4:18:11 PM | 17/12/2009
An Giang has made many great breakthroughs in socio-economic development over the past years. A reporter of Vietnam Business Forum had an interview with Lam Minh Chieu, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, on the province’s development.
What are the province’s orientations to fully develop its potential and boost trade promotion locally and globally?
An Giang has strength in agricultural products exported to the world market, including seafood, rice, vegetables and bean.
The province has a 100-km border line and national and international border gates, which is a very favourable condition to exchange goods and services and transport services with Cambodia and Thailand.
An Giang University and Vocational College are places to provide qualified human resources. Local famous spiritual culture and tourism resorts attract more than four million passengers annually.
However, An Giang still sees many weaknesses, particularly the shortage of skilled labourers. The agriculture sector accounts for a high ratio in its economic structure, meanwhile, the industrial sector’s development remains slow and lacks key products, excluding food processing. Besides, the local infrastructure system is still weak. It needs to build a modern transport network to connect the province and big cities and provinces in the region, which is expected to boost the investment inflow in the province.
In the coming time, An Giang will focus on road, port and airport projects to ease the traffic jam and accelerate goods circulation. From now to 2020, the province will complete the planning of railways, highways, border gate economic zones and industrial parks to develop seafood agro-forestry-fishery, consumer goods, construction material, medicine and agricultural engineering projects. An Giang will also intensify production and export activities of its key goods, including seafood, rice, vegetable and fruits. Besides, it will tap cultural, community and eco-tourism potentials and develop entertainment and healthcare tourism services. Moreover, the province will build large-scale urban areas in Long Xuyen, Chau Doc, Tan Chau, An Phu, Chau Thanh and Chau Phu.
What measures are adopted to attract foreign direct investment?
Over the past recent years, An Giang has concentrated on investment promotion activities. It has seen a sharp increase in the number of investment projects.
To spur the FDI wave, the province has focused on holding investment promotion activities in the key markets of Ukraine, South Korea, Japan, the US and Australia. An Giang is calling for investment into projects of agro-forestry processing, high-tech, sea ports, airports, urban areas, tourism, border gate economic zones and industrial parks. It has also enhanced the image promotion via investment conferences, forums and documentary films. Besides, the province has strengthened its relations with the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), embassies, consul generals and investment promotion agency.
What are the province’s socio-economic goals from now to 2010 and a vision for 2020?
An Giang province’s investment environment is quite attractive . In the annual Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) ranking conducted by the VCCI, An Giang is always listed in the top ten localities. The province stood at the 9th position in 2006, the 6th in 2007 and the 9th in 2008.
Between now and 2020, the province aims to obtain economic goals approved by the Prime Minister for the Mekong Delta region. By 2020, An Giang expects to reach an average growth rate in per capital income of 13.3 percent. Agriculture is targeted to make up 15 percent of the province’s economic structure, industry-construction with 40 percent and services with 45 percent; GDP per capita are expected at US$3,000 and the trained labour rate and urbanisation rate is aimed at 65 percent and 46 percent respectively by the year.
In the time to come, An Giang will speed up the administrative reform and enhance effectiveness of state management in all levels. It will pay attention to building socio-economic development plans; boosting sci-tech applications in production and business activities; mobilising capital sources through inviting investors to develop infrastructure, education, health, culture, sport and environment protection projects; investing more in training centres as well as labour quality’s improvement. An Giang University will be selected as a key training centre through the cooperation with both local and foreign training organisations.
Reported by Hai Trung
03/4/2025
Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnamese
