After more than one year's implementating March 18, 2002 Resolution No. 13-NQ/TW of the fifth plenum of the Party Central Committee (IXth Congress) on further renewing, developing, and raising the efficiency of, collective economy and the Government's Action Program promulgated together with Decision No. 94/2002/QD-TTg of July 17, 2002, the ministries, branches and localities have made numerous efforts to study, institutionalize and promulgate a number of specific mechanisms and policies in order to remove difficulties and problems and to create favorable conditions for collective economy to further develop. Many cooperative models have been formed, effectively operated, actively contributing to the process of economic restructuring, agricultural and rural industrialization and modernization.

Nevertheless, the propagation and study of the Resolution have not yet been carried out thoroughly and extensively as required. The promulgation of guiding documents remains slow and the contents of some documents remain inappropriate. The specialized management apparatus and the contingent of State management officials in the ministries, branches and localities in charge of cooperatives still reveal many constraints. The organization and direction of the overcoming of weaknesses in the sector of collective economy have not yet been concentrated, failing to bring about substantial changes as required by the Resolution.

In order to strongly accelerate the implementation of the Resolution of the 5th plenum of the Party Central Committee (IXth Congress) on collective economy, the Prime Minister requests:

1. The concerned ministries and branches and the People's Committees of the provinces and centrally-run cities:

- To further and regularly organize the wide propagation and thorough study in their respective branches or localities in order to raise the knowledge about the position, role and objectivity of the development of collective economy; build up models and sum up, popularize and apply widely good models; to regard the development of collective economy as one of the key political tasks of their units and assign specific responsibilities for implementation leadership and direction.

- Within the ambit of their respective functions, tasks and powers, to coordinate with Vietnam Union of Cooperatives and Vietnam Peasants' Association in expeditiously accomplishing the tasks assigned in Decision No. 94/2002/QD-TTg of July 17, 2002. In the meantime to work out plans for monitoring, urging and examining, and organize the preliminary review of, the implementation of the Resolution, supplement in time measures to further renew, develop, and raise the efficiency of, collective economy.

2. The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the concerned ministries and branches and provincial/municipal People's Committees in, finalizing the Bill Amending the Cooperative Law for submission to the National Assembly.

In the 4th quarter of 2003, to promulgate written criteria for evaluating and classifying agricultural and non-agricultural cooperatives.

To formulate a scheme on training and fostering of cooperative managers at all levels and in all branches as well as the titles in cooperatives and complete it in the 4th quarter of 2003.

To submit to the Government the program on development of collective economy till 2005 and 2010 by the end of the 1st quarter of 2004.

3. On the basis of the approved projects and training plans, the Ministry of Finance shall assume the responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment in, synthesizing, balancing and allocating the funding for the training and fostering of cooperative managers and the titles in cooperatives, particularly agricultural cooperatives, to the ministries, branches, localities and Vietnam Union of Cooperatives.

To direct the localities in definitely handling outstanding debts of agricultural cooperatives in 2003 according to the Prime Minister's Decision No. 146/2001/QD-TTg of October 2, 2001 and the Finance Ministry's guiding Circular No. 31/2002/TT-BTC of March 29, 2002. To submit to the Prime Minister the solutions to handle mature debts of non-agricultural cooperatives in the 4th quarter of 2003.

To guide the imposition of license tax suitable to each type of cooperatives in the 4th quarter of 2003. To guide the regulations on the financial mechanism applicable to non-agricultural cooperatives in the 2nd quarter of 2004.

To submit to the Government in the 1st quarter of 2004 a scheme on the setting up and mechanism of the use of the Cooperative Development Assistance Fund.

To guide the financial support mechanisms and policies applicable to cooperatives which are assigned land free of charge, and cooperatives which lease land or shift to lease land, which shall be completed in the 4th quarter of 2003.

4. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the People's Committees of the provinces and centrally-run cities in, guiding the "accumulation and swapping of land plots" on the principles of voluntariness, mutual agreement and mutual benefit in combination with organizing the re-planning of rice fields and efficient use of land, which shall be completed in the 4th quarter of 2003.

