Building Mong Cai City into a Grade Two City by 2020

From a border, agricultural district where agriculture accounted for 90 percent of the economy, with poor infrastructure and underdeveloped economy largely dependent on subsidies from the central budget, with its people living difficult lives, Mong Cai City has developed strongly and the pace of urbanization has become quick thanks to the Government and Quang Ninh province deciding to establish Mong Cai border gate economic zone and creating favourable conditions and policies. Two years later, Mong Cai became a grade 4 urban area; 10 years later the city became a grade 3 urban, and it is now gradually becoming a modern border gate city, aiming to be a grade 2 urban before 2020.

Mong Cai, located in the northeast of the province of Quang Ninh, is endorsed with road and marine geographic transportation location which plays an important strategic role in the politics, economy, security, defense and foreign affairs of Quang Ninh province and Northeast of Vietnam. In recent years, with the support and investment of the state, the city has always considered border economic development the key to the socio-economic development of the locality.

 

Therefore, in the past two years, the GDP growth rate has reached over 10 percent a year; economic structure went in the right direction. In 2013, trade and services reached 75.8 percent, industry and construction 12.8 percent, agriculture 11.4 percent. The total number of tourists crossing the border reached over 470,000 visitors a year, an average increase of 17.6 percent a year; total revenue reached VND3,084.5. GDP per capita reached US$2,212 a person a year.

 

After the investment promotion conference of Quang Ninh with the theme "Quang Ninh: Convergence and pervasion," in 2012, Mong Cai City attracted one foreign investment project (a project manufacturing cotton yarn of Texhong Ngan Long Group with a registered capital of US$300 million), bringing the total number of foreign investment projects in the area 20 (with a total registered capital of US$591,3 million). There are 9 projects investing in industry sector, 11 projects in travel, hotel and services sector. Currently the city has about 586 enterprises operating in various fields and industries.

 

With the characteristics of a commercial border city, besides favourable opportunities, in recent years, economic instability has hit the area with many difficulties. Being aware of that, party, committees and authorities of all level also facilitate and support enterprises and businesses, promoting administrative reform in the direction of simplification and transparency. The training and improving capacity of management and behaviour of staff at all levels from the city to the central in receiving and resolving administrative procedures related to various fields, especially procedures directly related to the work of the land and building license, is paid due attention. In July 013, the city opened and put into operation the public administrative centre in the direction of modern one-stop shop which is attached to the construction of e-government in order to create the most favourable conditions for businesses and people when carrying out procedures.

 

The city also organizes regular conferences to contact, listen, capture thoughts and aspirations of enterprise; facilitates investors to interact and seek investment opportunities; timely removes difficulties and obstacles and proposes recommendations to the province.

 

Along with preferential mechanisms and incentives for bordergate economic zones under Decision 19/2012/QD-TTG of the Prime Minister, the city is currently focusing on promoting the establishment of two strategic plans for Mong Cai bordergate economic zone (the overall plan of socio-economic development and overall planning on the construction of Mong Cai bordergate economic zone) towards 2020 with the vision to 2030 as planned. On that basis, the city continues to implement the planning of important functional areas such as trade, services, ports, bilateral economic zone, etc. to exploit the potential and important advantages of the city.

 

In addition, the city also advocates the mobilization of domestic and foreign resources to focus on the investment in developing modernized infrastructure system, with priority given to projects with strategic significance such as Noi Bai - Ha Long and Ha Long – Mong Cai road transport route, Ha Long connecting road with Ha Noi - Hai Phong and Hai Ha – Mong Cai highway.

 

With the goal of making Mong Cai City reach grade 2 criteria before 2020, and by 2020 become a modern, green, environmentally friendly international border city as well as the nuclear of the open economic zone connecting provinces in the Red River Delta with Guangxi province (China). While Quang Ninh province has been identified as the driving force area in the economic development strategy of "two corridors - one belt" between Vietnam and China, Mong Cai bordergate economic zone is considered the core area. The investment in Mong Cai is aimed at boosting the development of economic sectors and localities on this economic corridor.