The result of investment attraction in Bac Lieu province over the past time has shown the positive role of the Bac Lieu Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Centre in seeking and connecting investors. Director Truong Tan Muoi, said the centre is determined to improve the quality and efficiency of investment attraction activities in the near future. Kim Bang reports.
Could you tell us about Bac Lieu province’s advantages in investment attraction? Could you talk about the remarkable achievements in investment promotion and attraction in the province?
Bac Lieu has huge potential for economic development as it is endowed with favourable nature and favourable weather, while it is seldom affected by flooding and drought. The land structure is planned based on natural conditions. National Road 1A divides the province into two particular economic areas. With a 56-km coastline, the southern “salty” area is suitable for aquaculture and marine economy, while the northern “sweet” area is good for comprehensive agricultural development, especially rice cultivation, horticulture and freshwater aquaculture. The coastal region, featuring evergreen mangrove forest belts, has great potential for attracting investment capital in eco-tourism development. Another plus for tourism development investment is that Bac Lieu province has typical cultural identity that combines the cultures of Kinh, Hoa and Khmer peoples.
In recent years, Bac Lieu has introduced many incentive policies to draw investment capital for social and economic development. In spite of being limited in the framework provided by central government like other provinces in the region, Bac Lieu province – with a full awareness of its potentials, weaknesses and strengths – has made great efforts to reform administrative procedures concerning investment attraction activities and create an open, convenient investment environment for domestic and foreign investors. At the end of 2012, Bac Lieu province had 99 investment projects with a total registered capital of over VND13,140 billion (US$650 million) and US$348 million. Particularly, 21 projects with a total investment capital of over VND880 billion and VND10.8 million have gone into operation. Particularly, in the early months of 2013, the province worked with investors on 17 projects in hand, and one has been granted investment licence with a registered investment capital of over VND240 billion.
Since its operation, how has the centre connected and supported local enterprises and those from other localities to make development investment in the province?
Set up in 2010, the Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Centre, subordinated to the Provincial People’s Committee, is responsible for increasing investment resources for social and economic development. As an advisor to the Provincial People’s Committee and the Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee on investment, trade and tourism, the centre plays its role in working out international economic integration, monitoring and updating information, reviewing investment situation, potential and demand in the province to coordinate with relevant departments and local governments and businesses to step up promotion activities to attract capital for social and economic development investment projects to facilitate local trade and tourism development.
The centre receives, requests and instructs investors to complete administrative procedures in the right order. It also coordinates with competent authorities to quicken investment project-related procedures, and proposes and advises the Provincial People’s Committee on investment policies and investment project licensing. Besides, it also joins hands with other agencies or proposes the Provincial People’s Committee to resolve difficulties and problems facing investors, supporting investors during their project time in an effective and lawful manner.
What is the centre’s development orientation to raise operating quality and enhance support for businesses?
While maintaining and promoting its achievements in investment, trade and tourism promotion, the centre will further expand its external relations in a bid to seek more investors into the province. It attaches much importance to building good relationships with large domestic and foreign corporations and investors to call investment capital for key projects in the province to lay the solid foundation for the province’s social and economic development in the next phase. Through Vietnamese diplomatic agencies in foreign nations, the centre will host some surveys groups, market researchers and partner-seeking tours to advertise the province’s advantageous products like food, salt and seafood to Vietnamese communities in foreign countries. It also focuses on developing the tourism market of the province.
In addition, to provide practical support and the most favourable conditions for investors to do business in Bac Lieu, the centre is actively finalising procedures for the formation of the “Investment Consulting Services” Division which will advise investors on legal issues and investment project-related issues in Bac Lieu province. This division will help investors reduce the required travelling, expenses, visits and contacts with different authorities to complete procedures. With this division, investors only need to work with the centre and wait for all other procedures done.
Would you mind revealing the investment projects where Bac Lieu province is calling for investment capital from now till 2015, or farther to 2020?
The Resolution of the 14th Provincial Party Congress (2011-2015 term) specifies the demand for drastic and synchronous deployment of practical solutions to improve the provincial competitiveness index (PCI) and push up investment attraction activities. The centre will focus on completing and supplementing legal formalities concerning adding and preparing conditions for carrying out such key projects like Ganh Hao Economic Zone (including Ganh Hao deepwater seaport, industrial parks, high-tech agricultural production zone, infrastructure development, etc). It will also continue to invest in developing tourism, transportation infrastructure and regional connectivity, while completing infrastructure systems for Lang Tram and Ninh Quoi industrial parks to create a clean land fund for investors.
Đăng ký: VietNam News