Article 1.- To approve the scheme on development of Vinh city into an economic and cultural center of the northern Central Vietnam region with the following major contents:

I. Socio-economic development tasks and orientations of Vinh city in the period from now till 2020

1. Vinh city's functions in Nghe An province and the northern Central Vietnam region

a) The function of being the motive force in economic growth and performing key economic development tasks of the province and the northern Central Vietnam region.

b) The function of being human resource-training center and key scientific-technological, cultural-sport and medical hub of the region.

c) The function of being industrial center of the region for the common industrial development of the northern Central Vietnam region.

d) The function of being a trade, tourist and service center with strong impacts on the entire northern Central Vietnam region.

e) The function of being a traffic hub, an important regional, national and international gateway.

2. Development viewpoints and objectives to develop Vinh city into an economic and cultural center of the northern Central Vietnam region

a) Development viewpoints

- The development of Vinh city must be based on a far-sighted vision towards civilization and modernization. Its vanguard role in the cause of industrialization and urbanization towards Nghe An province and the northern Central Vietnam region must be maintained. It develops fast and makes greater and greater contributions to the economic growth of Nghe An province and the northern Central Vietnam region.

- The development must be based on the city's advantages, particularly the advantages in human resources, geographical position and its role as a big city of the region, be associated with the development requirements of Nghe An province and the northern Central Vietnam region. To step up the process of international economic integration and cooperation.

- The city is developed on the viewpoint of tapping the internal resources with the concentrated investment by the province and the central government in the construction of regional-scale works and attraction of investment from other provinces and big cities as well as foreign countries.

- The economic development must be associated with urban renovation and expansion and infrastruture development.

- The economic development must be associated with social development and human resource training, considering the human resources as the city's comparative edge for development of various branches and domains. The development of the city must be based on the viewpoint of strong renewal so as to make a big economic leap and bound within a short period of time while still preserving the unique values of a "cultural city" with its own identities.

- Economic development must be in parallel with social development and eco-environmental protection, taking economic efficiency and maintenance of defense, security, social order and safety as the highest criteria.

b) Development objectives:

- Economic objectives:

To strive to reach the average annual GDP growth rate of 14% in the 2004-2010 period, 12.5% in the 2011-2015 period and 12% in the 2016-2020 period for the expanded Vinh city. To raise the expanded Vinh city's GDP proportion in Nghe An province's GDP from 29.3% by 2003 to 33.2% by 2010, 37.1% by 2015 and 41.5% by 2020; and to bring the city's GDP proportion in the northern Central Vietnam region's GDP to 12.4% by 2010, 15.2% by 2015 and 18.2% by 2020.

- Urban and infrastructure development objectives

+ Vinh city is expanded to connect with its vicinities; its old urban quarters shall be transformed and embellished; its new urban quarters shall be built in a modern manner with comprehensive infrastructures. Its urban architecture bear particular identity of the region.

+ The city's infrastructure networks shall be up to the standards of grade II cities, then later to the standards of grade-I cities, satisfying the requirements of the regional urban center.

- Social objectives

+ To expand the scale and to raise the quality of education and training, science and technology, health and sports of Vinh city, Nghe An province and the northern Central Vietnam region, satisfying the requirements of the grade-I cities.

+ To preserve and bring into full play the traditional cultural values of Nghe An inhabitants in the socio-economic development of the province and the region.

3. Orientations for spatial expansion of Vinh city

The urban space of Vinh city shall be expanded to suit its quick economic and population growth as well as its function of a regional urban center. The city will develop to the North and Northeast. The expanded Vinh city is expected to border on Nam Cam road to the North, Vinh bypass to the West, Lam river to the South and the East Sea to the East. Its area is expected to cover more than 250 km2.

4. Orientations for development of branches and domains

a) Economic growth and restructuring

In the period from now till 2010, the city's economy develops along the industry-service-agriculture direction with the industrial growth rate being much higher than the service growth rate, and after 2010 along the service-industry-agriculture direction, aiming to tap the comparative edge of the city, a big economic center of the northern Central Vietnam region.

Economic growth forecasts for the expanded Vinh city

* The total investment capital for the 2004-2010, 2011-2015, 2016-2020 periods

b) Development of branches, domains and key products

- Industry

To diversely develop industries with advantages in raw materials, labor and market. To develop Vinh into an industrial center of the northern Central Vietnam region with a number of industries such as mechanical engineering in service of agriculture, truck manufacture; software industry, information technology industry.

