Vietnam Economic News talked with Chairman of Dong Nai province People’s
Committee Dinh Quoc Thai about the province’s socio-economic
achievements obtained in the first nine months of this year as well as
tasks, targets and solutions in the 2013-2015 period, a critical period
for Dong Nai to become an industrialised and modernised province by
2015.
* Can you give your evaluations on Dong Nai’s
socioeconomic developments and investment attraction in the first nine
months of 2013?
Despite the variations in the
domestic and global economies having negative impacts on the
implementation of our tasks and goals, Dong Nai has made positive
changes in the local socioeconomic developments with high concentration,
good coordination and the efforts of the political system, the business
community and people.
The province recorded gross
domestic product (GDP) growth of 11.13 percent year-on-year to reach
35.722 trillion VND, equal to 69.6 percent of the year’s plan. From the
beginning of this year to September 20, the total foreign investment
capital reached 912.5 million USD, of which 520 million USD was invested
in industrial zones; 62 newly-licensed projects with total capital of
398 million USD; 53 added capital projects (up 514.9 million USD) and
the FDI capital disbursed in the above-mentioned period reached 709
million USD, equal to 78.8 percent of the year’s estimated plan.
by now, Dong Nai has 1,032 valid projects with total capital of 19.2 billion USD.
* In the difficult context of the domestic economy, Dong Nai is still
one of the provinces that have the leading economic growth and
investment attraction of the country. How did it adopt foreign relations
policies to attract FDI resources?
Dong Nai has
been developing its local image and trademark as an auspicious, safe and
efficient investment destination. Coming to Dong Nai, investors will
always find cooperation and support of authorities at different levels.
The main aim of province is to create a healthy and transparent business
environment through political, social and economic stability, good
service and protection for entrepreneurs and workers, administrative
reforms so that enterprises could focus on their businesses. The local
authorities at different levels have done their foreign relations works
well, but they have to continue the administrative procedure reforms and
make better innovations, meeting the growing demand of organisations,
individuals and enterprises.
To achieve expected
results in FDI capital attraction, Dong Nai province has been well
implementing foreign investment promotion, especially from Japan. Many
Japanese enterprises have come to Dong Nai to seek for investment
opportunities. In the first nine months, there were 20 licensed projects
of Japanese investors with total newly registered and added capital of
nearly 500 million USD.
The province has also
actively organized foreign investment promotion programs in foreign
countries. The initiative was highly appreciated by international
friends and they also committed for their long term business in Dong
Nai.
* What are the goals, tasks and solutions that the province has set in the 2013-2015 period?
The common goals that Dong Nai is targeting in the 2013-2015 period
are to develop a rapid and sustainable economic growth, promote
international integration, industrialisation and modernisation; improve
people’s livelihoods, ensure social security and strive to become a
industrial province by 2015.
Specifically, Dong Nai
will strive to post a GDP growth of 13-14 percent per year and the
average GDP per capita by 2015 will be from 2,900-3,000 USD. The
economic structure by 2015 will be: industry-construction sectors
accounting for 56-57 percent, service 38-39 percent ,
agriculture-forestry and fishery 4-6 percent and total export revenue
will increase by 15-17 percent per year. As for the structure of Dong
Nai’s labor market during this period: the industry-construction sectors
accounting for 39-40 percent, trade and services 38-39 percent and the
agriculture-forestry and fishery sectors 21-22 percent.
To achieve the above goals, Dong Nai will focus on investment in
infrastructure, especially the traffic routes connecting urban areas and
industrial zones. The province will develop high quality services such
as finance, banking, transportation, communication, hotels and
restaurants; attract investment to high-tech and added-value industries
and will also develop the trademarks of local industrial products.
In agriculture, Dong Nai will develop rural infrastructure, improve
the quality of agricultural products, train high quality human resources
and organise vocational training courses for rural workers.
* In the current international integration process which poses many
opportunities and challenges, what will the province do to help
enterprises remove difficulties and stabilize their production and
businesses?
The province will continue to promote
the administrative procedure reforms to create a really open and healthy
business environment for enterprises. Leaders of the provincial
People’s Committee, departments and sectors will keep on supporting and
removing difficulties for enterprises such as providing information
about market and approaches to credit sources. Imminently, the local
departments and sectors will meet with enterprises once a month, instead
of once a quarter to timely grasp information and provide suitable
assistance.
On an overall view, according to the
development planning of local industrial zones (IZs) approved by the
prime minister, the province will have 34 IZs by 2015. In addition, the
prime minister also approved to build Long Thanh High-tech IZ, an
agricultural and industrial complex in Xuan Loc, Thong Nhat and the Cam
My Bio-tech Park. Dong Nai province is also making preparations for
investment in technical infrastructure and training high quality human
resources.
The province is also starting big traffic
projects such as the Ho Chi Minh City – Long Thanh – Dau Giay, Bien Hoa
– Vung Tau and Ben Luc – Long Thanh highways, Phuoc An Seaport and Long
Thanh International Airport. These construction works are opening more
opportunities for investors coming to work in the province. What the
provincial People’s Committee wants is to see investors coming to
explore opportunities to develop their businesses and contribute to the
provincial socioeconomic development, orienting to build Dong Nai into
an industrial province by 2015.-VNA