Developing border economy to create a driving force to promote Dong Thap Muoi sub-region

The province identifies Binh Hiep Border Gate Economic Zone (Kien Tuong town) as the economic, cultural and social center, the driving force for the development of the Dong Thap Muoi sub-region of the province; a trading hub connecting Cambodia's Mekong sub-regions with Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta region.

In order to exploit the economic potential of border trade in the area, the province planned Binh Hiep Border Gate Economic Zone with an area of over 168 hectares. In which, phase I was completed and put into operation with the complex of control stations, parking lots, roads connecting inland waterway terminals,etc. All technical infrastructure investment items in the border gate area have been completed, meeting the requirements for import and export activities through border gate. However, the import and export activities to Cambodia through Binh Hiep International Border Gates are not very hectic. Every day, about 60 containers and over 100 people pass through to exchange goods, visit relatives and travel.

Every day, about 60 containers of goods are imported and exported through Binh Hiep International Border Gate

Regarding industry, only 2 businesses have been attracted to Binh Hiep Border Gate Economic Zone to invest in factories operating on an area of over 23 hectares, creating jobs for over 2,300 workers in Kien Tuong border area and neighboring localities. For the central area of Kien Tuong town, the locality continues to mobilize all resources to invest in transport infrastructure system, technical infrastructure of the airport urban area phase II associated with the expanded garden villas and complete the technical infrastructure of residential areas in quarter 5, ward 2,etc to make Kien Tuong town grade III urban area by 2025.

According to Chairman of the People's Committee of Kien Tuong town - Nguyen Van Vu, the difficulty that is slowing the development of the border trade is National Highway 62 connecting with National Highway 1 to Binh Hiep International Border Gate. The road is about 66km with narrow, degraded road surface, affecting the attraction of businesses to invest in the Border Gate Economic Zone, the urban centers in particular and the border districts of the province in general. All plans have been prepared for when National Highway 62 is completed and put into operation, which is the planning of a commercial center, modern residential area and transport infrastructure connecting the Economic Zone to  National Highway 62.

Goods being traded through Binh Hiep International Border Gate

Deputy Director of Binh Hiep International Border Gate Customs Branch - Nguyen Minh Tung said that the branch currently has 24 businesses carrying out customs procedures for export, import and transit goods. In which, the main export products are shoes of all kinds, foam, electricity, electric cables, instant noodles. Imported items are mainly mangoes and raw accessories for shoe production. The quantity of goods imported and exported through Binh Hiep International Border Gate are not much due to the small and narrow "bottlenecks" of National Highway 62; the infrastructure in the economic zone can not met the volume of container trucks carrying out customs procedures and parking lots waiting for goods transshipment.

Currently, National Highway 62 has been submitted to the National Assembly by the Ministry of Transport for over 2,257 billion VND to upgrade and expand and is planned to start upgrading and expanding in 2024./.

By Trung Kien - Translated by Q. Thien

Source: https://baolongan.vn/phat-trien-kinh-te-bien-mau-tao-dong-luc-thuc-day-tieu-vung-dong-thap-muoi-a153124.html