The strong rise of the Nghe An 'brand'

(Baonghean) - What is truly new and a unique hallmark of 2016 is the development of the 'Nghe An brand'.

The year 2016 has passed with many notable events both within and outside the province. As the third year of implementing Resolution 26 of the Politburo and the first year of implementing the Resolution of the 18th Provincial Party Congress, the achievements our province has made in the past year are signals for a promising future in both economic and social development.

The inauguration and opening ceremony of the Yen Xuan road bridge across the Lam River took place on September 3, 2016. (Archival photo)

Building on the positive results of investment promotion in 2015, the past year continued to be a successful year for attracting investment to the province. In 2016, 120 projects were newly approved and adjusted, with a total investment capital of over VND 30,955 billion; 6 new ODA projects were approved with a total investment capital of VND 657.21 billion. The scale of investment projects in the province also increased significantly as more and more large domestic and foreign investors chose Nghe An as their base. Besides some names that have already made their mark and established a foothold in the area such as Hoa Sen Group, Massan, The Vissai, VSIP, TH,... investors coming to Nghe An for the first time such as Vingroup with the Vinpearl Cua Hoi Project, or the leading Thai corporation Hemaraj (choosing Nghe An as their first destination when entering Vietnam) are all businesses with a significant impact on the domestic and regional economy.

Canned fish processing at the Royalfood factory (Southeast Economic Zone). (Photo: Archival image)

Furthermore, 2016 continued to witness the strong development of small and medium-sized projects by investors with a long history of operation in the province, notably the Muong Thanh Group, with a series of 4- and 5-star hotels, shopping centers, and eco-tourism resorts opened in many districts and cities of Nghe An province during the past year. In addition, the province issued a plan to implement Government Resolution No. 35/NQ-CP on supporting and developing businesses, resulting in the issuance of 1,874 new business registration certificates, an increase of 11.08% compared to the same period. This shows that the business and development of investors in Nghe An is proceeding quite smoothly.

Besides the achievements in attracting investment, in 2016 we continued to pay attention to infrastructure, especially transportation and urban infrastructure. This is also one of the important tasks identified at the 17th Provincial Party Congress and further emphasized at the 18th Provincial Party Congress, with the goal of building a solid foundation for socio-economic development towards industrialization and modernization, catching up with and meeting national and international standards. Along with the new rural development program and the concentrated efforts to develop various types of urban areas, Nghe An has undergone a significant transformation with a more synchronized provincial road system, connecting central areas to specialized regions.

Looking ahead, with inter-provincial and even international projects like the Hanoi-Thanh Thuy expressway, the West Nghe An road connecting to Laos and Northeast Thailand, and the second runway of Vinh International Airport, Nghe An's connectivity and integration will undoubtedly reach even greater heights.

Vinh City is emerging as a major center in the North Central region. Photo: Thanh Cuong.

Recently, when talking about Nghe An, one must mention its growth rate (7.5% in 2016); its budget revenue exceeding 10,000 billion VND; its focus on building new rural areas (149 communes have achieved new rural area standards); and its rapid poverty reduction.

The achievements mentioned above are all a continuation and inheritance from the foundation of 2015 and the previous term of the Provincial Party Congress. What I consider truly new and a unique mark of 2016 is the development of the Nghe An brand; Nghe An's children excelling in their studies; achieving high scores in university entrance exams (typically students from Phan Boi Chau Specialized High School); and Nghe An becoming one of the top 10 centers in the North Central provinces for finance, trade, tourism, education and training, science and technology, healthcare, culture, sports, and high-tech industries. Previously, when mentioning Nghe An, friends both domestically and internationally often only thought of President Ho Chi Minh; Kim Lien, Nam Dan, or Cua Lo beach. This means that the understanding of Nghe An among people outside the province was still quite limited, partly because we had not yet promoted our province to friends outside the province.

Meanwhile, Nghe An can be likened to a miniature Vietnam thanks to its diverse geography, natural resources, historical and cultural heritage. We have many strengths, values, and potentials that have not been fully exploited or properly promoted – in the current trend of integration, it would be a great pity if we continue to "neglect" these inherent potentials.

Recognizing the value of Nghe An's potential and products, we have recently intensified and innovated our methods of promotion and brand building. The first step is identifying products with potential, such as local specialties like Vinh oranges, Van Phan fish sauce, Nam Dan soy sauce, Hung Nguyen mudworms, and products from the Mekong Delta (Quy Muscovy ducks, small pigs, Ky Son taro, Que Phong passion fruit, Quy Chau incense, etc.). Besides these, we also have many intangible cultural products such as festivals, cultural and spiritual events; folk songs and traditional music; and the diversity of cultures and ethnic groups... all of which represent significant potential for tourism development – ​​a thriving, non-polluting industry worldwide. Especially in Asia in general, and Southeast Asia in particular, which has recently become a favorite destination for tourists worldwide, this is a golden opportunity that Nghe An must seize to fully utilize its inherent advantages.

Con Cuong District Party Secretary Nguyen Dinh Hung (left) discusses techniques for cultivating oranges for high yields with local households. Photo: PV

However, it must be acknowledged that products bearing the Nghe An brand have not yet established a firm foothold in the market, nor are they widely known nationally and regionally. This is because we have not built brands professionally and meticulously; instead, we have mostly relied on spontaneous, small-scale farming practices. For example, Vinh oranges should have a strong position in the domestic market, as their value has been recognized since the last century. Vinh oranges were even exported abroad at one point.

However, currently, despite having geographical indication certification, orange cultivation in Nghe An still develops spontaneously, without management in terms of branding, production processes, and consumption, leading to unevenness and inconsistency in quality. Even in areas not covered by the geographical indication, oranges are still falsely labeled as Vinh oranges, or some people import oranges from other sources and display Vinh orange labels to inflate prices. Such practices may bring very little benefit to some individuals, but they significantly impact the Vinh orange brand, causing consumers to misjudge or fail to identify the brand.

Recently, we successfully organized the Sunflower Festival in Nghia Dan district. This can be seen as an example of brand building. The sunflower field (owned by TH Group) was only opened for tourism last year. Thanks to positive feedback from the public and strong media coverage, it has gained considerable recognition both within and outside the province. After just one "season," we proactively planned activities related to the sunflower field and satellite services to meet the needs of tourists, thereby enhancing the economic value of the sunflower field. In the long term, if we maintain these activities, we will create a new tourist destination in western Nghe An. It's worth noting that this will be a completely "man-made" tourist destination, so there's no reason why our existing natural tourist spots shouldn't also be developed.

Scenery of my homeland. Photo: Ho Long

The current global trend (and Vietnam is no exception) is the rise of "startups" among young businesses. In this context, building and establishing a brand is considered one of the key factors for businesses to survive in a competitive, integrated market with many opportunities but also very harsh conditions. Nghe An province can also be seen as a new "startup" in this race for integration.

With its existing advantages and a well-developed infrastructure, our next crucial task is to build a truly sustainable brand for Nghe An. Only then can Nghe An reach further and higher, achieving the goal of becoming the "leading" province of the North Central region, as outlined in Resolution 26 of the Politburo.

Nguyen Xuan Duong

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