Dong Nai Fostering Supportive Government for Business Breakthroughs

After half a century of development, Dong Nai’s business community has become stronger, making significant contributions to the province’s overall development. During this process, the provincial government has prioritized administrative reform, business environment improvement, and competitiveness enhancement.  On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South, National Reunification and the liberation of Dong Nai province (1975-2025), which is also an opportunity to look back on local business development journey, Mr. Vo Tan Duc, Chairman of the Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee, grants an exclusive interview to this effect to our reporter. 

Dong Nai is resolutely implementing tasks and solutions to successfully realize its goals set for 2025, make achievements to welcome major national events and realize its aspirations for tremendous growth and development to become a civilized, modern and high-growth province. Could you elaborate on these efforts and expectations for the final year of 2025?

2025 is the year of “accelerating to the finish line” of enormous significance, not only marking the highest fulfilment of socioeconomic development goals in the 2021-2025 period, but also laying a stepping stone for continued development. This is also a special year when Dong Nai province celebrates the 50th anniversary of liberation and welcomes many important national political events.

The Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People’s Committee issued many specific and synchronous action programs in all fields, centering on strategic pillars like promoting public investment disbursement, which is considered a catalyst to boost economic growth, stimulate industrial, construction and service sectors, and to create sustainable jobs. In 2025, the province strives to achieve 95% of the budgeted disbursement plan, focusing on key projects, regional connectivity projects and urban space development projects. The province also speeds up the completion and effective operation of strategic infrastructure like Long Thanh International Airport, Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3, Bien Hoa - Vung Tau Expressway, roads along the Cai River, roads along the Dong Nai River, logistics infrastructure and regional coordination centers. In addition to speeding up institutional reforms, changing the growth pattern, improving the investment and business environment, raising the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) and developing digital government, digital economy and digital society, the province will launch many activities to boost investment and trade promotion, develop science and technology, support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and innovative startups, and enhance digital transformation and green transformation.

Moreover, the province will seriously and effectively carry out the Provincial Planning for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050, which clearly states dynamic areas, buffer zones and development orientations towards a balance between economic growth and environmental protection and between industrialization and human development.

Mr. Vo Tan Duc, Chairman, and Mr. Duong Minh Dung, Vice Chairman of Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee, award certificates of merit to 5 outstanding FDI enterprises, March 2025

Dong Nai expected to raise its GRDP per capita to VND180 million a year by the end of 2025, lift the urbanization rate to above 55%, improve labor productivity, the quality of life and move to become a centrally governed city by 2050 - a new, dynamic growth pole that is deeply integrated with the Southeast region and the whole country.

In the past years, Dong Nai has always been among the best performers in the country in terms of economic growth, investment attraction and business development because the province has dynamically worked to open up and attract development resources and endeavored to accelerate administrative reforms and improve the investment environment. What do you think about this?

Dong Nai province always defines businesses as the central driving force in socioeconomic development, as partners of the government in building a more modern, dynamic and integrated locality. Hence, the province has developed many consistent policies and strategies to create a favorable investment environment, sharpen competitiveness and generate strong momentum for sustainable production and business development.

Dong Nai has upheld a dynamic spirit and entrepreneurship, taken administrative reform as a breakthrough stage and flexibly innovated management methods friendly to the people and to businesses. The province has focused on specific and practical solutions as follows:

Publicly and transparently releasing all development plans, investment policies, investment project lists and administrative processes.

Maintaining regular government-business dialogues to directly listen and promptly resolve emerging obstacles against business activities.

Symbolically deploying projects to support SMEs, support digital transformation, promote trade, search for markets, improve the quality of human resources, boost cooperation between businesses with institutes, credit institutions and international partners;

Upgrading industrial and logistics infrastructure, gradually developing the startup and innovation ecosystem and digital and green economic sectors.

Currently, Dong Nai has over 52,000 active businesses with a total registered capital of approximately VND465 trillion. This clearly demonstrates the attractiveness of Dong Nai's investment environment and dynamic economy in the context of rapid integration and transformation.

After 10 years of implementing Resolution 09-NQ/TW dated December 9, 2011 of the Politburo, what remarkable results has Dong Nai achieved? From this foundation, how is the province carrying out Resolution 41-NQ/TW dated October 10, 2023 of the Politburo on building and promoting the role of Vietnamese entrepreneurs in the new era? 

After 10 years of enforcing Resolution 09-NQ/TW of the Politburo on building and promoting the role of Vietnamese entrepreneurs in the period of accelerating industrialization and modernization, Dong Nai has achieved many positive results. The province has over 30,000 entrepreneurs, most of whom have become mature from practical, dynamic and innovative production and business and played a pivotal role in key areas such as processing and manufacturing, high-tech agriculture, services - trade, logistics and export. Entrepreneurs not only pay substantially to the budget but also pioneer in innovation, international integration, job creation and sustainable development.

Entering a new phase, Dong Nai is carrying out Resolution 41-NQ/TW dated October 10, 2023 of the Politburo, which fosters the role of entrepreneurs in modern, green and sustainable socioeconomic development. The province has stated key tasks and solutions as follows:

Organizing training and development programs to build an entrepreneur force with strong political will, business ethics, national spirit, legal knowledge and the ability to adapt to international standards.

Developing an innovative startup ecosystem, supporting young entrepreneurs, female entrepreneurs and startups in high-tech industries, digital transformation and circular economy.

Supporting companies to advance digital transformation, access new technologies, improve governance capacity, risk management and exercise environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) responsibility.

Promoting cooperation between entrepreneurs with research institutes, universities and international organizations to enhance innovation capacity and global cooperation.

Dong Nai will also continue to honor and commend outstanding entrepreneurs with great contributions to the community and encourage entrepreneurs to develop corporate culture, business ethics and ESG responsibility.

What is your commitment to building and spreading the image of a friendly, open-minded, transparent government for people and businesses?

We are persistent in building the image of an enabling government that is transparent, friendly, open-minded and places people and businesses at the center of service. This is not only a strategic approach but also a consistent spirit in the direction, operation and institutional reform of the entire political system. The province is committed to constantly innovating management thinking, improving the quality of public employees and ensuring intimacy, responsibility and efficiency in service as follows:

Strongly furthering institutional reform to enforcement, streamlining administrative procedures in a clear, public and transparent manner, applying information technology and digital transformation to reduce time and costs for people and businesses.

Strengthening contact, dialogue and quick response to issues arising in investment, production and business through online channels, hotlines, working groups and regular business meetings.

Actively surveying and listening to businesses and people through various channels; assigning specific responsibility to agency leaders in handling feedback and recommendations, using their responsibility and performance as a measure.

Speeding up policy communications, raising awareness and policy interaction skills of the entire government system and business community.

Promptly honoring and rewarding exemplary businesses and pioneers in innovation, green development, digital transformation and corporate responsibility to society; spreading positive stories, inspiring startups and cooperation to create the image of Dong Nai as a reliable and attractive destination for domestic and foreign investors.

Thank you so much!

Ngo Khuyen (Vietnam Business Forum)