Promoting investment, trade and tourism to adapt to the new normal in Nghe An

Article: Nguyen Hai - Editor: Lam Tung• DNUM_CDZAHZCACB 10:06

(Baonghean.vn) - The Covid-19 epidemic is evolving in a complicated and unpredictable manner, therefore, the requirement for all levels, sectors and localities is that in addition to solutions to prevent and suppress the epidemic, there must be plans and scenarios to adapt to the new normal state. Nghe An Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Center (NAPC) has come up with new solutions.

Digital applications

From the end of 2020, on the direction and assignment of tasks of the Provincial People's Committee,NAPC Centerhas built a Digital Transformation Plan, according to which data and situations on investment attraction, trade and tourism are converted into digital for storage and introduction according to smart processes.

Previously, every time there was an event to introduce investment attraction in the province or to go to localities, the logistics department had to bring a lot of documents in printed paper catalogs to introduce to customers, which was both cumbersome and quite expensive. Now, when switching to digital, wherever you go, as long as you have internet infrastructure and a few devices, you can easily introduce and present slides, video clips with specific information for investors to compare and refer to.

Mr. Nguyen Van Nam - Deputy Director of NAPC Center

Công dân làm thủ tục cấp đổi giấy phép lái xe tại Trung tâm hành chính công. Ảnh: N.H

Citizens apply for a new driver's license at the Public Administration Center. Photo: NH

From the success in converting and applying software to investment promotion, the Center continues to review and apply it to the field of trade and tourism promotion. Accordingly, the Center's website will be built and linked with the websites of businesses and tours that can be exploited, find customers, cooperate and support each other in the context of the complicated developments of the epidemic.

Since its inception, in order to build a database on investment, trade, and tourism attraction, along with digitizing information to introduce socio-economic information, investment attraction policies, trade, and tourism in the whole province, through working with districts such as Thanh Chuong, Do Luong, Nghia Dan, and Que Phong, the Center has also updated and introduced information on the potential for investment attraction and community tourism development in these districts to attract investment.
Mr. Bui Duy Dong - Director of NAPC Center said: Recently, learning from the experience of introducing and attracting investment from other provinces, due to the Covid-19 epidemic, domestic and foreign investors cannot return as before and the province cannot organize events to invite and attract investment, so the Center is experimenting with introducing and inviting tourism and investment by using images and documents filmed from flycams with running information to introduce and broadcast on social networking platforms...
Experience from attracting project investmentJuTeng (Taiwan)Hoang Mai I Industrial Park shows that, in addition to the information provided by the province and infrastructure investors, this is a large and strategic investment project, so the investor really wants to survey the site to develop the most accurate investment plan to submit to shareholders and the Board of Directors for approval. However, due to the epidemic and long-term medical isolation conditions, the Company only sent experts to coordinate with the province and the industrial park investor to survey the site, boundaries as well as the current status of the site to film and send back images.

Although attracting investment is difficult, thanks to good connection and online introduction, Nghe An in particular and other provinces in general have maintained positive progress in attracting investment; on the contrary, despite many difficulties, investors still trust and decide to invest in Vietnam in recent times.

Mr. Bui Duy Dong - Director of NAPC Center

Nhà đầu tư khảo sát khu công nghiệp WHA I Nghệ An. Ảnh: Trân Châu

Investors survey WHA I Industrial Park Nghe An. Photo: Tran Chau

Support for on-site investors

One of the experiences in attracting investment is that along with persistently pursuing large, potential investors, it is necessary to maintain relationships and increase support for local investors. These are investors who have been and are implementing investments in the area because if investors and projects operating in the area affirm effective operations, it is a strong proof of the province's investment environment. Not only that, they can be large investors through considering project expansion and increasing investment capacity in the province.

Mr. Bui Duy Dong - Director of NAPC Center added: The strength of supporting local investors is that they do not only save on travel, but they are familiar with the environment, working conditions, and policies of Nghe An, so the procedures for adjusting, expanding the scale of investment or increasing capacity are quite convenient and highly effective.

This has been proven by the investment practice at Minh Anh Garment Company, from the first project, Minh Anh Kim Lien Factory, the Company continued to establish its base in Bac Vinh Industrial Park, then moved to Do Luong and recently Tan Ky. Similarly, Goertek Company at WHA has just invested a project of 100 million USD but has deployed an additional investment of 100 million USD, Bai Lu Tourist Area increased its capital by 1,730 billion VND. After its success with Hoang Mai 1 Industrial Park, Hoang Thinh Dat Company continued to invest in Hoang Mai 2 Industrial Park and surveyed other new investment projects...

Planning diagram of Hoang Mai industrial park. Photo: Tran Chau

In fact, since 2020, despite the difficulties of the Covid-19 pandemic, the scale of investment attraction in the Southeast Economic Zone has remained positive.

In 2020, the province decided on investment policies and granted investment registration certificates to 40 projects with a total newly registered and increased capital of VND 14,289.2 billion, including 24 new projects with a capital of VND 5,413 billion and 16 projects with an increased capital of VND 8,876.2 billion. In the first 6 months of 2021, the province granted new licenses to 51 projects and adjusted 61 projects with a total newly registered and increased capital of VND 12,063 billion, an increase of 24% over the same period in 2020. The above reality shows that despite the difficulties caused by the pandemic, project adjustment and increasing the scale of on-site projects are quite positive.

Not only when the Covid-19 pandemic became complicated, but also from the beginning of 2020, realizing that the competitive environment for attracting investment had changed significantly, at meetings with businesses and investors, Nghe An province leaders also affirmed that they would change the method of attracting investment, instead of contacting and introducing through events and on a large scale, they would switch to attracting investment with focus and key points, through industrial park infrastructure investors.

KCN VSIP Hưng Nguyên thi công các hạng mục để mở rộng dự án. Ảnh: Trân Châu

VSIP Hung Nguyen Industrial Park is constructing items to expand the project. Photo: Nguyen Hai

Through research, we learned that the Center is currently building smart software to connect with businesses. Initially, 5-10 typical businesses in each field will be selected for testing. If successful, these businesses will be the bridge, helping the Center install and spread to the business community.

Currently, the province has 13,000 active businesses, but only 1,800 businesses participate in provincial business associations and unions, so the Center's ambition is not only to build software to connect the above 1,800 businesses, but also to install it for 13,000 businesses to form a "digital business association" so that even when the province does not organize events or dialogue meetings, it can still convey the latest information of the province to the business community.