Hoang Xuan Thuy, director of the Ha Noi Industrial Promotion Centre, said from 2005-10, VND34.3 billion ($1.6 million) from the municipal budget was spent on programmes that aimed to stimulate industry. The city's industrial manufacturing output increased by 16 per cent during this period.

More than 40,000 rural workers now have jobs, who account for 4 per cent of the municipal population. Meanwhile, the number of qualified workers in Ha Noi's suburban districts has increased by 20 per cent.

Prosperity has also increased in urban areas. Every commune has access to electricity and 63 per cent of the city's roads are paved. Thuy added that 80 per cent of households also have access to clean water.

Thuy said that from 2011-15, the city planned to increase industrial development by 18-22 per cent annually. By 2015, rural industrial output should account for 20-25 per cent of the city's total output, he added. Industrial commodities make up 18 per cent of the city's total output at the moment.

To meet its growth target, municipal authorities have launched seven industrial promotion programmes that include vocational and managerial training and science and technology consulting.

Over the next five years, the centre plans to provide vocational training to 25,000 workers.

The centre also plans to offer training courses to 8,500 managers.

Thuy added that the city would encourage enterprises to invest in renewing technology during the next five years. — VNS