Measures to further attract foreign direct investment (FDI) into
southern provinces are the focus of a conference that took place in the
central province of Binh Dinh on April 18.

At
the event, representatives from economic, industrial and processing
zones of 32 central and southern localities proposed solutions to
improve investment environment so as to draw more FDI into the region.

Suggestions focused on introducing investment incentives, empowering
localities to license foreign-invested projects, perfecting
infrastructure system along with increasing human training, and boosting
administrative reforms.

Delegates reached
consensus on the need to take the mentioned-mentioned measures to
promptly increase the competitiveness in FDI attraction.

The 32 provinces ranging from the central city of Da Nang to the
southernmost province of Ca Mau cover an area of 162,664 sp.
kilometres, representing 49.3 percent of the country’s total area.

As of 2012, over 180 industrial and economic zones in these localities
attracted 3,378 FDI projects with total registered capital of around 49
billion USD.

However, the figure is considered not equivalent to the localities’ natural and economic potentials.

Industrial and economic zones, which are generating jobs, helping
increase state budget, expanding markets, and bolstering trade are the
driving force to boost national socio-economic development.

However, because of their poor infrastructure, many industrial and
economic zones in the localities are failing to attract large foreign
investors.-VNA