Bringing the new An Giang province to fly high and far

PV: As the leader of the new and potential An Giang Provincial People's Committee, what areas do you expect to "take off" in the coming time?

Comrade Ho Van Mung: First of all, I would like to sincerely thank the Politburo and the Prime Minister for trusting and appointing me to the new position of Chairman of the People's Committee of An Giang province. This is my honor, as well as a great responsibility before the Politburo, the National Assembly and the Government, and moreover, a direct responsibility before the Party Committee, the government and the people of the two provinces of An Giang - Kien Giang.

An Giang province after the merger has an area of over ^9,888km2 , a population of nearly 5 million people (leading the Mekong Delta region), has a particularly important geostrategic position in terms of socio -economic development (SED), national defense and security, with a coastline of nearly 200km and a border of over 204km with Cambodia, diverse and rich terrain. The new An Giang province fully converges the factors of "sea, border and inland" for development, not just in some areas but must develop comprehensively in all areas, ensuring harmony and sustainability, in which, focusing on 3 economic pillars (marine economy, border trade economy and agricultural economy).

Regarding the marine economy, the province aims to become a strong national marine economic center; focusing on developing marine tourism, focusing on Phu Quoc special zone, with a unique and outstanding mechanism, becoming a locomotive, spreading development to cultural and spiritual tourism types at Cam mountain, Sam mountain, creating a closed tour - tourism route with all kinds of attractive types, meeting all the needs of tourists, thereby promoting regional development and other fields. In addition, it is necessary to focus on developing coastal urban areas; prioritizing infrastructure development for marine economic development (transport infrastructure, seaports, multi-industry logistics); promoting the development of high-tech marine aquaculture.

Regarding border trade economy, the new An Giang province will connect the border through a system of 9 border gates (including 3 international border gates; Khanh Binh border gate is preparing to be upgraded to an international border gate), helping to boost border gate economy, trade with Cambodia and the Mekong sub-region, strengthen connectivity and regional linkage through the Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang expressway (to be completed in 2026), route N1, and the upcoming Ha Tien - Rach Gia - Bac Lieu expressway.

Alternate member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Committee of An Giang Province Ho Van Mung. Photo: LE TRUNG HIEU

Regarding agricultural economy, the newly merged An Giang province almost "embraces" the vast Long Xuyen Quadrangle, full of potential for agricultural economic development with the four corners being the four major urban areas of the province. Rach Gia is the political, administrative, and comprehensive economic center; Long Xuyen is the comprehensive, multi-industry economic center, developing processing industry - high-tech agriculture; Chau Doc is the center of spiritual tourism - ecological tourism - agricultural economy - border economy; Ha Tien is a tourism urban area - marine economy combined with border economy to promote the position of the West Sea. Meanwhile, the core area of Long Xuyen Quadrangle is a potential dynamic area for developing agricultural economy, deep processing industry, refined processing associated with concentrated raw material areas, logistics, research and development centers for varieties and agricultural production, seafood, and large-scale high-tech medicinal herbs with the motto "4 on-site" (on-site raw materials, on-site factories, on-site human resources, on-site exports) for the agricultural economy to make a breakthrough in the coming time.

Along with the country preparing to enter the era of national development, An Giang province, which has just been merged, is facing new opportunities in a new, wider space, with more potential, more space with increasingly complete socio-economic infrastructure, gradually forming new economic axes and corridors, such as: Chau Doc - Long Xuyen - Can Tho axis; Phu Quoc - Ha Tien - Tinh Bien - Chau Doc - Tan Chau axis; Ha Tien - Rach Gia - Bac Lieu axis and Phu Quoc - Rach Gia - Ha Tien development triangle. These economic axes and corridors will be ensured by Resolution 13-NQ/TW, dated April 2, 2022 of the Politburo on the direction of socio-economic development, ensuring national defense and security in the Mekong Delta region until 2030, with a vision to 2045. Along with the special mechanism for developing the marine economy and tourism of Phu Quoc special zone, associated with the event of organizing the APEC Summit 2027, it will open up very favorable opportunities for An Giang province to develop in the coming time.

