Dai An Industrial Park in Hai Duong province was set up on March 24, 2003. It is located in an important section of the northern key economic zone. Taking advantage of its favourable geographical position (along National Road 5 midway between Hanoi and Hai Phong port, the largest port in northern Vietnam) and appropriate infrastructure development and investment attraction policies, Dai An Industrial Park has made impressive strides in recent years. Towards the 20th founding anniversary of Vietnam Industrial Parks, reporter San Tung interviewed Ms Truong Tu Phuong, President and General Director of Dai An Industrial Park Joint Stock Company about the success of Dai An Industrial Park.
Could you talk about Dai An Industrial Park’s achievements in investment attraction over the years?
Before 2008, Dai An Industrial Park had attracted 12 projects with a combined investment capital of US$176 million. In 2008, although Vietnam was hard hit by the global economic recession, the industrial zone still housed eight fresh investment projects worth US$154 million. In 2009, the world economy started reviving but difficulties remained, and the park licensed four new projects with total registered investment capital of US$108.3 million. By that time, investors in Dai An Industrial Park disbursed US$410 million out of US$684 million of registered capital, or 60 percent of the total. Projects in the IP averaged investment capital of US$15.25 million, with investment capital per hectare of land at US$5.2 million. To date, Dai An Industrial Park houses 36 projects with total registered investment capital of US$684 million. Project investors are from 10 countries and territories, namely the United States, Japan, France, Germany, South Korea, China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Singapore.
It is widely known that, apart from attracting as much FDI capital as possible, Dai An Industrial Park also looks to balance investment attraction and environment protection. How is this strategy represented in the park’s infrastructural architecture?
Dai An Industrial Park is surrounded by residential areas. Thus, since the park opened to investors, the Board of Directors of the Company allowed only investors with business lines fitting the conditions and position of the industrial park. Chosen projects are proven to be free of water and gas contamination, and noise-free.
Technical infrastructure in the industrial park is modern and synchronously built, particularly power supply, water supply, drainage, traffic, communications, lighting, logistics and security systems, surroundings and 110KVA power transformers. At present, the IP is running a wastewater treatment plant with a daily capacity of 2,000 cubic metres and strictly applying environmental compliance regulations. Green areas and the wastewater treatment facility were built with advanced technology, using micro-organisms. Every quarter, the environmental management board of the company coordinated with the Hai Duong Department of Natural Resources and Environment and the Hai Duong Industrial Zones Authority inspect environmental compliance at companies operating in the park. The environmental protection practices at the park are highly appreciated by the department and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
Workforce is always a decisive element in the success of any company. How has Dai An Industrial Park Joint Stock Company supported workers of enterprises in the park?
To help specialists and labourers working for companies in the park to settle down and work better, in 2004, Dai An Industrial Park Joint Stock Company carried out an accommodation project for workers. This project meets human resource development demands of companies in Dai An and surrounding industrial parks.
The company’s current success is largely decided by the employees, with 95 percent being local residents. The company has also helped people who gave up their land for the industrial park to find formal employment. The company also has a collective kitchen for its employees, provides regular medical check-ups, and delivers all benefits to workers as stipulated by the Labour Code.
As a top-notch expert in industrial park infrastructure development, do you have any proposals for better industrial park planning and development in Vietnam?
To build and develop industrial zones sustainably, in my opinion, the State should have long-term planning strategies and policies to make foreign investors feel secure when they do business in Vietnam. Builders of worker housing and IP supporting facilities should be allowed to borrow soft loans. Some of the tax collected from foreign investors should be spent on improving living conditions of people who gave up land for industrial facilities and on consolidating infrastructure items outside industrial parks.
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