Director of Quang Ngai Department of Foreign Affairs Huynh Thi Phuong Hoa shared with TG&VN reporter about the province's investment attraction orientation in the future.

Director of Quang Ngai Department of Foreign Affairs Huynh Thi Phuong Hoa. (Photo: NVCC)

Can you share about the potential and strengths of Quang Ngai, especially in the areas the province is focusing on promoting investment ?

Quang Ngai is a province located in the heart of Central Vietnam, 120 km north of Da Nang city, 140 km south of Binh Dinh, strategically located in the key economic region of Central Vietnam, with an area of ​​over 5,135 km ² , a population of nearly 1.3 million people, with 11 districts, 01 city and 01 town.

The province has potential to develop industry, tourism, services, logistics and marine economic sectors.

In addition, Quang Ngai has a synchronous and smooth traffic infrastructure connection; there is National Highway 1A, National Highway 24A connecting with the Central Highlands provinces, Southern Laos, Myanmar and Northern Thailand; Da Nang - Quang Ngai expressway.

Quang Ngai City Center is 30 km from Chu Lai International Airport - expected to become an international cargo transit airport by 2025 with a capacity of 5 million tons of cargo/year.

The province has Dung Quat deep-water seaport that can receive ships up to 200,000 tons, which is an important gateway for domestic and international import and export of goods.

In parallel, Quang Ngai has Dung Quat Economic Zone (EZ) in the key economic region of the Central region with a total planned area of ​​45,332 hectares. This is a comprehensive EZ with multi-sector and multi-field development focusing on developing heavy industrial complexes, large-scale projects... associated with the exploitation and development of Dung Quat deep-water seaport.

Dung Quat Economic Zone is also one of the group of 5 coastal economic zones that the Government prioritizes for infrastructure investment and has the highest incentive policies in Vietnam and is also the most successful economic zone model in the country today.

In addition, in Dung Quat Economic Zone there are other industrial parks such as VSIP Industrial Park - Service - Urban Area, Dung Quat Industrial Urban Area, Saigon - Dung Quat Industrial Park, Tinh Phong Industrial Park.

In particular, VSIP Industrial Park - Service - Urban Area is the 5th project of VSIP Group in Vietnam and is the most modern and exemplary industrial park of the Group, operating for the past 10 years with a total area of ​​915 hectares, the industrial park occupancy rate is 70%.

At VSIP Industrial Park, Quang Ngai attracts investment projects from countries such as Belgium, UK, Korea, Japan, Hong Kong (China), Malaysia. Typical projects include: Bekaert Vietnam (Belgium)'s braided steel fiber factory; Happy interior equipment factory (Singapore); Gesin Vietnam's (Korea) mattress manufacturing and processing factory project; Hoya Lens Vietnam Company's (Japan) eyeglass lens manufacturing project...

Currently, VSIP Quang Ngai has been granted the Investment Policy Decision for VSIP II Industrial Park in Quang Ngai.

In addition, Quang Ngai has many large, fertile lands spread across the province with more than 300,000 hectares of agricultural land. In addition, the large fishing grounds of over 11,000 ^km2 and the 130km long coastline with abundant seafood output, annual output of more than 200,000 tons are also potential for investors to invest in the field of seafood and food processing.

Regarding tourism, Quang Ngai is blessed by nature with many beautiful and poetic beaches and the pearl island of Ly Son. Combined with the diversity and wonderful interweaving of terrain and tropical monsoon climate, Quang Ngai has a very rich ecosystem and many famous landscapes, historical and cultural relics, geological heritages, and famous festivals.

In recent times, what solutions has Quang Ngai had to attract investment, madam?

Quang Ngai consistently implements the motto: Enterprises, investors, and people are the objects of service of state administrative agencies. The success of enterprises is the success of the province, the benefits of enterprises are the benefits of the province, and the potential of the province is the opportunity for investors.

In order to attract resources for investment and development, Quang Ngai has implemented many solutions to strongly improve the business investment environment.

Firstly , promote and improve the effectiveness of planning work, constantly improve technical infrastructure and services to serve projects; especially focus on investing in transport infrastructure, electricity, water supply and drainage and environmental treatment to develop industry quickly but sustainably.

Second, properly and fully implement the Central Government's investment incentive policies for investors implementing projects in the province. Pay attention to training high-quality local human resources to meet the labor recruitment needs of investors.