With the responsibility as the head of the Provincial People's Committee, I will, together with the Provincial People's Committee, inherit and promote the achievements of the two previous provinces; make the most of opportunities, overcome all challenges, seriously overcome shortcomings and limitations, continue to synchronously implement key tasks and solutions, together with the entire political system to build An Giang into a fairly developed province of the country; a strong marine economic center of the Mekong Delta and the country; have a synchronously developed socio-economic infrastructure system, adaptable to climate change, have a dynamic, harmonious and sustainable economic development, integrating the marine economy, border trade economy and agricultural economy.

PV: For the new An Giang province to truly develop, what "bottlenecks" of the old province and old space need to be overcome, comrade?

Comrade Ho Van Mung: General Secretary To Lam directed: “The merger of Kien Giang and An Giang provinces is not only an administrative solution, but also a strategic decision to create a new development entity with a larger economic scale, a more diverse economic ecosystem and the ability to coordinate regional linkages more effectively”. I believe that the new An Giang province has a lot of potential and advantages to make a breakthrough as mentioned above. However, for An Giang to truly rise up, the previous shortcomings and limitations of the two provinces need to be thoroughly overcome.

Firstly, the development space is narrow, the regional connections and linkages are still difficult due to the decisions of many levels, the socio-economic infrastructure, although increasingly invested in, upgraded and expanded, is still generally not synchronous, not meeting the development requirements. The seaport is not modern, the capacity for loading and unloading - receiving goods is limited, there is a lack of deep-water ports and large-scale multi-industry logistics centers. Therefore, it is necessary to prioritize resources to focus on stronger and faster investment, especially completing intra-provincial and inter-regional expressways to enhance economic, trade and cultural exchanges and handle inter-regional and inter-provincial issues; upgrading airports to meet new requirements, especially Phu Quoc airport; investing in infrastructure and developing TOD (Transit Oriented Development) urban areas along the expressways to develop the Long Xuyen Quadrangle. Especially Rach Gia, with its position as the political and economic center of the whole province; Finally, develop multi-purpose seaports and river ports to serve logistics, import-export and tourism.

Second, the work of attracting investment in the mainland of the two provinces has been difficult in the past due to the lack of clean land, high investment rates, especially the lack of projects to develop deep processing and refined processing industries, so it has not created high added value for the province's key agricultural products. Therefore, in the coming time, it is necessary to prioritize attracting strategic investors in high-value-added areas (high-tech marine aquaculture, deep processing and refined processing industries associated with concentrated raw material areas) to make a breakthrough. In addition, it is necessary to promote investment attraction to develop infrastructure of industrial parks, industrial clusters, urban development - trade - services and tourism, multi-sector logistics, renewable energy for sustainable development.

Third, there is a lack of high-quality human resources, which cannot meet the development requirements of the province's key economic sectors (marine economy, border trade economy, agricultural economy, digital economy, circular economy). Therefore, there must be breakthrough mechanisms and policies to train and develop high-quality human resources, strongly apply science and technology, innovation and digital transformation, and successfully build digital government and digital economy.

Resolving bottlenecks and existing problems is not easy, it requires time and a suitable roadmap, and it also needs to be led by a streamlined, effective and efficient apparatus, a team of qualified and capable cadres who dare to think, dare to do, dare to make breakthroughs and dare to take responsibility with high political determination, in order to bring An Giang to breakthrough, substantial and sustainable development.

Reporter: Could you please tell us, from July 1, what key tasks and solutions will the province start implementing regarding socio-economic development?

