A Break-through towards Sustainable Development 

Situated along the upstream area of the Mekong river, An Giang is endowed with fertile land and abundant natural resources for agriculture and tourism. The province is claimed to be the museum of diversified cultures and religions and the educational and economic center of the region with the greatest population density. However, over the past 10 years, the province’s growth fell drastically from its previous achievements. GDP per capita of the province is lower than the average GDP per capita of Vietnam.

Such result shows that traditional agriculture and outdated religious tourism have contributed less to the local growth. More importantly, the absence of manufacturing industries due to its distance from HCMC – the greatest economic center of Vietnam – and inadequate transportation infrastructure pose as a disadvantage to the province’s development.

Set against this context, FSPPM has become a partner with An Giang Province in the project “Restructuring the economy of An Giang Province: A break-through towards sustainable development.” The project is expected to become an important reference source for drafting the 15th Party Document of An Giang Province, from 2020 – 2025.

The project is very distinctive. All research, policy discussion and knowledge transfer are interlocked to foster modern understandings of economic strategies and local governance structures. In that sense, breakthrough refers to changes in mission, restructuring the economy and progress in leadership and management perceptions.

At a Consultation Workshop on Research Findings in An Giang on 4th January, 2020, Madam Vo Thi Anh Xuan, Party Secretary of An Giang Province noted that, “An Giang must change its perceptions to objectively and comprehensively identify challenges and constraints facing the province. Provincial leaders must wisely decide development strategies, transform their perceptions and inspire citizens as well as local firms.” In addition to the scientific analysis and policy recommendations, this mindset is deemed to be the most important achievements of the FSPPM research team.