In recent years, Ben Tre has made many efforts in creating a friendly investment environment, inviting qualified investors to get involved in the fields of provincial strength as well as eligible projects in need of investment. Especially, its provincial competitiveness index has improved significantly over the years and always been in the top group of the country. This improved investment environment has helped the province achieve positive results in attracting investment, both domestic and foreign. “In attracting investment, the decisive factor of Ben Tre is not preferences but efforts in administrative reform, in completing infrastructure and in training and providing human resources to investors,” said Mr Nguyen Truc Son, Director of Planning and Investment Department. Kim Bang - Minh Tuan report.
Can you tell us about the successes of Ben Tre in attracting investment, especially FDI? To encourage investment, the province has issued open and transparent policies and mechanism and managed to complete infrastructure. Could you elaborate on it?
So far, we have attracted 47 FDI projects with total registered capital of nearly US$400 million; and about 95 domestic investment projects with a total capital of nearly VND9,100 billion. Currently the province has 2,520 registered enterprises and about 250 newly registered businesses each year, contributing to the development and growth of the provincial economy.
In attracting investment, the main factor of Ben Tre is not preferences. The province does not issue any incentives different to the central regulations. However, we have paid special attention to the reform of administrative procedures regarding investment by assigning some agencies to receive and conduct procedures of investment and business; shortening the process of registration and licensing. Especially, the provincial leaders have always joined hands to promptly remove difficulties and obstacles for businesses. We have also focused on upgrading and completing infrastructure serving investment such as infrastructure of industrial zones; road traffic system leading to industrial zones and central districts. Besides, the provinces has paid attention to improving power and water supply to ensure businesses’ demands are met; focusing on training, providing human resources, especially common human resources for investors.
Ben Tre is now attracting attention of Japanese investors, particularly those operating in Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai and Binh Duong. So far in efforts to attract Japanese investors, what achievements has Ben Tre obtained?
Ben Tre has attracted 5 projects invested by Japan in the fields of automotive support industry, activated carbon and apparel. In terms of capital, Japan is the country with the largest capital investment in Ben Tre, followed by Thailand and South Korea. Most Japanese investors in Ben Tre have factories in Ho Chi Minh City or Binh Duong; however, to attract Japanese projects is not simple. We have to prove to be capable in terms of land; infrastructure; workforce. Policies of the local government must be transparent and clear; information about local policies and commitments must be accurate.
Our first project with the Japanese took nearly one year and a half; the second one was shortened to approximately one year; this proves the caution of Japanese investors. We cannot promise things we aren’t able to do; they plan carefully and take a long time for the first phase of the project but carry out projects fast once licensed. Ben Tre doesn’t have industrial zones specifically designed for Japanese investors but we welcome Japanese investors to make investment in both industrial zones infrastructure and in secondary projects in industrial zones and complexes. Regarding existing land in industrial zones, we encourage and welcome projects of supporting industries, high technology and capital intensive; and Japan is one of the investors that we are targeting.
How much attention have you paid to the improving of investment climate, administrative reform, thereby creating a favourable investment climate?
Among the directions of socio – economic development 2014 of Ben Tre, the number one is to raise the quality of administrative reform, especially administrative procedures regarding investment and business, as well as quality and responsibility of public service staff. The investment climate in the eyes of investors and businesses often focus on quality of local public service, investment procedures and responsibilities of local agencies toward their investment projects, quick and responsible reaction of local authorities. Ben Tre has developed and applied the “one-stop shop” mechanism in receiving and conducting administrative procedures of investment and business to enterprises. For private investment, investors only need to visit the Investment Promotion Agency (IPA) for their investment requirements to be met; or go to management boards of industrial zones where they intend to make investment. On promotion, we have proactively approached investors specifically for each project instead of promoting through generic conferences and seminars; it’s important to keep in touch with investors and provide them up-to-date information for reference. Another experience is only doing promotion for projects which are really ready for investment, so that it could be implemented immediately once selected.
Ben Tre used to set itself apart by offering cheap materials and human resources, but these methods do not seem to work well now. How has the province dealt with this difficulty?
Ben Tre attracts only projects of our advantages such as agro-processing (coconut, fisheries), suitable supporting industries. With 47 attracted FDI projects, we have created 21,000 jobs for direct workers and thousands for indirect workers in the province. The advantage of Ben Tre’s material lies not in cheap price but in the quality (coconut), the availability of materials and especially human resources able to meet requirements of investors.
Currently, the province is focusing on training high-quality human resources to provide for technology-intensive projects of investors, considering high-quality human resources and investor-friendly environment are key factors in investment attracting strategy of the province.
What is the provincial direction for attracting investment in the near future?
For now and the near future, the province will give priority for investments in infrastructure of industrial zones and complexes in order to create land funds for secondary investors; encouraging projects of capital and technology intensive in the support industries of agriculture and industry. Besides, tourism investment will also be our focus in the coming period.
Thu Hoa
Vietnamese