Third, regularly review and evaluate the suitability of incentive policies to promptly propose and recommend amendments and supplements to ensure they are consistent with the actual situation to support investors; promote investment attraction. Innovate and improve the effectiveness of investment promotion and attract large investment projects with spillover effects; enhance transparency, support businesses and foreign investors in accessing information; proactively support investors in removing difficulties and obstacles.

Fourth, regularly review, supplement and complete the list of priority projects calling for investment, ensuring compliance with the planning, conditions and development orientation of the province. Improve the land management capacity of local authorities to limit obstacles in the process of organizing compensation and site clearance.

Fifth, continue to promote administrative reform, create the most favorable investment and business environment for investors. Strengthen on-site investment promotion; always accompany and support investors from the stage of researching investment opportunities to the stage of implementing and putting the project into operation... Consider investment support as a leading preferential policy, an effective form of investment promotion in the current period (on-site investment promotion).

Sixth, attach investment attraction to the assessment of the capacity and implementation capability of the Investor to avoid the situation where the project is licensed but cannot be implemented or intentionally delays the implementation of the project. Resolutely handle projects with slow investment implementation to find new investors with capacity and investment experience.

A corner of Dung Quat Economic Zone, Quang Ngai Province. (Source: Investment Newspaper)

What are the bright spots in Quang Ngai's investment attraction picture? What is the province's orientation for attracting investment in the future, Madam?

Dung Quat Economic Zone has made remarkable progress and is considered one of the pioneering and successful Economic Zones in the country; is the center of industrial production and the driving force for socio-economic development of Quang Ngai and the Central Key Economic Zone.

Up to now, in Dung Quat Economic Zone and Quang Ngai Industrial Parks, there are 344 valid projects, with a total registered investment capital of VND 385,226 billion (equivalent to USD 17.887 billion); including 67 foreign investment projects, with a registered investment capital of about more than USD 2 billion and 283 domestic investment projects, with a registered capital of VND 339,839 billion (equivalent to USD 15.884 billion) and creating jobs for 66,670 workers, contributing to the budget through annual taxes of about USD 1 billion. Major projects in operation: BSR Oil Refinery, Hoa Phat Iron and Steel Complex, Sabeco, Doosan Vina, GE, Messer, VSIP; EVN Gas Power Plant, Sembcorp, etc. are under construction.

Currently, the orientation in the province's investment promotion work is to prioritize screening and improving the quality of enterprises investing in the province; focusing on attracting projects that the province needs, projects with special quality attracting fundamental and advantageous industries (oil refining, energy, steel rolling, mechanics, shipbuilding, etc.).

In addition, the province prioritizes attracting high-tech industries, clean industries; supporting industries; processing, manufacturing; wastewater and waste treatment; renewable energy; attracting the development of industrial - urban - service park models, supporting industrial parks, specialized industrial parks, ecological industrial parks; diverse, modern and sustainable service industries; turning Dung Quat Economic Zone into a gateway, a transit center for goods, transportation, warehousing, logistics, and trade in the region; forming and developing modern, world-class resorts, ecological tourism, and entertainment areas.

In addition to promoting domestic investment, connecting and attracting investment from foreign enterprises also plays an important role, especially attracting traditional markets such as Korea, Japan and Nordic countries, America... with advanced technology.

What are your expectations for the 21st Foreign Affairs Conference and what suggestions do you have for Ambassadors and Heads of Vietnamese representative agencies abroad in supporting localities in promoting trade and international integration?

I hope that the 21st Foreign Affairs Conference will be an opportunity to review and evaluate the results of a year of efforts, overcoming difficulties and rising up of the entire Vietnamese diplomatic sector, and to properly evaluate the great achievements of the Vietnamese diplomatic sector that have contributed to the socio-economic development of the country, and actively contributed to the stability and common prosperity of the world.

This is also an opportunity to frankly acknowledge the limitations of the entire sector, assess the cooperative relationship between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and localities; and assess the general performance of local foreign affairs agencies. Some difficulties need to be thoroughly resolved so that local foreign affairs can contribute more and more effectively to the development of provinces and cities, truly be a special "extension" of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, contributing to the increasingly high role and position of Vietnam's foreign affairs sector.

We hope that Ambassadors, Vietnamese representative agencies abroad and units under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will further strengthen and be more effective in coordinating with local foreign affairs agencies to promote activities introducing and promoting localities, including Quang Ngai, to friends around the world.

From there, bring international investors and businesses closer to localities to achieve the highest goal of implementing foreign affairs and international integration in a truly deep, rich and effective manner.

Thank you!