Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha speaks at a meeting of the Planning Appraisal Council for the Northern Midlands and Mountainous Region for the period 2021-2030, vision to 2050, Hanoi, December 2023. (Photo: VOV)

Addressing a meeting in Hanoi on Thursday, the Deputy PM said planning for the northern midlands and mountains needs to adopt a methodical, scientific approach, properly assessing the region's role and position in the overall development of the country.

He asked the Drafting Committee to develop a plan until 2030 with a vision to 2050 with a mindset of sustainable regional development.

Meeting delegates proposed that the plan focus on green, sustainable, comprehensive economic development to escape poverty and narrow the development gap between localities, while protecting the environment, especially forests, water sources, and biodiversity, and balancing conservation and development.

“Population redistribution is a big problem. It entails developing places for people to live and work. Only then can rural development goals and policies for ethnic minorities be achieved. We must remember that our main resources are people and nature as we plan residential routes and clusters in mountainous areas,” Deputy PM Ha said.