The Government called for reforms of the legal system to be speeded up and for greater mobilisation of resources to boost the economy in general and the service sector in particular. It also emphasised the need for a better trained labour force and stressed economic development must not come at the expense of the environment.

The action plan will target customs procedures, banking, the stock exchange, legal consultancy, trade arbitration, transport, science and technology, information and communications, employment and human resource development. It will also deal with distribution of goods, construction, urbanisation, real estate development, environmental protection, as well as cultural, social, sports and tourism services.

The Government also called on the Ministry of Finance to finalise changes to export credit insurance and its plan to improve public services and public administration agencies. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Transport was entrusted with outlining a development master plan on transport and associated support services, as well as a project on express coastal passenger transport services. The ministry was also tasked with the development of Tan Son Nhat Airport and the express road system. The deadline for the ministry projects was set for the year’s end.

The State Bank of Viet Nam was asked to finalise plans for the launching of co-operative banks and to improve management of non-banking credit operations. These projects should be finalised by 2010.

The Government also asked the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs to map out a decade-long strategy and a five-year plan for employment, vocational training and poverty reduction, starting next year.

The ministry was asked to finalise plans to boost export of labour in poor districts to speed up poverty reduction and sustainable development for the 2009-15 period. The freshly-approved action plan also called on the Ministry of Industry and Trade to boost production of commodities such as oil and gas, steel for construction, fertilisers, foodstuffs, cement and medicines.