Gov't sets socioeconomic goals for 2018

Total export value is expected to increase by 7 - 8% and trade deficit is projected to be below 3% of the country's total export revenues, PM Phuc told legislators.

The Government expects to lower the rate of poverty households by on multidimensional standard by 1-1.3% and keep urban unemployment rate under 4%.

Other targets include trained labor of (58 - 60%), ratio of hospital beds per 10,000 people (26), and healthcare insurance coverage (85.2%).

The Government expects to raise centralized waste water treatment rate at industrial and processing zones to 88% and forest coverage to 41.6%.

PM Phuc affirmed the Government will continue efforts to stabilize macroeconomy, create substantial changes in restructuring the economy and improving quality and competitiveness of the economy.

It will also focus developing private economic sector into a key driving force of the economy, considering it one of the central task of all authority levels.

In terms of infrastructure development, the Government will mobilize nonstate capital to speed up key projects in order to increase connectivity.

The Government will also improve the quality of evaluation and control of investment projects' impacts on the environment, PM Phuc said.