Building Quang Nam into an Industrialised & Modernised Province

During 2005-2010, the province’s average GDP growth was 12.8 percent annually, particularly last year’s GDP growth which was 1.8 times higher than that of 2005. The economic structure moved significantly, with the industry and construction sector rising from 34 percent to 39.5 percent; services from 35 percent to 39.5 percent; the agro-forest-fishery reducing from 31 percent to 21 percent. GDP per capita reached VND17.66 million per year, exceeding the planned target of VND17.37 million. The proportion of workers in the industry and service sector increased from 28.74 percent in 2005 to nearly 40 percent in 2010. These achievements were attributed to the provincial authority and people’s efforts developing the previous results as well as to active support from the central level. In addition, the provincial leaders thoroughly grasped and took advantage of central policies for the local situation; outlined specific plans as well as focused sources on settling urgent issues in parallel with finding long-term solutions.

 

Quang Nam has targeted annual average GDP growth of 13.5 percent between 2010 and 2015 based on the gained achievements. In 2015, the province aims at GDP per capita of over VND35 million, double the figure of 2010. The proportion of industry-construction accounts for more than 44 percent, services over 44 percent and of agro-forest-fishery below 12 percent, while the export turnover increases 22 percent yearly on average. The targets are built on the past years’ achievements, especially a number of big projects relating to the fields of industry and tourism that have started operation, bringing in more production value and other comparative advantages to the province’s GDP. Besides, Quang Nam is among provinces under the central major economic zone. Over the past time, the zones’ provinces all maintained high economic growth. Some projects and programs have made connections and operated effectively. For that very reason, I believe that the target of the 13.5 percent GDP growth for the period of 2011-2015 is completely feasible.  

Apart from focusing on realizing the above-mentioned targets, Quang Nam will also boost solutions to raise the provincial competitive index in order to lure more domestic and foreign investors into the locality.

 

At present, industry-construction and services account for about 78.5 percent of the province’s GDP, lower than the country’s average level of 79.5 percent. In order to raise this proportion in 2011-2015, Quang Nam has defined three main tasks: firstly making breakthrough in infrastructure construction, secondly paying attention to training a highly qualified workforce and thirdly continuing to improve the investment environment to attract investors. Also, the province will eye the planning of sectors and products again, choosing and developing those with competitive potential and capacity. The province has planned to boost the development of industry, services, seafood and increase exports to bring in bigger turnover, in parallel with building the system of distribution and consumption. Quang Nam will also expand areas of industrial crops, as well as connect production with processing to push the development of rural and mountainous regions. This will be a significant step in moving the economic structure in the field of agriculture and in the countryside.

 

Quang Nam is situated in the central major economic zone and the East-West economic corridor, with 140 kilometres bordering Laos. The Nam Giang border gate economic zone is located on the shortest road route which connects northeast Thailand’s and southern Laos with key places in the Vietnam central economic zone, such as Chan May in Hue city, Danang city, Chu Lai in Quang Nam and Dung Quat in Quang Ngai. Thus, the border gate zone is full of potential for the development of border trade in the context of current regional integration.

 

The Nam Giang border gate economic zone lies west of highway 14D, across the communes of Chà Vàl and La Dêê of Nam Giang district with area of over 31,000 hectares, including the Thanh River natural reserve area of 15,300 hectares. The border gate zone, stretching over 700 hectares, will play a role linking Vietnam’s central region with Laos’ south and Thailand’s northeast. This is aimed to be an economic zone complex with a focus on the development of trade, services and tourism, contributing to boost the growth of Quang Nam’s west.

 

The policy to develop the Nam Giang economic zone is like the policies for other border gate economic zones nationwide approved by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 211/2006/QD-TTg dated September 14, 2006. The Nam Giang economic zone is now completing planning and building sub-zones, including important components like urban quarters, duty-free zones, industrial parks, commercial centres, public administrative offices, areas for rural residents and network of electricity and water supply.

 

In order to make Quang Nam into an industrialized modern province by 2020, in the upcoming time the province will focus on the three major tasks as mentioned above, including infrastructure, human resources and improvement of investment environment in connection with administrative procedure reform.

 

Regarding infrastructure construction, we will firstly focus on some big projects such as Cua Dai bridge, Southern Quang Nam road, project of dredging Truong Giang River and Co Co River, port projects of Ky Ha, Tam Hiep, road routes to communes, works on health, education, urban areas and industrial infrastructure. Particularly, the province will push up the Danang - Quang Ngai highway project and project upgrading Chu Lai airport. In terms of human resources training, the province will pay attention to vocational training to meet the demand of big enterprises, focusing on careers to serve the sectors of industry and tourism. For improving the investment environment, under the provincial party committee’s Decree No. 09 issued in 2009, the people’s committee has built an action program which gives priority to four issues: raising support effectiveness of the authorities; developing infrastructure and market; harmonically settling contradictions of different groups; and deploying the tasks.