Comrade Ho Van Mung: The socio-economic situation in the two provinces of An Giang and Kien Giang in the first 6 months of 2025 has developed quite comprehensively, with many sectors and fields having high growth compared to the same period. In particular, GRDP of An Giang province is estimated to increase by 8.51%, Kien Giang province is estimated to increase by 7.5%. The last 6 months of 2025 is a particularly important period, when the administrative apparatus at the commune level and An Giang province has just come into operation. The tasks set are very large, very difficult, challenging and unprecedented, but they cannot be avoided. With a spirit of high determination, great efforts, and drastic actions of the entire political system to stably operate the administrative apparatus at 2 levels, promote socio-economic development with many new perspectives and development goals in a new, wider space, with more potential, more room, towards achieving achievements to welcome the 14th National Congress of the Party, together with the whole country entering the era of national development. Therefore, the first task is to thoroughly understand the innovative thinking throughout the entire political system, "both strictly managing and creating new spaces, new room and maximizing resource mobilization for development". This is the basis for building breakthrough, optimal, flexible and suitable solutions, striving to achieve the highest goals set in 2025, in which it is necessary to focus on a number of key tasks:

Firstly, focus on the tasks of arranging and stably operating the two-level government model after the merger, without leaving any gaps or interrupting any activities serving the people and businesses.

Second, focus all intelligence, resources, and thinking to build and complete the Political Report to be submitted to the new An Giang Provincial Party Congress and the Socio-Economic Development Plan for the period 2026 - 2030 with quality, breakthroughs, and innovation so that these two documents truly become a handbook to direct, manage, and lead the economy in the coming period.

Third, focus on solutions to promote economic growth, renew traditional growth drivers, strongly promote new growth drivers, to achieve the growth target (reaching 8.5% assigned by the Government), striving to reach 8 - 8.5%.

Fourth, effectively implement the "four pillars", including: Resolution 57-NQ/TW, dated December 22, 2024; Resolution 59-NQ/TW, dated January 24, 2025, Resolution 66-NQ/TW, dated April 30, 2025; Resolution 68-NQ/TW, dated May 4, 2025 of the Politburo, contributing to the province's economy taking off with the whole country.

Fifth, focus maximum resources on completing a synchronous and modern infrastructure system, ensuring the progress of expressway projects, internal traffic projects connecting with major economic centers, industrial parks, industrial clusters, border economic zones, production areas and key tourist areas of the province, large urban infrastructure, digital transformation infrastructure. In particular, projects serving the 2027 APEC Conference in Phu Quoc.

Sixth, the province focuses on effectively implementing the Party's guidelines, the State's policies and laws on social policies, aiming to improve the material and spiritual life of the people, especially the work of caring for people with revolutionary contributions, vocational training, job creation, social security, poverty reduction (especially poverty reduction in ethnic minority and mountainous areas), health care, education... according to the motto "Leave no one behind".

Seventh, continue to strongly improve the business environment, promote investment attraction, remove difficulties and obstacles for businesses to unleash resources and promote growth.

Eighth, promote digital transformation, focus on comprehensive digitalization of state management activities and actively implement Project 06/CP in the province.

Ninth, prioritize promoting economic growth while still ensuring security and order, especially maintaining defense in border areas.

Tenth, urgently update and adjust the An Giang Provincial Planning after the merger according to the new viewpoints, orientations and goals of the province, focusing on expanding the development space of the pillars of marine economy, border trade economy, agricultural economy in a modern and sustainable direction, while updating construction planning and land use planning to ensure synchronization and unity.

It can be seen that the tasks set for the last 6 months of 2025 are very large. After the merger into the new An Giang province and the operation of a 2-level government, there will be opportunities and advantages opening up, while at the same time new difficulties and challenges arise. Therefore, it requires great efforts and determination of the entire political system; the efforts and endeavors of all cadres, civil servants, public employees, and workers; the consensus and support of the people and businesses. All levels and sectors need to continue to comprehensively innovate in directing and operating the socio-economic sector, focusing on removing bottlenecks and liberating all resources; Build action programs and detailed plans, proactively propose positive, effective and feasible solutions to take advantage of opportunities, proactively overcome all challenges for rapid and sustainable development, ensure successful implementation of the 2025 plan, and lay the foundation for building An Giang province in the 2026 - 2030 period to develop, become rich, fly high and reach far.

PV: Thank you very much, comrade Ho Van Mung!

GIA KHANH (performed)

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/dua-tinh-an-giang-moi-bay-cao-va-vuon-xa-a423466.html