In 2010, An Giang province recorded impressive achievements: increasing GDP by 10.12 percent, export value by 24 percent, retail sales and services by 18.6 percent, border trade by 51 percent. The success is partly due to the contribution of the Trade and Investment Promotion Centre which helped expand markets and attract investments. Vietnam Business Forum discussed this success with Mr Nguyen Ngoc Em, Director of the Centre. Thanh Luan reports.
Could you give a brief introduction on the investment promotion of the province in 2010?
In 2010, the Centre and An Giang People’s Committee received hundreds of local and foreign companies seeking business and investment opportunities in the province. In addition, the Centre in conjunction with related authorities has organized several meetings between An Giang People’s Committee and delegations of international financial institutions, consulting missions, Ambassadors and Consulates General such as: ADB, Ambassadors of Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, France, etc. Those meetings focused on economic cooperation, trade and investment and also resulted in financial support for education, health, environment and social welfare.
The Centre has published thousands of documents and CDs in foreign languages introducing local comparative advantages, distributing them at seminars, exhibitions and trade fairs at home and abroad, especially at the Mekong Delta Investment and Development Conference. As a result, more and more investors have come to An Giang. The Centre also promoted regional and international cooperation, focusing on Ho Chi Minh City, East and West Southern Vietnam, neighbouring countries in the Mekong sub-region, and countries in North Asia and EU.
How do you help businesses access loans and promote exports?
As most businesses with assistance from concerned authorities have handled loan access very well, the Centre does not focus on it. The main role of the Centre is to find potential investors for key projects, and those relate to the whole region. At the same time, the Centre expands markets by sponsoring or co-sponsoring events, assisting businesses to participate in local and foreign trade fairs, promoting investments, and expanding distribution networks.
To increase assistance to businesses and investors, the Centre will apply more scientific administrative reform, upgrading staff members’ management skill and expertise in trade and markets, to improve their assistance to investors and ensure good projects. The Centre will also increase assistance to businesses to participate in trade fairs at home and abroad and seek partnersfor the province’s socio-economic development.
How will you improve the image of An Giang among investors?
In 2010, An Giang ranked 14th in the Provincial Competition Indexes, 6 rungs higher than 2009 and in the Good category. To improve the investment environment, I thinkthe province should improve the legal framework assisting businesses to save time and money. As for the Centre, we will continue to promote investments, upgrade local and border trade fairs to attract investors, and advise An Giang People’s Committee to coordinate with Ho Chi Minh City to organize the Mekong Sub-region Trade and Investment Fair to promote Vietnamese exports and intra-regional cooperation. The Centre will also help the province in organizing business delegations visiting Japan, South Korea, and Australia to attract cooperation in bio-technology, food processing, transport and communication.
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