Infrastructure investment crucial to national growth   Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung (second from right) speaks at a national teleconference discussing the Party Central Committee's 2012 Resolution No.13 on building a synchronised infrastructure system in Ha Noi yesterday. — VNA/VNS Photo Duc Tam HA NOI (VNS) — Investment in infrastructure development is pivotal to Viet Nam's journey towards becoming an industrial nation by 2020, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said at a national teleconference discussing the Party Central Committee's 2012 Resolution No.13 on building a synchronised infrastructure system. Dung said building infrastructure must be appreciated as a strategic necessity if the nation wishes to achieve both a rapid and sustainable development. He placed the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment at the helm of the development program-me, putting the ministry in charge of planning land clearance for all infrastructure projects throughout the nation. "Resolution 13 has been strictly implemented by ministries, sectors and localities nation-wide. Public investment, so far, has been effective in key areas. "Public – private partnerships have been put to good use in infrastructure development projects. These successes have greatly contributed to socio-economic development, improving people's living conditions, as well as improving national security and defence," Dung said. To further enhance these successes, PM Dung asked all ministries, sectors and localities to work hard to overcome challenges they may face so as to focus efforts on enhancing collaboration between agencies and enterprises in the implementation of infrastructure construction projects. Dung also assigned the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) with the mission of calculating how big of a chunk of the State budget will be required over the next five years, from government bonds to Official Development Aid. A report from the MPI said that in the three years following the issue of Resolution 13, several important infrastructure projects moved forward that improved connectivity between regions, such as the Ho Chi Minh-Trung Luong, Cau Gie-Ninh Binh and Noi Bai-Lao Cai expressways. In addition, many energy projects have received investment money and support to further the modernization of the national power transmission system. The PM's speech concluded that, in the last three years, considerable development in all domains - education, health care, science and technology – had been well noted. Dung, however, warned that if Viet Nam fails to build better infrastructure, it won't sustain the six per cent GDP growth Viet Nam enjoys at present. "Resolution 13 is a manifestation of the direction charted out by the Party. It has enjoyed support from our people and achieved notable successes in the past three years. We should continue to mobilise and use efficiently all the resources available to continue its progress in the years to come," said Dung. — VNS