To seize opportunities and unlock development resources after Thua Thien Hue Provincial Planning for the 2021 - 2030 period, with a vision to 2050, is approved, the entire political system of the province will strongly join, firmly act and effectively carry out proposed tasks and solutions. In particular, special attention is paid to solutions to improve the investment and business environment and make breakthrough development for Thua Thien Hue. Mr. Nguyen Van Phuong, Chairman of Thua Thien Hue Provincial People's Committee, gives an interview to Vietnam Business Forum on this content.
Mr. Nguyen Van Phuong, Chairman of Thua Thien Hue Provincial People’s Committee, and the working group conduct an inspection of project implementation
Could you introduce Thua Thien Hue's economic development and investment achievements in 2023 and key tasks in 2024?
In 2023, with the drastic and flexible administration of the Provincial People's Committee, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, and the effort of the entire political system, the business community and people of all walks of life, Thua Thien Hue obtained remarkably optimistic achievements, with 13/14 key targets achieved and exceeded their given plans. Specifically, the GRDP growth was estimated at 7.03%, ranked No. 28 out of 63 provinces and cities nationwide and No. 9 out of 14 Northern Central and Central Coast provinces and cities, to VND73,230 billion. The GRDP per capita was estimated at VND62.6 million (US$2,665 USD), up 9.5% from a year earlier. The economic structure was shifted in the right direction. Budget revenue was forecast at VND11,000 billion. The export value was US$1.2 billion, up 6.85% year on year. Total social investment capital was VND31,000 billion, up 12%. Public investment capital disbursement reached 92.3% of the plan, ranking among the highest in the country.
As of December 2023, the province granted 25 new projects with a total registered investment capital of VND9,374 billion (US$400 million), including eight FDI projects with US$134.8 million. Specifically, economic zones and industrial zones attracted 11 new investment projects with VND4,084 billion while 14 projects with US$5,289 billion registered outside economic zones and industrial zones. In addition, Thua Thien Hue issued investment decisions to 13 projects and considered selecting investors with nearly VND6,246 billion of investment capital. Notable projects included Hue International Hospital in Area E - An Van Duong New Urban Area and an ecological urban area in Thuy Thanh commune, Huong Thuy town.
Entering 2024, Thua Thien Hue will continue to carry out its tasks and solutions consistently and drastically. Accordingly, the province will effectively implement Resolution 54-NQ/TW of the Politburo, Resolution 38/2021/QH15 of the National Assembly, Resolution 83/NQ-CP of the Government and Concluding Notices of the Chairman of the National Assembly and the Prime Minister at their working sessions with the province; accelerate the completion of important projects and plans, with a focus on the project on the formation of the centrally governed city of Thua Thien Hue and the project on arrangement and establishment of district and commune-level administrative units.
In addition, the province will speed up economic restructuring together with reforming growth models, improving productivity, quality, efficiency and competitiveness, and strengthening economic resilience; focus on implementing solutions to restore and develop tourism; develop modern, high value-added, environmentally friendly industries; support and the opening of container routes to Chan May Port. Thua Thien Hue will also mobilize investment resources for building synchronous socioeconomic infrastructure and urban development; implement specific solutions to address shortcomings and limitations, speed up site clearance and increase public investment capital disbursement from the beginning of 2024; improve the investment and business environment and competitiveness; strongly promote startups and innovations; and uphold the roles and responsibilities of all levels, sectors and localities in supporting and accompanying businesses.
With the highest determination and effort of the political system, the business community and local people, the province will successfully realize its goals in 2024 to create momentum for the entire period of breakthrough growth.
Thua Thien Hue is gradually emerging as an icon of administrative reform and local governance and management improvement, especially with the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) standing in the Top 10 in the last two years. So, how is the province maintaining and spreading this performance?
In recent years, Thua Thien Hue province has consistently adopted many solutions on administration, policy dialogue and policymaking. Notably, the province has focused and stepped up improving the PCI Index, vividly evidenced by two straight years standing in the Top 10 in the country. In 2022, its PCI Index ranked 6th out of 63 provinces and cities, with the Transparency ranked 2nd and Equal Competition Index, the Legal Institutions and Security and Order Index ranked 4th.
To spread the achieved results, the Provincial People's Committee issued Plan No. 232/KH-UBND dated June 19, 2023 on upgrading the PCI Index in 2023 and assigning specific tasks to each department and locality. The province also concentrated on building e-government with smart city development initiatives, aligned local management and administration with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, applied internal processes to resolve administrative procedures, operated the Intelligent Operation Center (IOC), and introduced policies to increase support for businesses and remove business barriers. The province also established four working groups led by the Chairperson and Vice Chairpersons of the Provincial People's Committee to direct, urge, inspect, supervise and handle obstacles to speed up the progress of privately invested projects as well as State-funded projects.
Determining that people are the center, the target of all actions, the province continued to have solutions to uphold the administrative mindset from administrative approach to service approach and regard companies as partners and customers. Business satisfaction truly becomes a standard measure for the service quality of public agencies and business-related tasks are assigned high priority. The province regularly carried out weekly dialogues and contacts with businesses in both face-to-face and virtual forms to promptly remove and resolve difficulties faced by them.
Phu Bai International Airport serves as a crucial transportation hub for Thua Thien Hue province, playing an important role in fostering socio-economic
growth and particularly bolstering the tourism sector
What new development opportunities are opened up by the Thua Thien Hue Provincial Planning for the 2021 - 2030 period, with a vision to 2050? What are the province's commitments to investment attraction and business development today?
The Thua Thien Hue Provincial Planning for the 2021 - 2030 period, with a vision to 2050, is of special importance. Once the planning is approved, the highest legal framework will be created to provide a solid corridor for rapid, comprehensive and sustainable development, a foundation for strategic planning to create new development spaces. It will gradually resolve the relationship between economic development and cultural development; between preserving traditions and promoting heritage values. This will help successful implementation of Resolution 54-NQ/TW of the Politburo and the 16th Resolution of the Provincial Party Committee in the 2020 - 2025 period and beyond.
The planning envisions: (i) By 2025, Thua Thien Hue will become a centrally run city on the foundation of preserving and promoting the values of the former capital's heritages and Hue cultural identity, with the characteristics culture, heritage, ecology, landscape, environmental friendliness and smartness; (ii) By 2030, Thua Thien Hue will be one of major and unique centers of Southeast Asia in terms of culture, tourism and specialized healthcare, one of the country's major centers for science and technology, high-quality education and training; (iii) Vision to 2050, Thua Thien Hue - a centrally governed city, with cultural identity, heritage, green, Hue identity, smartness, sea-looking, adaptive and sustainable characteristics, is a metropolitan city with a highly developed economy in the country.
Once approved, the Provincial People's Committee will focus on making specific action plans to realize planning goals and visions. The province will further improve the business investment environment and enhance its competitiveness and business development. Thua Thien Hue will construct and carry out zoning plans and detailed plans; implement the Provincial Planning to lay the groundwork for calling and attracting investors; speed up administrative procedure reform, especially in investment, land, construction fields; maintain and upgrade the rankings of PCI, PAPI, PAR and DTI indices; effectively apply investment incentive policies; adopt business support solutions to ease access to land, site clearance, credit, human resources development, innovation and branding.
Thank you very much!
By Ngo Khuyen, Vietnam Business Forum
Vietnamese
October 2024
Hanoi