòn La, and coastal industry, energy, and urban systems. Growth poles and key projects must be clearly identified, avoiding fragmentation, environmental trade-offs, or land speculation.

The top leader highlighted key sectors for accelerated development, including the maritime economy, energy, tourism, hi-tech agriculture, and processing industries. Seaports and coastal areas should become core growth hubs, capitalising on Quảng Trị’s role as a gateway to the sea along the East–West corridor. At the same time, the province must remove bottlenecks in connectivity, administrative procedures, human resources, and the investment climate, he said.

It is necessary to build Quảng Trị’s brand as a destination of history, peace, spirituality, ecology, caves, sea, and border culture by transforming it from a place of remembrance into a place of discovery and experience, the top leader said, noting that high-quality tourism products, stronger regional linkages, and strategic investors are essential, alongside preserving cultural and environmental values.

In agriculture, the province should shift from small-scale production to commodity-based, organic, circular, and climate-resilient models, closely linked with processing, branding, traceability, and markets to integrate farmers more deeply into value chains, he noted.

Party General Secretary and President Lâm requested the locality to maximise the advantages of the Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park to create "the capital of adventure tourism in Asia".

The province needs to change its mindset and small-scale production practices, prioritising commercial, organic, circular, and climate-adaptive agriculture; linking production with processing, quality, branding, traceability, and markets, so that farmers become more actively involved in the value chain; improving the quality and transparency of the production process; and enhancing the efficiency of aquaculture and seafood processing, the top leader said.

To achieve a growth target of 10.6 per cent in 2026, the top leader stressed the need for sustainability based on productivity, efficient investment, and new growth drivers. Public investment must lead, focusing on strategic infrastructure, while improving the business environment and supporting private sector development. Quảng Trị cannot rely solely on natural resources and low-cost labour, he stated.

He underlined the need for Quảng Trị to effectively implement the Politburo's Resolution No. 57 in governance, production, public services, and key economic sectors; improve digital infrastructure down to the grassroots level, enhance digital skills, build shared databases on land, businesses, investment, planning, public assets, and administrative procedures; innovate working methods, service delivery, and decision-making, helping citizens and businesses complete procedures faster, more transparently, and at lower costs.

Finally, the top leader emphasised inclusive development by promoting culture development, improving social welfare, education, healthcare, and living standards, especially in border and disadvantaged areas, while integrating economic growth with national defence and security.

Quảng Trị province, once a frontline in wartime, must now become a hub of connection, cooperation, and sustainable development in peacetime, the top leader stressed. — VNA/VNS