Vinh Chau Town - Young Potential and Prospective City

Vinh Chau Town was established under the Prime Minister’s Resolution 90/NQ-CP dated August 25, 2011. For more than 10 years, the town has experienced robust and promising progress with a spacious and modern urban appearance. This is the driving force for it to make more breakthroughs in the coming time.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Liem, Chairman of the Vinh Chau People's Committee

Strong transformation

Vinh Chau is a coastal town of Soc Trang province, nearly 40 km from the provincial capital of Soc Trang City, about 20 km from Tran De Seaport (fishing port and Tran De - Con Dao high-speed wharf), more than 100 km from Can Tho International Airport, 280 km from Ho Chi Minh City and adjacent to the gateway of Bac Lieu province along Nam Song Hau route.

Vinh Chau has favorable conditions for economic development such as agriculture - fishery (aquaculture, salt production, vegetable cultivation and fruit tree); industrial manufacturing and processing and renewable energy (wind power); and ecotourism development. In recent years, the town has experienced rapid and stable development, positive economic restructuring, and increased share of industry and services. In the 2011 - 2020 period, the average economic growth rate was 6.8%.

In agriculture, Vinh Chau has gradually established specialized vegetable growing areas and high-tech aquaculture areas. The average agricultural production value reached VND253 million per hectare in 2021 (an increase of VND103 million over 2015 and VND167.3 million over 2010). 

In particular, Vinh Chau purple onion and Vinh Chau artemia were certified registered geographical indication and 3-star and 4-star OCOP standards. The locality also has other famous agricultural products of high economic value such as white radish, yellow longan, garlic and custard apple.

The town’s industrial and handicraft production has been bolstered. Manufacturing and consumption have been increasingly developed towards industrialization and urbanization. Investment promotion and attraction have been fostered.

Wind farms, Ho Be cultural and religious area and high-quality shrimp seed farms, which have been invested in recent years, have great significance for socioeconomic development of both the town and Soc Trang province. Vinh Chau has huge potential for wind power development and 18 wind power projects have been invested in the town, making it the largest renewable energy center in the province.

Besides, tourism, cultural and social aspects have made positive progress; effectively carried out economic development cooperation policies aligned with addressing social issues. People's living standards have been significantly improved. The poverty ratio fell 4.11% annually, with poor Khmer households declining 4.80%.

Up to now, all six communes of Vinh Chau Town have completed new rural development criteria. Soc Trang province also agreed to ask the central government to recognize Vinh Chau for completing this task, expected to be announced in April 2022 - a significant event of the Party Committee, the government and the people of Vinh Chau on the 30th founding anniversary of Soc Trang province. This is also an important foundation for Vinh Chau to complete its goal of becoming a third-grade city by 2025.

Attractive investment destination

Promoting its potential and strengths, Vinh Chau Town has effectively carried out investment attraction mechanisms and policies in the past time. The locality has completed infrastructure investment procedures for My Thanh Industrial Park and revised and supplemented the investment planning for infrastructure construction of Vinh Chau Industrial Complex to meet the demand for relocating industrial and handicraft production facilities into industrial zones and inspire investors to develop agricultural and seafood processing for export.

In the coming time, Vinh Chau will further attract investment flows, develop downtown trade according to the Vinh Chau Urban Construction Planning to 2030 and expand the rural market system linked to the new rural development program; form marketing locations for agricultural and aquatic trading in My Thanh estuary area, Nam Song Hau National Highway and Provincial Road 940; and facilitate the development of supermarkets and convenience stores.

Besides, to tap local potential strengths of renewable energy, Vinh Chau continues to enhance the efficiency of wind farm projects. Currently, the town has nine wind plants being invested (No. 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 18, 19 and 20). Among them, three have been installed with wind turbines and fed into the national grid (Nos. 5, 6 and 7). Especially, Wind Plant No. 7 was officially inaugurated in mid-February 2022.

Together with infrastructure investment for industrial, trade and service facilities, tourism projects are also being encouraged by the town which is inviting local and external investors into tourism. The notable project is Ho Be ecotourism area located on 307.8 ha in Huynh Ky hamlet, Vinh Hai commune. This place is accessible to traffic routes, very suitable for marine tourism development combined with high-tech agriculture.
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Liem, Chairman of the Vinh Chau People's Committee, said, to tap the full potential and advantages to turn Vinh Chau into one of dynamic coastal cities of Soc Trang province and the region, it is necessary to mobilize resources from many sides, especially from investors and business community. Therefore, in addition to well-prepared infrastructure, the town will continue to accelerate administrative procedure reform to reduce the time needed for completion, streamline steps and work needed to be done, and make publicity and transparency of procedures and processes. Indeed, the town always creates the best conditions for investors to carry out their projects.

On the other hand, the town government will promptly remove difficulties and obstacles for businesses and investors like assisting them in surveying investment information, carrying out project investment procedures, developing and implement investment cooperation policies and regulations for projects inside and outside industrial zones. Particularly, the town will facilitate site clearance for investors and provide them with best conditions to launch their projects.

“With consistently enacted solutions, Vinh Chau Town is expected to make significant progress, positively impact socioeconomic development, and create a new vitality for investment attraction. Completed and operational projects will create jobs for local workers, increase budget revenue, foster economic restructuring and generate a driving force for sustainable growth. These are also crosscutting goals of local government," he added.

By Vietnam Business Forum