+ To develop industrial branches

* Mechanical engineering industry:

To research into and propose the construction of a railway locomative building and repair establishment in Vinh; to speed up the construction of Truong Son automobile factory with a capacity of 12,000 trucks/year; to develop Nghe An automobile company into an automobile repair and maintenance center for the whole region; to enter into joint venture for construction of a regional farm machinery-manufacturing factory; to raise the capacity of manufacture of zinc-plated steel pipes (in service of water supply in the region); to build a ship- and boat- building and -repair establishment in Cua Hoi area.

* Hi-tech industries such as electronics- informatics-telecommunications industry, new material-manufacturing technology, automatic equipment-manufacturing technology, biotechnology...

To develop electronics-informatics-telecommunications company along the direction of production cooperation with electronics-informatics enterprises in the region and the whole country, manufacturing electric, electronic, informatic and telecommunications equipment and assemble personal computer hardwares. To enter into joint venture for installation of computer-assembling chain with a capacity of 5,000-10,000 computers/year.

To build information technology center (covering training, technology transfer and software designing...) to satisfy the demands of the province and the region.

* Agricultural product and food processing, production of beverage including principal products: beer, carbonated water, dairy products, high-grade confectionaries, vegetable oil, nutritious powders for children, tea, animal feeds, export sea products.

* Forest product processing and wood article, package-producing industries.

* Textile and garment industry: employing large number of laborers and with various satellite production establishments.

* Apart from the above projected industries in the expanded Vinh city, to expand the development of a number of other sub-industrial branches (building materials, chemicals... production) and cottage industry as well as handicraft.

+ Distribution of industrial establishments

To invest in the construction of infrastructures of, and attract investment in, two industrial parks: northern Vinh industrial park and Nam Cam industrial park. To reserve land for planning on construction of new industrial parks in Nghi Hoa commune on 150 ha, and in Hung Tay commune on 200 ha.

In addition, to develop in Vinh city small industrial clusters (each on an area of 10-20 ha): Hung Dong, Dong Vinh, Hung Loc, Nghi Phu, Nghi Lien, Nghi Phong, Phuc Tho, Hung Tay, Cua Lo.

- Services

+ Trade

To build Vinh - Cua Lo area into a big commercial center of the northern Central Vietnam region, a goods transit hub, a wholesale hub and a goods export and import hub of Nghe An province and the northern Central Vietnam region, into a place where transaction and trade promotion centers are based, a hub for activities in service of trade in the northern Central Vietnam region (together with Hue city).

To build a trade fair-exhibition center of regional scale; a big trade center at Vinh market intersection and at Cua Lo; department stores, minimarts in centers and near traffic hubs; to build or upgrade market networks, specialized trading streets; to build warehouse and storing yard systems.

+ Tourism

To develop tourism into a spearhead economic branch, to link Vinh-Cua Lo- Kim Lien tourism with northern Central Vietnam tourism, nationwide tourism. To build Vinh into a center for accommodations and distribution of tourists of the province and the northern Central Vietnam region.

To raise the quality of tourist products. To diversify tourist forms in order to attract more and more tourists to the city.

To organize tourist routes in spatial structure of the city, linking them with the whole province and northern Central Vietnam region and the whole country, with international tourist routes.

To form and develop tourist clusters: Vinh city center tourist cluster; Quyet mountain - Ben Thuy tourist cluster; southwestern Vinh tourist cluster; southern tourist cluster; Cua Lo tourist cluster; Cam river tourist cluster.

+ Other services

Vinh city is projected to be developed into the northern Central Vietnam region's center of services on transport, warehousing, post and telecommunications, finance- banking, science-technology, consultancy-information, high-quality labor service,...

- Agriculture

To develop Vinh city's agriculture along the direction of clean, safe and efficient agriculture in service of urban population, and industrial zones.

- Education-training, science-technology

+ Education- training

To create conditions for upgrading and further building material bases, to adopt policies to attract the contingent of lecturers for training school system in Vinh, aiming to satisfy the requirements of training officials of graduate and postgraduate degrees in various fields for the northern Central Vietnam region.

