Currently, the COVID-19 epidemic is still developing rapidly around the world and causing severe consequences. Thoroughly grasping directions of the Central Party, the Central Government, the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee to achieve the dual goal of “Effectively combating the epidemic and boosting socioeconomic development", the Ha Nam Industrial Zones Authority has actively carried out focused solutions to attract potential investors with modern technologies and environment-friendly products.
Applying consistent, focused solutions
Director Tran Van Kien said the Ha Nam Industrial Zones Authority has issued many documents to guide the enforcement of Directive 16/CT-TTg and Directive 19/CT-TTg of the Prime Minister on urgent measures to prevent and control COVID-19 for tenants in industrial zones. The agency has also worked with the Department of Health to instruct them to apply concentrated health quarantine and entry of foreign experts, managers and technicians as per Document 1428/UBND-GTVX dated May 25, 2020, of the Ha Nam Provincial People’s Committee on entry management and support of foreign experts working in the province. Up to now, the authority has supported and guided more than 20 enterprises to solve difficulties in entry of foreign experts.
In addition, knowing risks and effects caused by the COVID-19 epidemic, right after the Lunar New Year 2020, the Ha Nam Industrial Zones Authority discussed and agreed on immediate action plans to ensure production and business activities of businesses and implement objectives and plans set out right from the beginning of the year. The authority urged infrastructure investors to ensure site clearance and infrastructure construction to have available land for secondary investors. It regularly pressed and requested industrial park infrastructure operators and service providers to improve infrastructure quality and services for tenants in industrial zones. At the same time, it advised and supported companies seeking to invest in the province via email or phone call, instructing them to perform administrative procedures through the provincial online public service portal and the national public service portal.
The authority proactively surveyed tenants’ business performances during the COVID-19 epidemic and reported their problems to the provincial government for solutions to remove their hardships and boost their business performances. It actively coordinated with the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, the Vietnam Social Security (VSS), the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) - Ha Nam Branch and the Tax Department to inform and instruct the deployment of support packages for people and enterprises affected by COVID-19 epidemic under the Prime Minister’s Resolution 42/NQ-TTg dated April 9, 2020. It instructed tenants to strictly comply with regulations on workers affected by COVID-19 epidemic such as layoffs, unpaid leave and employment contract termination.
The authority coordinated with the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs to learn about tenants’ difficulties due to lack of foreign experts and managers to make a list on priority immigration amid the COVID-19 epidemic, submit the list to the Employment Department under the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs to consider entry for work into Vietnam. It regularly worked with power suppliers and requested service providers to improve service quality, such as electricity and water, to meet investors’ requirements. It also ensured security and order for them.
With close and drastic directions and actions, in the first six months of 2020, the Ha Nam Industrial Zones Authority achieved remarkable results in its key tasks. The synchronous infrastructure system in local industrial zones is ready to meet all demands of investors. New industrial zones are speeding up the progress of land clearance and infrastructure construction to provide available land for tenants in the third quarter of 2020.
Especially, in the first six months of 2020, local industrial zones attracted 26 fresh projects, including 20 foreign projects and six domestic projects, and allowed 74 existing projects to adjust their investment (with 12 increasing their investment value). The total investment value, both fresh and added, reached US$536.6 million and VND784.66 billion (US$34 million), fulfilling 117.86% of the full-year plan and equaling 311.6% of the value achieved in the same period of 2019.
Disbursed investment value was estimated at US$219 million and VND345.8 billion (US$15 million), reaching 50.6% of the yearly plan. Industrial production value was projected at VND44,478 billion (US$1.9 billion), up 10.7% year on year, equal to 42% of the yearly plan. State budget revenue was forecast at VND1,758 billion, or 47% of the full-year plan.
Positive results in the first production months of 2020 motivated the Ha Nam Industrial Zones Authority to fulfill all objectives and plans set for 2020.
Selecting sustainable projects
To quickly grasp upcoming FDI flows, the Ha Nam Industrial Zones Authority cooperated with the Department of Construction and other related agencies to conduct research and launch industrial zone development projects in 2020-2025, advised the Provincial People’s Committee to ask the Prime Minister for approval to scale up the industrial land fund from 2,534 ha to 6,014 ha to provide available land for investors, said Director Tran Van Kien.
The opportunity for FDI attraction in Ha Nam province is huge, but the challenge is substantial as well because, without proper care, Ha Nam may attract projects using outdated environment-polluting technology, or committing trade fraudulence or origin faking. Therefore, selective attraction of FDI projects has been considered by the Board as the most important element of its tasks:
First, strictly carrying out the Politburo's Resolution 50-NQ/TW dated August 20, 2019, and the Government's Resolution 58/NQ-CP dated April 27, 2020 on directions for institutional and policy improvement, quality and effectiveness improvement of foreign investment cooperation to 2030, the Ha Nam Industrial Zones Authority coordinated with the Department of Planning and Investment to advise the Provincial People's Committee to issue decisions on investment project selection criteria and the project priority list in 2020-2025 and to 2030 as well as action plans to implement the Government's Resolution 58/NQ-CP.
Second, closely following the Resolution 04-NQ/TU of the Provincial Party Committee on accelerated development of supporting, processing and manufacturing industries and creating a foundation for rapid and sustainable industrial development in 2016 - 2025, the Ha Nam Industrial Zones Authority advised the Provincial People's Committee to build and launch the “Investment attraction in industrial zones in 2016-2020” project in which industrial zones will be modernized to ensure long-term sustainable development. The share of green high-tech industries, supporting, processing and manufacturing industries and energy-saving industries will be increased. Instead of racing for FDI at all costs and lowering FDI attraction standards, Ha Nam will raise standards to draw high-quality FDI funds.
Third, promoting and attracting investors in traditional markets like Japan and South Korea; seeking investors in European and American markets, with a focus placed on large investment projects using environment-friendly advanced technologies, encouraging businesses to invest in making products for global supply chains.
Fourth, encouraging existing investors in local industrial zones to recommend the province to new investors, because this is the most practical and effective advertising channel for the investment environment in Ha Nam province.
Fifth, further improving the business environment, enhancing competitiveness, accelerating infrastructure construction, especially roads and social infrastructure. The Ha Nam Industrial Zones Authority will strengthen coordination and cooperation between tenants in industrial zones with vocational training schools to raise the quality of human resources, especially skilled and high-quality human resources, to meet growing needs of local enterprises.
Sixth, regularly checking and capturing construction investment and business operations of tenants in industrial zones, ensuring that they fully comply with the law; timely grasping their difficulties and obstacles to have workable solutions.
Source: Vietnam Business Forum
Vietnamese
October 2024
Hanoi