Why is it necessary to adjust the overall planning of the Southeast Economic Zone?

PV:Could you please tell us the purpose and significance of the overall adjustment of the master plan of the Southeast Nghe An economic zone?

Comrade Le Ngoc Hoa:PlanningSoutheast Economic ZoneNghe An province was established in 2007, the establishment period is only until 2030, some current plans are no longer suitable, for example, there are no more duty-free zones, high-tech zones. Some areas are not practical for site clearance, some areas are too densely populated to be cleared. The area of ​​​​industrial parks is still small and fragmented. Therefore, we must adjust the general plan and extend the adjustment period to 2040, creating the premise for catching the investment wave.

Specifically; Southeast Economic Zone was established by the Prime Minister under Decision No. 85/2007/QD-TTg dated June 11, 2007; Total area of ​​18,826.47 hectares, in 18 communes and wards: Nghi Hop, Nghi Xa, Nghi Long, Nghi Thuan, Nghi Dong, Nghi Hung, Nghi Quang, Nghi Thiet, Nghi Tien, Nghi Yen (10 communes of Nghi Loc district); Dien Trung, Dien Thinh, Dien An, Dien Loc, Dien Tho, Dien Phu (6 communes of Dien Chau district); Nghi Tan ward, Nghi Thuy (2 wards of Cua Lo town).

Southeast Economic Zone Planning. Photo: LT

In 2014, the Southeast Economic Zone was adjusted by the Prime Minister, adding the boundaries of Hoang Mai Industrial Park and Dong Hoi Industrial Park (1,200 hectares) according to Decision No. 67/2014/QD-TTg dated December 4, 2014.

In 2015, the Southeast Economic Zone was adjusted by the Prime Minister, adding the boundary of VSIP Nghe An Industrial, Urban and Service Park (750 ha) according to Decision No. 10/2015/QD-TTg April 3, 2015. After adjustment, the total area of ​​Southeast Economic Zone increased to 20,776.47 ha.

The main functional areas in the Southeast Economic Zone according to the planning include: Duty-free zone650ha; 05 industrial parks4,461ha(including 94ha high-tech industrial park); 06 urban areas with total residential land area1,822ha; 212ha training center; 1,417ha resort; Cua Lo port area and Dong Hoi port area. Currently, the establishment and approval of construction zoning plans have been basically completed.

After more than 12 years of construction and development, the Southeast Economic Zone is gradually demonstrating its role as a driving force for the socio-economic development of Nghe An province. It has mobilized, attracted investment and implemented the construction of essential technical infrastructure works and technical infrastructure with a total capital of more than 8,500 billion VND.

Graphics: Lam Tung

In the process of implementing the general planning for the construction of the Southeast Economic Zone, a number of limitations, difficulties, inadequacies, impracticality and lack of feasibility have been revealed.

Besides, planning industrial functional areas associated with urban areas and services is a new trend, attracting many investors' attention, but the approved project has not yet clearly demonstrated it.

Current residential areas are scattered and not concentrated in functional areas, limiting the synchronous development of functional areas and large-scale concentrated industrial zones.

Public centers and specialized land such as: urban public centers; vocational schools, tourist areas... are difficult to implement due to large scale, unfavorable location compared to outside the economic zone, and need to be locally adjusted (resort area in Nghi Tien commune, Nghi Loc district).

In addition, the planning of national infrastructure systems such as seaports, roads, and railways has been supplemented and adjusted, affecting the entire planning of approved functional areas. Investment in the construction of main traffic axes still has many shortcomings and limitations: discontinuous investment and construction phases; infeasibility, completed items cannot be put into use due to lack of synchronization and unfinished; capital sources are very limited.

Infrastructure of the Southeast Economic Zone is gradually being completed to welcome investors. Photo: Thanh Cuong

In addition, some new additional plans such asHoang Mai Industrial Parkand Dong Hoi Industrial Park with a scale of 1,200 hectares approved by the Prime Minister to be added to the Southeast Economic Zone (in Decision No. 67/2014/QD-TTg dated December 4, 2014 of the Prime Minister); VSIP Nghe An Industrial, Urban and Service Park with a scale of 750 hectares approved by the Prime Minister to be added to the Southeast Economic Zone (in Decision No. 10/2015/QD-TTg dated April 3, 2015 of the Prime Minister); The master plan for socio-economic development of the North Central and Central Coast regions, the master plan for construction of Vinh city to 2030, with a vision to 2050 approved by the Prime Minister for adjustment in Decision 52/QD-TTg dated January 14, 2015 need to be taken into account and added.

For the above reasons, the overall adjustment of the Master Plan for Construction of the Southeast Nghe An Economic Zone is necessary to meet the development requirements and build the Southeast Economic Zone into a driving force for economic growth of Nghe An province.

Production workers at enterprises in the Southeast Economic Zone. Photo: Lam Tung

PV:What is the scope of the planning adjustment boundary, comrade?

Comrade Le Ngoc Hoa:This planning adjustment is within the boundaries of the industrial park established according to the Prime Minister's decision. Including:VSIP Industrial Park, the existing Southeast economic zone, removing some areas that cannot be cleared, and some functional zones. The adjustment goal is to be consistent with current investment attraction. Through this adjustment, the area will increase by 671 hectares for industrial land. In the future, the province will adjust and expand the industrial park boundary and change the name of the industrial park to Nghe An Industrial Park.

PV:What is the impact of the master plan adjustment, comrade?

Comrade Le Ngoc Hoa:The purpose of adjusting the general planning of the Southeast Economic Zone is to be consistent with the newly approved planning.

Taking industrial parks as the focus of economic zone development, from there spreading the development of accompanying functional areas such as: urban, commercial, service, tourism, etc. Focusing on developing processing, manufacturing, electronics, supporting industries, consumer goods production, synchronously with the development of connecting infrastructure (deep-water seaports), essential technical infrastructure, developing trade, urban, service, tourism and social infrastructure.

WHA Industrial Zone 1 infrastructure is ready. Photo: Tran Chau

Adjusting the master plan will adjust the boundaries of functional areas to minimize population relocation, combined with the arrangement and reasonable rearrangement of residential areas to ensure the concentration of land funds for the development of feasible and effective functional areas. The adjustment plan has removed about 1,500 households from Nam Cam Industrial Park, about 750 households from Tho Loc Industrial Park; adjusted the land use function and removed about 6,000 households from the Non-Tax Zone planning (adjusted to the port rear area, industrial park, urban area and service area); ….

In addition, based on the planning orientation of the 2 central industrial parks, the planning of 2 more industrial, urban and service parks, Nam Cam and Tho Loc, will be arranged. The total number of industrial, urban and service parks in the Southeast Economic Zone will be increased to 3 (including VSIP industrial, urban and service parks). The total area is 2,285ha (VSIP 750ha; Nam Cam 685ha; Tho Loc 850ha).

Nam Cam Industrial Park. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Based on the Vietnam Seaport System Development Plan, in the immediate future, priority will be given to the development of Cua Lo Port Area: Planning industrial parks, warehouses, logistics services, ICDs, cargo terminals connecting the North-South railway along route D4 (National Highway 7C); planning the route connecting from route N5 to Nam Cam Industrial Park, coastal roads, Cua Lo South wharf area with Cua Lo North wharf area; updating the development plan of national infrastructure works, such as: seaports, roads, railways, etc. This will have certain impacts on the locality. Once approved, the plan needs to be made public and implemented with consensus.

PV:Thank you comrade!