10:04:17 PM | 30/5/2011
Phu Yen has grown to a new high, and obtained very impressive economic and social development achievements. Rational employment of potential, along with proper and effective investments, to a certain extent, represent the determination of Phu Yen province to quickly enter the new development period and become a driving force for the development of the Central Highlands and southern central coastal region. To learn more about these achievements, potential, strengths and orientations of the province in the coming time, Reporter Huy Thanh interviewed Chairman of Phu Yen Province People’s Committee, Pham Dinh Cu.
Would you be kind enough to brief us on the outstanding achievements of Phu Yen in 2006 - 2010?
In recent years, notwithstanding difficulties and challenges facing the global and Vietnamese economies, Phu Yen still managed to maintain high economic growth at 12.3 percent a year on average from 2006 to 2010. The economy is being restructured towards a desired direction and pattern. From an agriculture-based province, Phu Yen has raised industry and construction value to 34.9 percent and service revenue to 36.4 percent, while bringing down the proportion of agriculture, forestry and fishery to only 29.2 percent. Services sectors continue to grow, with higher quality.
The province has mobilised all capital resources available to invest in technical infrastructure. Total social investment capital reached VND26,525 billion in the five-year period, representing a year on year increase of 22.1 percent and equalling 54.6 percent of the province’s GDP. Many important investment projects have been put into use, including Song Hinh and Song Ba Ha hydropower plants, Phuoc Tan- Bai Nga Road, Hung Vuong Bridge, and western bridge system that connects with three mountainous district of the province. In addition, the province has three centralised industrial parks, namely Hoa Hiep, An Phu and Dong Bac Song Cau, and many small-scale industrial and handicraft zones. Together with economic development, Phu Yen also attaches much importance to speeding up socialisation of cultural and social aspects and improving living standards of local people.
In 2011 - 2015, we will strive for annual growth from 13 percent to 15.5 percent. In 2015, per capita GDP will reach VND36-37 million. Export growth will increase 23-24 percent a year on average in the five-year reporting period.
Could you talk about the competitiveness and development potential of Phu Yen province?
At present, Phu Yen has basically escaped the poor province status. The provincial competitiveness index (PCI) of Phu Yen province is 31st out of 63 provinces and cities in the country, with 58.18 points, and is ranks fifth in the southern central coastal region. Phu Yen was highly appreciated for such indicators as labour training, ranking fifth in the nation. This showed the province's efforts to promote vocational training and develop working skills for local labourers. This helped companies in the province recruit qualified workers more easily and workers to find jobs more easily too. Besides, the province also stepped up business support activities to develop the private sector like promoting trade, supporting the search for business partnership, and providing technological services for businesses. In 2010, the province witnessed significant progress. The dynamism of provincial leaders in applying centrally governed policies and its own initiatives to develop the private sector helped Phu Yen rank second in the country in this aspect, only after Ha Tinh province.
Regarding development capabilities and strengths, Phu Yen province possesses numerous advantages to quicken economic development, especially in sea-based economy and tourism. The province has been carrying out some large-scale projects like Vung Ro oil refinery; Hoa Tam Industrial Park; Cu Lao Mai Nha high-grade resort; Vinpearl - Tuy An ecological urban and tourism zone; artery road, waterway, airway and railway routes. Once completed and put into use, these projects will drive the province’s socioeconomic development momentum.
The 15th Party Congress of Phu Yen province defined that one solution to social and economic development in the new era is to speed up the completion of traffic infrastructure systems and the first phase of Nam Phu Yen Economic Zone. Could you elaborate on this matter?
Nam Phu Yen Economic Zone is part of Nam Phu Yen - Bac Khanh Hoa economic region approved for formation in the Prime Minister’s Decision 54/2008/QD-TTg on April 28, 2008. This modern economic zone will be a driving force for the development of the southern central coastal region, a gateway to the sea for Vietnam’s Central Highlands, Laos’ southern region, Thailand’s and Cambodia’s northeast region, and a major international trade centre.