To call for foreign investment in opening university branches or international universities in Vinh city, prepare conditions for establishment of a number of other universities (including non-public ones), to prioritize the fields of electronics, information technology, biotechnology, architecture, construction, communications and public works....

To build Vinh into a center for high-technique training with a number of key vocational schools (training technical workers for industrial parks in the region).

+ Science-technology

To develop specialized scientific centers of the province and the central government in the locality corresponding to its role and position as the regional center.

- Culture, sport and health

+ Culture-information

To build Vinh into a culture-information center of the region with the following typical projects: the television tower, the regional television center; the system of regional information-press agencies; a branch of Ethnological Museum (northern Central Vietnam); a cinematographic center; a central library; the House of Cultures of northern Central Vietnam ethnicities; the Cultural Palace for Youth and Young Pioneers; the Park of Children's World in Cua Lo.

+ Physical training and sports

To build Vinh city into one of the big sport centers of the whole country, a sport center of the northern Central Vietnam region with the following establishments: the center for training of young footballers; the National Training Center; Vinh stadium with the holding capacity of over 30,000 people; a regional sport complex comprising stadium, training areas, swimming pools,...

+ Health

To build a new regional general hospital of 700 beds. To continue upgrading the paediatric hospital, the second phase, to be up to the standards of grade I hospitals. To upgrade the Nghe An Preventive Medicine Center to be capable of supervising and controlling epidemics in the locality. To build a reproductive health center. To develop specialized hospitals of the province into nucleus medical establishments to provide professional and technical support for the provinces in the northern Central Vietnam region.

- Security and defense

To build Vinh city into a firm defensive zone, create favorable conditions for the western Nghe An region to develop and maintain border security. To build a defense center (Military Zone IV) corresponding to its strategic position.

5. Development of infrastructure systems

a) Traffic networks

- Outbound traffic

+ Roads:

To quickly build Hanoi-Vinh express way (Ninh Binh-Vinh section). To complete the construction of Highway 1 with the bypass to the West of the city. To expand and upgrade Road 46 from Vinh to the West. To build a road by Lam river from Cua Hoi, Vinh to Nam Dan with the length of 55km. To build Ben Thuy bridge (2) south of the existing Ben Thuy bridge, linking Vinh bypass on Highway 1A to Ha Tinh. To build Cua Hoi bridge linking Nghi Hai (Cua Lo) with Nghi Xuan ( Ha Tinh).

+ Railways:

To upgrade Vinh station into grade-I one. To separate cargo terminal from the existing passenger terminal. To restore Quan Hanh - Cua Lo railway in service of cargo transportation to Cua Lo port and tourists.

+ Airways:

To upgrade Vinh airport and open a number of new air routes, including Vinh- Vientiane route, Vinh-northeastern Thailand route, then later to expand Vinh airport into a large-scale international airport and to open new air routes to China, northeastern Asia and other countries.

+ Waterways:

To continue upgrading Cua Lo port to reach the capacity of 3.5 million tons/year by 2010, permitting ships of 35,000 tons to call in. To build Cua Hoi fish port into northern Central Vietnam fish port for fishing ships of 23-800 CV to call in. To transform Ben Thuy port into a tourist port.

- Intra-municipal traffic

+ To upgrade axial roads linking Vinh with Cua Lo, Nam Cam with Cua Lo; To broaden Quan Banh - Cua Lo and Vinh - Cua Hoi roads. To build Vinh - Cua Lo central road. To upgrade Nam Cam - Cua Lo road into a two-motor lane road. To build a network of transversal roads from Vinh bypass into the heart of the city with a system of modern railway flyovers in areas of Quan Banh, Cua Nam and Nguyen Truong To road. To study the construction of light rail route (electric cars, trams) linking Vinh with Cua Lo in service of tourists. To build another bridge spanning Lam river downstream Ben Thuy bridge, linking Vinh city with Gia Lach district township, south of Lam river.

+ The existing downtown area of Vinh city:

The street network in the old quarter shall be organized on the existing infrastructure to be transformed and expanded to suit the detailed plannings.

