Hai duong org

These included programmes to build scenarios and plans to promote the consumption of agricultural and aquatic products in localities facing difficulties in the export and domestic consumption of their products.

Under the programme, the reserve capacity of frozen and cold storage warehouses was also reviewed towards the preparation of storage plans when necessary. In addition, related State management units have actively connected a series of distribution enterprises with localities to promote the consumption of large-yield and harvested agricultural products facing market difficulties.

For example, right after Hai Duong Province implemented social distancing from 0:00 on February 16, the Ministry of Industry and Trade directly worked with major distribution systems such as Central Group (BigCand Go! supermarket chain), Vincommerce (Vinmart and Vinmart + chain), BRG Retail (BRG Mart supermarket chain), MM Mega Market chain and others to purchase agricultural products from farmers, cooperatives andenterprises in the province.

As a result, although the COVID-19 pandemic, with its new variants, has developed complicatedly and spreadrapidly on a large scale in many localities, the domestic market was still guaranteed and has gradually recovered.

Total retail sales of consumer goods and services in March increased by 9.2% over the same period last year, showing the recovery of consumers’ demand. In the first quarter of this year, total retail sales of consumer goods and services also rose by 5.1% over the same period in 2020.

The Prime Minister issued Decision No. 386/QĐ-TTg on March 17 to approve the Project on Developing Domestic Market associated with the “Vietnamese people prioritise using Vietnamese goods” campaign in the 2021-2025period.

The project outlined four main groups of tasks to be performed, including boosting information and communication; developing a sustainable distribution system with priority given to Vietnamese goods; improving competitiveness for Vietnamese products and Vietnamese enterprises; and strengthening the inspectionof the market and protection of consumers.

This provides an important basis for State management agencies to continue the implementation of activities to promote domestic market development through various programmes such as “Proud of Vietnamese goods” and “The quintessence of Vietnamese goods”, contributing to promoting production, trading and consumption of Vietnamese goods

At the same time, such programmes will be combined with annual action programmes of ministries, sectors andlocalities to create a spillover effect nationwide.

The 2020 Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI 2020) report, which surveyed around 15,000 across 416 communes and 208 districts of all 63 provinces and cities in Vietnam, ranked the four cities among the 16 localities with the lowest index score for Environmental Governance.

These cities, along with Can Tho in Mekong Delta, are the five cities administered centrally in Vietnam and considered the country’s most important localities.

On a scale of 1 to 10, Hanoi scored 2.96, Ho Chi Minh City 2.82, Hai Phong 3.1 and Da Nang 3.14.

Areas with the lowest environment score are the Red River Delta and the southeast region, where many industrial parks are gathered. Among those with low scores are Binh Duong that neighbors HCMC; Bac Ninh, Hung Yen, Thai Nguyen and Vinh Phuc provinces in the north; Lam Dong Province in the Central Highlands that is home to the resort town of Da Lat and Khanh Hoa Province on the central coast, home to tourist hub Nha Trang.

Of all cities and provinces in Vietnam, Dong Thap of Mekong Delta is the only one to score higher than average, at 5.2.

In the Environmental Governance category, local residents are surveyed via indicators on air quality and water quality in their vicinity.

They are also asked whether they had learned about cases in which businesses in their localities have got in bed with authorities to avoid their environment protection responsibilities.

Hanoi and HCMC, along with Lam Dong and the northern provinces of Hung Yen, Ha Nam and Phu Tho, scored lowest in the “air quality” indicator.

In the survey conducted by the Central Committee of Vietnam Fatherland Front, an umbrella organization of all political and social groups in Vietnam, and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), each respondent had been asked to spend 45-60 minutes answering questions in different fields to evaluate governance capacity of local authorities.

Since 2011, PAPI has been providing data on six key indicators of government performance, which are Control of Corruption in the Public Sector, Participation at Local Levels, Transparency in Local Decision Making, Vertical Accountability Towards Citizens, Public Administrative Procedures, and Public Service Delivery.

Since 2018, the index added two new indicators, Environmental Governance and E-Governance.

Nguyen Huu Dung, vice chairman of the Central Committee of Vietnam Fatherland Front, said the survey works as a foundation to evaluate the efficiency of each city and province for policymakers so they could make suitable and timely adjustments.

“Report findings have increasingly been used by the legislative National Assembly and government, becoming a fair indicator that holds a certain position in the public opinion to serve renovation and provision of public services,” he said.