HẢI PHÒNG — The northern port city of Hải Phòng needs to look ahead to the next 10-20 years in order to tap its full growth potential, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV) Nguyễn Phú Trọng urged local authorities. 
At a working session yesterday in Hải Phòng, the Party leader said the city boasts many advantages, plays a significant position in the north and has recently made substantial achievements in economic restructuring and new building in rural areas.

The city should make careful growth plans for three- and five-year periods, he added.

The Party leader emphasised that building and reorganizing the Party is a key task as the work will affect not only millions of Party members but also the whole political system, State apparatus, personnel work, and working lifestyle. 
The prevention of corruption must be complete, drastic and persistent in order to create effective change, he stressed.

Meanwhile, international integration, industrialisation and urbanisation must be accompanied by cultural preservation and the promotion of great national unity, resilience and creativity, he said. 

He asked Hải Phòng to reform growth models and promote investment to take the lead in the country’s "Đổi mới" (renewal) process. 

During the visit to the northern port city, Trọng toured the VINFAST automobile manufacturing complex and Đình Vũ-Cát Hải sea bridge, a part of Tân Vũ-Lạch Huyện Highway and the longest sea bridge in Southeast Asia. 
According to Secretary of the municipal Party Committee and Chairman of the municipal People’s Council, the gross regional domestic product (GRDP) expanded this year by 12.73 per cent, higher than the yearly target of 10.5 per cent. 
The export turnover is expected to grow by more than 22 per cent in 2017 and hit US$12 billion by 2020. The budget collection across the city is estimated at VNĐ71 trillion ($3.12 billion) in 2017, up 26.22 per cent against the previous year, while the total social investment is projected to reach nearly VNĐ68 trillion ($.99 billion). 

Party leader visits unity festival

Yesterday, Trọng attended a festival of national unity in Thượng Điện cultural village in Vinh Quang Commune, Vĩnh Bảo District in northern Hải Phòng.

The event also celebrated the 87th anniversary of the Traditional Day of the Việt Nam Fatherland Front (VFF), which falls on November 18. 

Together with citizens, the Party chief reviewed the tradition of the VFF, lauding its role in gathering patriotic forces, classes, ethnic groups, religions and people from all walks of life in the fight against invaders and national construction. 

He praised the VFF for initiating the event to uphold solidarity among the public.

The leader expressed his wish that the entire Party, people and army would stand united under the leadership of the Communist Party of Việt Nam and the direction of the Government to build a prosperous, democratic, equitable and civilised country. 

Trần Văn Pha, Secretary of the Party Committee and head of the Front Committee of Thượng Điền Village said the average income per capita in the locality has hit VNĐ36 million (US$1,600) per year, up 9.1 per cent from 2016. 

On the occasion, the Party chief presented gifts to poor households in the village.

Earlier, he offered incense and planted a tree at a temple dedicated to the late scholar Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm in Lý Học Commune, Vĩnh Bảo District. — VNS