+ The expanded area

New urban quarters: The traffic networks are designed under modern construction standards. Cua Lo area: To complete the longitudinal axes and transversal axes in the central quarter, roads linking with Quan Banh - Cua Lo road, and roads in service of tourism.

b) Power supply, post and telecommunications, water supply and drainage, environment

- To renovate and expand Hung Dong and Ben Thuy intermediate transformer stations of 110/6 KV into 220/110/22 KV stations. To additionally build 110-22 KV intermediate transformer stations in Nghi Hop, Hung Hoa and Cua Lo communes. To build Hung Dong 110 KV- transmission lines to Cua Lo and Dien Chau respectively.

- To build Vinh into a regional telecom-munications center; to expand Vinh and Cua Lo switchboards so as to achieve the target of 40-50 telephones for every 100 people by 2020.

- To build and upgrade water plants in Vinh, Nam Cam, Quan Hanh, Cua Lo.

- To execute the Vinh city water drainage project, stage 3, and develop the water drainage networks for the expanded area.

- To build a garbage dumping site in Nghi Yen area on some 100 ha and the industrial garbage-processing plant for the whole city of Vinh and the provincial town of Cua Lo (being under construction).

- To relocate graveyards in downtown areas. To build an ecological cemetery in Eo Gio area (Hung Tay).

6. To organize functional quarters of the expanded Vinh city and architectural orientations for the city.

a) To organize functional quarters of the expanded Vinh city.

- To organize administrative units:

With the above-said scale and boundaries, by 2020, administrative units are expected to be organized in the following areas:

+ The region covering the existing downtown of Vinh city and expanding to North-Northeast belt road.

+ The region covering the communes of Vinh city and Nghi Loc from the belt road north and northeast of the city to Cua Lo provincial town, along Vinh - Cua Lo and Vinh - Cua Hoi roads.

+ The existing Cua Lo town region.

+ The Quan Hanh - Nam Cam region and the remaining communes of Nghi Loc district.

+ The region covering southern region (along the bypass) and the township of Hung Nguyen district.

- The new urban center of the expanded Vinh city:

The new center of Vinh city after 2020 shall cover the existing downtown center of Vinh city and the region between two new urban centers of Quan Banh and Hung Loc. This is a system of spatial combination between grandiose works, vast greenery and pathways. With a low construction density, this region will become a modern center of the city in the 21th century.

- Specialized centers:

+ The trade-service center to be arranged along Quang Trung road from Vinh market northward and areas of Quan Banh, Ben Thuy, Quan Hanh, Cua Lo and Cua Hoi.

+ The sport center to be arranged along Xo Viet- Nghe Tinh avenue to the northeast of the city in Nghi Phu and Hung Loc communes. This is one the four national sport centers, which will comprise a stadium, training quarters and sport competion areas.

+ The regional health center to be arranged along the northwestern region of Xo Viet-Nghe Tinh avenue and Vinh - Cua Hoi road (Hung Dung ward), comprising specialized hospitals, medical and pharmaceutical research establishments, pharmaceutical and therapeutical establishments with advanced methods.

- The education-training center comprising universities, colleges and vocational schools in Ben Thuy, Hung Loc, Nghi Phu, Nghi An and Cua Lo.

- Industrial space:

To develop industries along Highway 1, Road 46 and Vinh - Cua Hoi road in the communes of Nghi Loc and Hung Nguyen districts. These embrace industrial parks of over 100 ha: Bac Vinh, Nam Cam, Nghi Hoa, Hung Tay and Cua Hoi as well as small-scale industrial clusters or points of (10-20 ha): Hung Dong, Hung Loc, Nghi Phu, Nghi Lien, Nghi Phong, Phuc Tho....

- Civil space:

To develop the civil space on the basis of inner wards of the existing Vinh city, which will stretch to the Northeast between Vinh - Cua Lo and Vinh - Cua Hoi axes and the inner areas of Cua Lo town. To renovate old quarters while building new modern ones in Nam Nguyen Sy Sach, northern Le Loi ward, Nghi Phu, Hung Loc, Nam Vinh, Cua Lo provincial town...

- Ecological and agricultural production space:

To plan and build a system of parks and tree gardens: the central park of 39 ha, Quyet mountain park of 150 ha, ancient citadel park of 33 ha, Cam river forestry park, Lam Vien park, a greenery of 200 ha in Nghi Kim area...

To organize new ecological landscape zones in order to improve the environment of the entire region, raise the socio-economic efficiency for the low-lying areas east (Hung Hoa) and south of the city.