To sum up the situation and propose solutions to handle agricultural cooperatives which have not been transformed or dissolved under the current Cooperative Law and report them to the Government in the 4th quarter of 2003.

5. The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam Peasants' Association and Vietnam Union of Cooperatives in, compiling the compulsory social insurance charter to be applicable to cooperative management titles, cooperative members and laborers and the compulsory social insurance charter to be applicable to farmers, self-employed laborers and cooperative laborers who do not participate in compulsory social insurance, then submit them to the Government by the end of the 4th quarter of 2003.

To formulate a scheme on job training and technical training for laborers to work in the collective economy sector, and complete it by the end of the 4th quarter of 2003.

6. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Aquatic Resources and the People's Committees of the provinces and centrally-run cities in, completing a draft decree on allocation of land without collecting land use levy and on granting of land use certificates to agricultural, aquaculture and salt-making cooperatives for use as grounds for building cooperative headquarters, drying yards, storehouses and units providing services in direct service of production, then submit it to the Government in the 2nd quarter of 2004.

7. The Ministry of Home Affairs shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the concerned ministries and branches in, providing guidance on the organization, functions and tasks of State management over cooperatives of the ministries, branches and People's Committees of the provinces and centrally-run cities as prescribed in Article 10 of the Government's Decree No. 86/2002/ND-CP of November 5, 2002, Decree No. 02/CP of January 2, 1997 and Section 4 of Resolution No. 13-NQ/TW of March 18, 2002 of the fifth plenum of the Party Central Committee (IXth Congress) on further renewing, developing, and raising the efficiency of, collective economy, which shall be completed in the 4th quarter of 2003.

8. The Ministry of Science and Technology shall assume the prime responsibility for formulating policies to encourage the scientific and technological research institutions to cooperate with and transfer new scientific and technological achievements to cooperatives, then submit them to the Prime Minister in the 1st quarter of 2003.

9. Vietnam State Bank shall continue studying and perfecting credit mechanisms and policies and direct the credit institutions to create favorable conditions for cooperatives and cooperative economic forms to borrow capital for production and business development under the provisions of the Government's Resolution No. 02/2003/NQ-CP of January 17, 2003 and law provisions on security of loans of credit institutions.

To preliminarily review three years' implementation of the Political Bureau's Directive No. 57-CT/TW and the Prime Minister's Decision No. 135/2000/QD-TTg of November 28, 2000 on strengthening, perfecting and developing the system of people's credit funds in the 1st quarter of 2004. To perfect mechanisms and policies and create a synchronous legal environment for the safe and efficient development of the system of people's credit funds.

To guide the internal credit operation regulations of cooperatives, which shall be completed in the 1st quarter of 2004.

10. Vietnam Union of Cooperatives shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the concerned ministries, branches and provincial/municipal People's Committees in, summing up and widely applying good models, launching emulation movements in cooperatives; organize the effective implementation of programs and projects on training cooperative managers under the management of Vietnam Union of Cooperatives.

11. The People's Committees of the provinces and centrally-run cities shall have to consolidate organizationally the local apparatuses for management of collective economy to make them capable of advising and assisting the provincial/municipal Party Committees and People's Committees in overseeing and guiding the implementation of policies and tasks related to this economic sector. To actively perform the tasks assigned in the Government's Action Program, to closely coordinate with the ministries, branches and mass organizations in the implementation process and base themselves on the practical situation of their respective localities to apply appropriate solutions in order to solve difficulties and problems, create favorable conditions to encourage various cooperative economic forms and cooperatives to develop in a quick, sustainable and efficient manner.

The ministers, the heads of the ministerial-level agencies and the presidents of the People's Committees of the provinces and centrally-run cities shall expeditiously direct and organize the good implementation of this Directive.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall have the responsibility to oversee, sum up and report to the Prime Minister on the results of implementation of this Directive.

For the Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister
NGUYEN TAN DUNG