Creating New Impetus in Attracting Investment

On October 28, 2019, the Prime Minister issued Decision 1486/QD-TTg approving the Master Plan for development of Thai Binh Economic Zone, in Thai Binh province, till 2040, with a vision towards 2050. The ratification of the plan of Thai Binh Economic Zone (EZ) creates a legal basis for implementing the next steps in the road map of constructing and promoting investment attraction for Thai Binh province and surrounding areas in the coming years.

Accordingly, Thai Binh EZ covers the area of 30,583 ha of 30 communes, one town in the districts of Thai Thuy, Tien Hai and the adjacent coastal area. Thai Binh EZ is designed to meet the socio-economic development goals of Thai Binh province and the northern coastal region; a maritime economic, multi-disciplinary and multi-field center of the northern coastal region and the whole country including maritime economy, industrial center, energy, trade-service, tourism, high-tech agriculture and fisheries industry; having modern and synchronous technical and social infrastructure associated with environmental protection, sustainable development and upholding national security and defense. Its population to 2025 will be 227,000, of which 94,000 will be living in urban areas with an urbanization rate of about 41%; by 2040, the population will be 300,000, of which 210,000 will be in urban areas with an urbanization rate of around 70%.

The EZ has many functional areas such as Thai Binh Power Center (including Thai Binh Thermal Power Center of 253 hectares and a wind power area of 600 hectares); industrial - urban - service areas, industrial parks and industrial clusters with a total area of 8,020 hectares; Thai Binh seaport area with 500 hectare wharves; concentrated tourist and service areas of 3,110 hectares.

The modern architectural and landscape design is based on natural and ecological structure, especially exploitation of river landscapes, estuarine areas and coastal strips; suitable with socio-cultural conditions; strengthening the system of public spaces, squares and natural landscape spaces including: Coastal landscape areas; landscape areas along the river routes: Opening the landscape to the rivers, creating roads along the river, strictly managing landscape architecture of the river frontage area; expanded Diem Dien town landscape area.

Regarding the orientation of the system of economic and social infrastructures designed for environmentally friendly industries, the EZ will focus on developing urban tourism products associated with events, festivals, cultural and historical tourism, sea-convalescing and marine eco-tourism; high-end entertainment and recreation tourism (golf, casino); combining with sightseeing tours of mangrove landscape and searching and exploring industrial and agricultural products and commodities; connecting the EZ tourism with the famous tourist itineraries in the region by waterway, sea and air (seaplane); forming modern, classy and ecological resorts in Con Den, Con Thu and Con Vanh areas; building, renovating and upgrading tourist infrastructure.

Thai Binh EZ is the 17th of its kind of the country, creating a driving force for economic development not only for Thai Binh province but also for other provinces and cities of the region. Speaking at the planning announcement ceremony, Mr. Nguyen Hong Dien, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Council of Thai Binh province emphasized that immediately after announcing the decision of the Prime Minister, the industries and the authorities in the province would have to focus on propagating widely and deeply about the position, role, importance of the EZ as well as the contents and orientations for development planning of Thai Binh EZ.

Meanwhile, Mr. Dang Trong Thang, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Thai Binh province, also emphasized in the meeting with the authorities of Hai Phong city - the neighboring area with a close relationship with Thai Binh EZ - that: the attraction of the Thai Binh EZ was important in part due to the advantages of trade, convenience in transporting, importing and exporting goods through the system of Hai Phong seaports. Besides, Thai Binh focuses on creating favorable conditions for investors to build and develop industrial parks adjacent to Hai Phong, such as the 212-ha Cau Nghin (Nghin Bridge) - an industrial park specializing in agriculture developed by Truong Hai Group. Thai Binh province has agreed on the policy and assigned related units to formulate an investment project to build a 23-km road from Thai Binh city to Nghin bridge in the form of BOT, running parallel to National Highway 10, in order to reduce the traffic density for National Highway 10 and form a North-South economic development axis of Thai Binh, connecting with the center of Hai Phong city. In particular, a new Nghin bridge will be built about 1.2 km east of the old bridge, to connect with National Highway 10, the section running through Hai Phong city, with a total project of around VND1,500 billion.

Thai Binh EZ has an advantageous location on a coastal road, which connects Quang Ninh with Thanh Hoa; about 30 km from Cat Bi International Airport and Dinh Vu seaport, Lach Huyen deep-water port of Hai Phong; about 70 km from Van Don International Airport (Quang Ninh), so it is very convenient to use different types of transportation, especially by road, sea and air. In addition, the EZ also has the potential and advantages of natural gas, electricity and coal resources with large reserves, which can be exploited and used for long term, along with clean land fund and sand dunes, coastal mangroves, very convenient to develop industries, trade, services, tourism and urban construction towards the sea, linking key economic areas of the Northern Coastal region and the whole country. The establishment of the EZ creates favorable conditions to effectively exploit and bring into play the potential and advantages of the natural conditions and the geo-economic position of the coastal area, creating a strong driving force to boost the socio-economic development of the province as well as other provinces and cities in the region.

Song Uyen