The agricultural commodity production belt shall be arranged at the communes of Nghi Loc and Hung Nguyen districts.

b) Architectural orientations for Vinh city

- To build the city with its own identity, typifying the northern Central Vietnam region. To conduct urban designing and architectural management for main thoroughfares of the city in order to create a distinctive architectural style and appearance of the city.

- To build some highrises such as the Trade Center, the television tower,... from where the whole city, Cua Lo area and the vicinities, can be viewed, thus creating architectural choke points.

- For new urban centers, to limit the construction of tubular houses, but to principally construct buildings of 5-7 storeys in combination with garden houses, villas of 2-3 storeys and a number of highrises of 15-20 storeys.

7. Programs and projects with investment study priority

a) Infrastructure development projects:

- Hanoi - Vinh expressway of about 230 km.

- Expansion of Road 46 from Vinh to Ho Chi Minh Road, of about 30 km.

- Road and dyke along Lam river: Cua Hoi - Nam Dan of about 55 km.

- Vinh - Cua Lo central road of about 12 km.

- Western belt road of about 5.6 km.

- Construction of Ben Thuy II bridge (linking Highway 1 bypass with Ha Tinh), of about 2.5 km.

- Construction of Cua Hoi bridge (linking Nghi Hai with Nghi Xuan), of about 2.5 km.

- Expansion of Vinh airport into an international airport.

- Relocation of cargo railway station to the suburb.

- Upgrading of Cua Lo port with 3.5 million tons/year.

- Upgrading of the telephone switchboard with 500,000 numbers.

- Expansion of Vinh water plant, 150,000 m3/day.

- Renovation of electricity networks, electricity supply to 25,000 households.

- The city water drainage project, stage III.

- Construction of water drainage work linking Vinh river with Ke Gai river, of about 6.4 km.

- Embankment and expansion of Vinh river under planning, of about 10 km.

- Construction of embankment of Northern Vinh canal, of about 3.4 km.

b) Economic development programs, projects:

- Industrial development:

+ Northern Vinh industrial park, stage II, 74 ha.

+ Nam Cam industrial park, 327 ha.

+ Nghi Hoa industrial park, 150 ha.

+ Hung Tay industrial park, 200 ha.

+ Small industrial zones, 80 ha.

+ Farm machine-manufacturing joint-venture factory, 2,500 products/year.

+ Light truck-manufacturing factory, 10,000 products/year.

+ Carbonated water processing plant, 10 million liters/year.

+ High-class confectionary factory, 10,000 tons/year.

+ Children nutritious powder plant, 5,000 tons/year.

+ Export marine product processing factory, 5,000 tons/year.

+ Processing wood and wood articles for export, 5 million products/year.

+ Production of formicade-coated plywood, plywood fiber and particle boards, 10,000m3/year.

+ Package factory, 20 million packs/year.

+ Pharmaceutical plant, 10,000 tons/year.

+ Soda factory, 200,000 tons/year.

- Trade-service development:

+ Vinh market intersection trade center, 1 ha.

+ Fair and exhibition center, 3 ha.

+ The department stores of Truong Thi, Ben Thuy, Quan Banh, Quan Hanh and Cua Hoi, 2.5 ha.

+ Quyet mountain-Ben Thuy tourist resort, 105 ha.

+ Southern Vinh river park, 64 ha.

+ Cam river tourist resort.

+ Expanded Cua Lo tourist resort.

+ Ecological forests along Lam river, 200 ha.

- Agro-fishery development:

+ Safe vegetable-growing project, 400 ha.

+ Flower, ornamental plant-growing project, 100 ha.

+ Aquaculture project, 500 ha.

c) Socio-cultural, scientific and technological development programs, projects:

- Construction of regional television center, 10,000 m2.

- Conference and press center, 10,000 m2.

- Cinematographic center, 5,000 m2.

- Ethnology Museum branch (northern Central Vietnam), 7,000 m2.

- Central library, 7,000m2.

- Northern Central Vietnam ethnicities' culture house, 5,000m2.

- Youth and Young Pioneer Cultural Palace, 5,000 m2.

- Children's world park in Cua Lo, 100 ha.

- Restoration of Van Mieu-Truong Thi Vinh relic.

- Construction of regional sport complex.

- Construction of national sport training center.

- Construction of a 700-bed general hospital.

