Long An underways integration

Many breakthroughs

Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee - Tran Van Can assessed that the economic growth rate did not reach the set plan in 2019, but it still maintained at a relatively high level, reaching 9.41 percent, (the plan is 9.6 percent, in 2018 increased by 10.36 percent). In terms of economic structure, the agriculture, forestry and fishery accounted for 15.91 percent of GDP; industry - construction sector accounts for 50.07 percent; commercial and service sector accounts for 34.02 percent. In particular, the manufacturing and processing sector continued to play a key role, leading the overall growth of the region and the economy, accounting for 45.51 percent of the provincial GRDP structure and increasing by 14, 83 percent over the same period. These are important results from promoting the implementation of the Government's Resolution on the main tasks and solutions to improve the business environment, improve competitiveness and supporting mechanisms and policies to develop businesses in the province.

Economic structure, industry - construction sector accounts for 50.07 percent

Although the province's economic growth in 2019 has not achieved the planned results, this is a positive result of Long An in the integration process, especially in the economic sector. Long An is trying to improve the investment and business environment through administrative reform. Accordingly, the administrative reform in the province was carried out synchronously and comprehensively on the contents of institutional reform, administrative procedure reform and administrative apparatus organization reform. In particular, the implementation of online public service has gradually been completed, the online public service portal was completed with full functions according to current regulations. The province currently has 817 public services at level 3 and 176 public services at level 4. In 2019, there are more than 4,000 online applications with online services at level 3 and level 4. In addition, Long An has 26 additional online information services at levels 3 and 4 implemented by ministries and central agencies for some departments.

One of the recent breakthroughs of Long An which has been highly appreciated by many investors is the development of many important transport routes that play a role of linking key economic regions, industrial parks and clusters (IPs, ICs) in the province to accelerate the process of industrialization and modernization. Beside central investment, the province prioritizes many resources for developing transport infrastructure. Resolution of the Xth Provincial Party Congress (term 2015-2020) defines the Program for mobilizing all resources to build transport infrastructure system for industrial development in key economic regions as 1 of 2 Breakthrough programs with its strategic meaning. The program includes 14 arterial traffic projects which are planned to connect synchronously with IPs, ICs in the province, Long An International Port and Ho Chi Minh City traffic routes. Up to now, 8 works have been completed, helping people and businesses to reduce costs and travel time, transportation and competitiveness for goods.

Director of Department of Planning and Investment - Huynh Van Son informed that with the breakthrough activities, Long An now has a certain position in the investors’ eyes. In 2019, investment attraction and investment promotion activities showed positive results. The provincial People's Committee has issued a decision on investment guidelines for 142 domestic investment projects with a total registered capital of 14,345 billion VND, granting investment registration certificates for 11 foreign investment projects with a total registered capital of 5.1 million USD. To date, the province has 1,016 foreign investment projects, registered capital of 6.18 billion USD. In addition, the province has 1,927 domestic investment projects with registered capital of 222,315 billion VND.

Welcoming new opportunities

The investment wave is having a strong shift from Ho Chi Minh City to provinces and cities in the Mekong River Delta. In particular, Long An has many opportunities to welcome investors, especially in the field of industrial development. This is also one of the "levers" to help Long An promote its advantages in the socio-economic development, contributing to the good resolution of social security. Long An has built a strategy of industrial development to 2020, in which the plan to form 31 industrial parks and 62 industrial complexes with an area of about 15,000 hectares. In order to attract investment, the province pays special attention to building an investment and business environment in a clear, friendly, efficient and safe manner together with developing technical and transport infrastructure.

The investment wave is having a strong shift from Ho Chi Minh City to the provinces, Long An has many opportunities to welcome investors due to traffic convenience (Photo: National Highway 1)

Activities to promote domestic and foreign investment are being implemented with many groups of solutions such as creating clean land fund, attracting investors to develop infrastructure for IPs, ICs; developing synchronous technical infrastructure inside and outside IPs, ICs; attract investment in industrial production development into IPs and ICs; linking IPs, ICs development; etc. Also, Long An and the investor plan resettlement areas and concentrated residential areas to create conditions for residents of industrial development project areas to live and work in peace and contentment. Currently, the IPs, ICs, residential areas are concentrated in the districts of Duc Hoa, Ben Luc, Can Duoc and Can Giuoc.

With the above efforts, over the past time, many investors came to the province to study investment opportunities. In 2019, the provincial People's Committee has a policy of making construction plans for 51 projects with a total area of 26,087 hectares. In particular, there are many large-scale projects of investors such as Becamex, Vsip, Vingroup, TDH Ecoland Urban Development and Investment Joint Stock Company, Saigon Investment Joint Stock Company, and so on.

These projects all integrate industrial and urban development. Mr. Huynh Van Son said that these projects are in the process of making construction planning and will be integrated into the provincial plan for the period 2021-2030 that the province is building. After having land use planning and construction planning, the province will receive investors in accordance with current law and deploy in the near future. These projects will have a positive impact on the investment environment and socio-economic development of the province.

In September 2019, the provincial People's Committee, the Institute of Organic Agricultural Economics, the delegation of experts and Korean investors had a seminar towards the development of smart urban - industrial - agricultural areas in the province. At the seminar, investors shared experiences in developing smart urban - industrial - agricultural ecosystems and proposed a project investment model on an area of 10,000 hectares, expected in the area of Ben Luc district. With this proposal, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee - Tran Van Can said that the orientation of investors in proposing the development of smart urban - industrial - agricultural areas is the ideal model for developing the harmonious ecosystem, sustainable development so that authorities and investors together strive to build a model project, a new driving force of Long An province. In the process of implementing any project, the provincial leaders always accompany businesses, investors and see the difficulties of businesses, investors are also the difficulties of the province, the success of enterprises is also is the success of the province./.

By Gia Han – Translated by Duc Tam

Source: http://baolongan.vn/long-an-tren-duong-hoi-nhap-a88192.html