Main functional areas of the economic zone include port and seaport service zone, hi-tech industrial, commercial, service, tourism and urban zones. Currently, Hiep Hoa Phat Joint Stock Company is building infrastructure for Hoa Tam Industrial Park on an area of 2,155 ha and at a cost of VND10,000 billion. The completion of infrastructure investment in Nam Phu Yen Economic Zone will open up many new opportunities for investment cooperation and will accelerate the province’s economic development.
Besides, the province puts a premium on promoting infrastructure investment, especially transport infrastructure, to speed up social and economic development. The traffic system has been invested to smooth links between Phu Yen province with other localities in the region and the entire country. The province has built a road system that links airports, seaports and coastal urban zones to western districts, Dong Truong Son Road and Central Highlands provinces. It has completed the east-west traffic route to connect coastal areas and mountainous regions. It is pacing up the completion of Provincial Road 643 that links Tuy An with Son Hoa, and carrying out Provincial Road 644 that connects Song Cau with Dong Xuan. The locality upgraded National Road 25, Provincial Road 645B, and Provincial Road 645 (to be upgraded into National Road 29). It is investing in Provincial Road 650, a traffic route that links Phu Yen province and Gia Lai province through Dong Xuan and Krong Chro districts. Phu Yen will also upgrade other traffic routes. The province has collaborated with the Ministry of Transport and Dak Lak province to conduct a study on construction of a railway to link Phu Yen with Buon Ma Thuot City - the capital of Dak Lak province; embarked on Ca Pass tunnel; and expanded Vung Ro Port. It has also joined hands with the Central Airports Corporation to upgrade and expand Tuy Hoa Airport to serve the development of Nam Phu Yen Economic Zone and the tourism industry.
Thus, the 15th Party Congress of Phu Yen province defined one driving solution to social and economic development in the new period is to speed up the completion of traffic infrastructure systems and the first phase of Nam Phu Yen Economic Zone.
Top targets of Phu Yen province are now to develop rapidly and sustainably and reach the average development level of the country, and to lay the groundwork for Phu Yen to become a basically industrialised province by 2020. So, what will the province do to achieve such targets and move faster in the process of industrialisation and modernisation?
In the next five years, in the economic aspect, Phu Yen will focus on three breakthrough tasks. The first is to quicken infrastructure development - an important lever to accelerate social and economic development. The province will complete the first-phase infrastructure system of Nam Phu Yen Economic Zone, upgrade Vung Ro Port, and Provincial Road 645B to serve the economic zone. It will complete region-linking traffic routes to prop up socioeconomic development in combination with national security and defence guarantee and rescue (including western traffic axis, coastal traffic axis, National Road 25, National Road 29, Tuy An - Son Hoa Road, Song Cau - Dong Xuan Road, and some inter-commune roads). The second is to develop agriculture and rural areas in accordance with the Resolution of the Central Party on agriculture, countryside and farmers. According to demographic census in 2009, more than 78 percent of the population live in rural areas. Thus, in the next five years, the province will invest in dealing with bottlenecks in agricultural and rural development. The third is to create favourable conditions for investors to carry out large projects. Vung Ro oil refinery is a driving force for industrial development in the next few years. This project will create spill-over effects on other investment projects in the province. Besides, Phu Yen also focuses on attracting tourism and service projects.
To realise these three tasks, we will concentrate on three major measures: Boosting effective mobilisation and employment of social resources in the process of development; mobilising investment resources from all economic sectors and central government supports to invest in economic and social infrastructure system and applying various investment forms like BT, BOT and PPP to mobilise more capital for infrastructure development; and investing in human resource development to provide manpower for large-scale projects and train working skills for rural labourers to find jobs in non-farming fields. Besides, Phu Yen province also puts forward public administration reform to facilitate enterprises to do business in the locality.
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