The southern province of Dong Thap ranked number one in the Vietnam
Provincial Competitiveness Index ( PCI) 2012, the Vietnam Chamber of
Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the US Agency International Development
project, the Vietnam Competitiveness Initiative (USAID/VNCI), reported
on March 14.
There were a few surprises in
the report. In particular, the southern province of An Giang moved
up to the second position from the 19 th spot in 2011, and the
northern province of Dien Bien dropped to the bottom of the ranking
from the 29 th position in 2011.
Speaking at the
release ceremony, VCCI Chairman Vu Tien Loc said the PCI provided
critical information on 63 provinces’ business climate for policymakers
and investors, fostering change and reform towards a public and equal
business environment.
Enterprises surveyed in the
report were pessimistic about business prospects, only 33 percent plan
to expand their business operations in the next two years, added Loc.
PCI 2012 shows the efforts of several provinces and
cities (Binh Dinh, Vinh Long, Kien Giang, Bac Lieu and Ho Chi Minh
City) to improve their economic governance in administrative reform to
narrow the development gap between them and 2011’s high-ranking
provinces, said Acting Head of the VCCI’s Legal Department Dau Anh
Tuan.
Measuring economic governance and the business
environment across the country’s provinces and cities, the 2012 PCI is
the eighth annual report surveying over 8,000 domestic enterprises and
1,500 foreign-invested firms.-VNA