Breakthrough for Nghe An to become an industrial province

Nguyen Xuan Duong

Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghe An province

(Baonghean) - With the largest area in the country, a strategic and convenient location for road, rail, air, sea and inland waterway traffic, Nghe An is the bridge between the North and the South and the gateway to the East Sea of ​​Central Laos and the Northeast of Thailand through Cua Lo Port. In recent years, with the determination to innovate thinking, strongly reform administrative procedures, and focus on investing in building technical infrastructure, Nghe An has identified investors as partners, sources of energy and new driving forces for development.

How to attract investment and create a breakthrough to rapidly develop the economy towards industrialization is not only the concern of Nghe An province's leaders as well as children far from home, but also the timely urging of Central leaders towards President Ho Chi Minh's homeland.

Manufactured at BSE Electronics Vietnam Co., Ltd. Photo: Pham Bang

New prospects for attracting investment were opened when in the early Spring of the Year of the Ox (2009), the People's Committee of Nghe An province coordinated with the Party Committee of the Central Enterprises Bloc, the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) to organize the Investment Promotion Conference and Meeting with Enterprises on the occasion of the beginning of Spring. This is a particularly important event of the province, opening the investment promotion activities of the year, not only an exchange activity but also has great significance when prestigious and potential investors come to Uncle Ho's hometown, starting the journey of learning, investing and contributing to enriching Nghe An. Since then, the Meeting with Investors has become a traditional and prestigious investment festival of the province, a meeting place and a desire between the parties to jointly foster new aspirations for a renewed, prosperous and developed Nghe An. With this event, every year there has been a positive change in attracting investment, the quality of the conference is higher than the previous year, many domestic and foreign enterprises, successful children of Nghe An from all regions have returned to their homeland, researched, exchanged aspirations and implemented investment projects with high efficiency.

Since 2009, after the Spring Investment Promotion Conference of the Year of the Ox, Nghe An province has attracted 511 domestic investment projects with a total capital of 140,452 billion VND, and 29 FDI projects with a total investment capital of 1,281 million USD. The total number of projects still in effect to date is 776 projects, including 733 domestic investment projects and 43 FDI projects.

Sewing export goods at Namsung Vina Company (Dien Chau). Photo: Hoang Vinh

Through 6 conferences, the projects attracted have increased in both quantity and scale, in line with the planning orientation and socio-economic development strategy of the province, creating a great driving force for the socio-economic development of the province. The projects attracted are increasingly practical and effective, bringing great results on the front of hunger eradication and poverty reduction, contributing to ensuring social security. Important projects include: Vinamilk Dairy Factory Nghe An branch, TH Dairy Factory, BSE Electronics Factory of Korea (in Southeast Economic Zone), Ban Ve Hydropower Plant, Hua Na Hydropower Plant, Hoa Sen Steel Plant of Hoa Sen Group (under construction), MDF Wood Processing Factory (Nghia Dan), Haivina Kim Lien Garment Factory (Nam Dan), Japanese Garment Factory (Yen Thanh), Saigon - Song Lam Beer Factory, Hanoi - Nghe An Beer Factory, Saigon Eye Hospital, Royal Food Canned Fish Processing Factory (Thailand), Muong Thanh - Song Lam 5-star Hotel, Thieu Nien Tien Phong Plastic Factory... New attractive projects are being implemented, more diverse in many fields, from real estate to tourism, education - training, industry, livestock... Moreover, the projects are exploiting the potential and advantages of the province more and more effectively. From the projects that have been put into effective operation, they have contributed to increasing the budget revenue for Nghe An province from 2,800 billion VND (in 2009) to 7,652 billion VND in 2014, creating more jobs for thousands of workers in the province and neighboring provinces.

In recent years, Nghe An has dramatically improved its investment environment to a new level of thinking that is truly receptive, understanding and sharing with investors. The province has assigned specific tasks to departments, branches, sectors and localities to support and remove difficulties and obstacles in the process of implementing signed agreements in the fastest and most convenient way. Continue to effectively implement the "One-stop-shop" mechanism, regularly organize dialogue conferences with businesses, remove obstacles and difficulties for businesses and investors, and issue preferential policies and specific support.

Operating in a number of effective investment projects in the province.

In 2014, thanks to good investment attraction, Nghe An achieved many important achievements: GDP growth rate reached 7.24%; total food output reached more than 1.2 million tons (highest ever); built many large projects such as Vinh International Airport, 5 railway overpasses, expanded and upgraded National Highway 1A, creating a new and spacious infrastructure for the province; people's lives were improved, the poverty rate decreased to 10%, per capita income reached 27 million VND/year; Nghe Tinh Vi and Giam folk songs were recognized by UNESCO as a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity. During the year, Nghe An granted new and adjusted investment certificates for 187 projects/55,663 billion VND of registered capital (exceeding 260% in number of projects and 432% in registered capital compared to 2013), promoting cooperation with foreign enterprises and organizations.

The successes of Nghe An are thanks to the strength of the entire political system, the people of the province, the great support and attention of the Central Government and especially the great contribution of investors and businessmen. 2014 was the year in which the leadership and direction of the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee on the issue of investment attraction was very drastic, close and strongly implemented. All levels and sectors tried to create favorable conditions for investors to complete procedures quickly; at the same time, they sought to remove obstacles in the implementation process. The province tried to fulfill its responsibilities and commitments to investors such as site clearance, providing electricity, water, traffic infrastructure as well as other support for investors in a timely manner. In addition, the work of propaganda, promoting the investment environment and administrative reform was focused. Along with attracting investment projects, Nghe An province always pays special attention to ensuring social security in order to improve the material and spiritual life of the people, contributing to comprehensive and sustainable socio-economic growth.

In the coming time, Nghe An will continue to create favorable conditions for enterprises in the investment process and properly implement the committed contents; shorten the procedures in the investment planning approval stage; quickly complete the procedures for projects, support the compensation and site clearance costs for projects that have been signed by the Provincial People's Committee for investment. In the immediate future, the objectives and targets of the Provincial Party Congress Resolution will be evaluated and reviewed, in conjunction with the 5-year plan (2011 - 2015) to propose solutions for focused and drastic direction. Continue to promote action programs to implement Resolution No. 26-NQ/TW dated July 30, 2013 of the Politburo on the direction and tasks for the development of Nghe An province until 2020.

At the same time, continue to expand foreign economic relations, diversify capital mobilization channels, and investment forms to build a synchronous and modern economic and social infrastructure system. In the immediate future, accelerate the implementation of key projects and works such as: Nguyen Kim Shopping Center, Hoa Sen Nghe An Steel Sheet Factory, Masan Northern Food Industry Center, Vingroup Commercial Center... to soon complete and promote in 2015; At the same time, focus on preparing conditions to implement the VSIP Nghe An Industrial Park - Urban and Service Complex project in June 2015.

The success of the annual Spring Investors Meeting not only creates a new change in economic and social development but also a good start, bringing many favorable and lucky advantages to the province in the first days of Spring, and at the same time promises to bring new successes to investors in Uncle Ho's homeland. With innovative thinking, solidarity, collaboration, and the aspiration to build a strong and prosperous province as President Ho Chi Minh wished, Nghe An hopes to continue to receive the attention, sharing and investment cooperation of international organizations, businesses and investors at home and abroad. Nghe An considers this an extremely important resource, a driving force to break through to become an industrial province by 2020.

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