Central Highlands records GDP growth of over 13 percent

HCM City (VNA) - The Central Highlands provinces recorded a 13.04 percent economic growth this year, according to a report delivered at a conference in Ho Chi Minh City on Dec. 29.

The Central Highlands Steering Board told the conference to review the
implementation of tasks for 2008 and discuss plans for 2009 that the region saw
year-on-year increases of 7.47 percent in agro-forestry and fishery, nearly 22
percent in industry-construction, and over 18 percent in services this year.

It also fetched up an export turnover of 1.31 billion USD, an increase of 18.2
percent year-on-year.

During the year, the Central Highlands provinces' Party committees admitted over
9,000 new members, 30 percent of them from ethnic minority groups.

The provinces also opened training courses on politics, management and professional
skills for nearly 14,000 civil servants.

At the conference, the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam announced a
funding of 10 billion VND to build a dormitory for ethnic minority students of the
Kon Tum University.-Enditem