- Construction of high-technique vocational training center, 4,000 ha.

- Establishment of information technology park.

- Construction of forest tree and fruit tree research center.

- Construction of branch of the northern Central Vietnam aquatic research and aquaculture institute,

- Upgrading of 3 colleges into universities.

- Establishment of one private university.

II. A number of major solutions for project execution

1. To attract investment in production and/or business projects

To study the application of investment preference mechanisms and policies to industrial parks, economic zones, economic and trade zones in the country, which have been approved by the Prime Minister.

2. Infrastructure investment projects

To prioritize the arrangement of state budget or ODA capital for infrastructure projects on traffic, electricity supply,... and regional social infrastructures in Vinh city.

3. Mechanisms and policies

a) To permit the continued application thereof in accordance with the provisional Regulation on a number of tasks, powers and responsibilities of Vinh municipal People's Committee in socio-economic and urban management, promulgated together with the Prime Minister's Decision No. 503/TTg of October 15, 1993, and with the provisions of the State Budget Law.

b) To permit the city to implement the policy of mobilizing resources through the use of land funds and land use right value. The mechanism for infrastructure development from land funds shall comply with the Land Law and the current decrees guiding the land rents and land allocation levies.

c) The decentralization of investment and construction management shall comply with the current regulations of the State.

4. Human resource development

To continue implementing the policy of attracting highly qualified laborers, promulgated together with Decision No. 30/QD-UB of the Nghe An provincial People's Committee.

To study and expand preferences for highly qualified specialists coming to work in Vinh city, such as medical doctors, university lecturers, experts in information technology, skilled laborers, etc.

To adopt policies to support vocational training for suburbian laborers who shift to undertake non-agricultural jobs.

5. Administrative reform

To continue with the administrative reform, implementing open policies and one-door mechanism and creating favorable investment environment in order to attract domestic and foreign investment in the city.

6. To enhance the urban management

- To enhance the urban planning and urban construction management according to planning.

- To conduct urban designing and architectural manangement for main thoroughfares of the city in order to create a distinctive architectural style and appearance of Vinh city, the center of the northern Central Vietnam region.

- To work out mechanisms and policies for settlement of social issues upon the expansion of the city: job transfer, employment, resettlement....

- To continue decentralizing the management of urban development, particularly construction and the management of urban infrastructure networks to the city.

Article 2.- The approved scheme is considered a " frame" document with major objectives, orientations and directions, mechanisms, policies and implementation solutions, which shall serve as a basis for formation of the plan on adjustment and expansion of administrative boundaries of Vinh city to suit each development period, the overall socio-economic development planning, land use planning and plans, general and detailed construction plannings, other plannings, five-year plans, annual plans, and proposals on development programs as well as specific investment projects in the city in the spirit of developing Vinh city into an economic and cultural center of the northern Central Vietnam region.

Article 3.- To assign the Nghe An provincial People's Committee to base on the above-mentioned objectives, tasks and orientations for development of Vinh city to coordinate with relevant ministries and branches in directing the formation and submission of the following according to regulations:

- The plan on adjustment and expansion of administrative boundaries of Vinh city to suit each development, to be submitted to the Prime Minister for consideration, decision and report to the National Assembly for adoption.

- The adjustment and supplementation of the province' overall socio-economic development planning to suit the objectives of development of Vinh city.

- The overall socio-economic development planning, land use planning and plans and the city construction general planning.

- The detailed construction planning and important branch plannings in the city.

- Studying to promulgate or submit to competent agencies for promulgation specific mechanisms and policies aiming to mobilize and efficiently use resources, encourage and attract investment... so as to well ensure the achievement of the objectives, tasks and orientations for development of Vinh city, set in the scheme.

Article 4.- To assign the relevant ministries and branches to coordinate with, and support Nghe An province and Vinh city in formulating and adjusting the above-mentioned schemes and plannings; speeding up the investment, executing projects of regional character in the city with investment therein already decided; considering the adjustment and supplementation of branch development plannings, plans for investment in relevant works, projects expected to be executed in the city as mentioned in the scheme

Article 5.- This Decision takes effect 15 days after its publication in "CONG BAO."

Article 6.- The president of the Nghe An provincial People's Committee, ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, and heads of Government-attached agencies shall have to implement this Decision.