Hau Giang Province Exploiting Internal Strengths and Potential

Hau Giang Province Exploiting Internal Strengths and Potential

VIB Forum had an interview with Huynh Phong Tranh, Chairman of the People's Committee of Hau Giang province.

Having recently separated from Can Tho province, what are the potentials and difficulties facing Hau Giang province?

As a newly-separated province with an economic structure of agriculture, industry and service, the living standards of many local people, especially in remote areas, remain poor and many fields remain under-developed. The province's infrastructure facilities, human resources, local people's knowledge, scientific and technological reception, and economic development remain weaker than other localities. However, with its convenient location between western Hau River and the Ca Mau peninsula, between Can Tho city and Kien Giang, Bac Lieu and Soc Trang province, which has formed a new development axis, Hau Giang province has great potential for the development of agricultural production. With convenient traffic systems linking Can Tho city and the Mekong Delta, Hau Giang province has great development potential not only for itself but also as part of the western Hau River region, the Mekong Delta and the whole country.

Despite being a new province, Hau Giang ranks sixth out of 13 Mekong Delta provinces in economic growth rate and eighth in industrial production value. Hau Giang province has a special advantage in the processing industry. The province's economic structure has changed for the better. Hau Giang's advantage is agriculture and the province has also potential for industry, trade and services, education and training, public health, science and technology, and urbanisation, which will help accelerate the province's economic growth and social development in line with industrialisation and modernisation of the Mekong Delta. In the first half of this year, despite many difficulties due to provincial separation, Hau Giang gained a growth rate of nine per cent with education, public health, culture and social safety being maintained. The province has accelerated the development of its master plans for the construction of Vi Thanh town after collecting ideas contributed by scientists and managers nationwide. This has been approved by the State Evaluation Council and the Ministry of Construction has signed an agreement on the project. The province has approved and introduced the master plan and has called for investors to back it up. Plans for the Song Hau and Cai Tac industrial park are expected to be approved this August, while the province is calling for investment in the Vi Thanh industrial park and centres for industry and handicrafts in the town and other districts. Master plans for the transport service are finalised and expected to be approved this September. The province's comprehensive socio-economic master plans will also be approved this year.

Alongside its existing potential and advantages, which policies will Hau Giang issue to attract investors?

Having applied regulations of central agencies and learnt from experiences of the former province Can Tho's socio-economic development master plans, Hau Giang province will issue incentive policies in each field, such as investment, site clearance, resettlement and industrial and agricultural extension to encourage enterprises to promote their investment in the province. Incentives in terms of land, tax, capital access, and open and transparent investment and business environment will be given to investors. The local People's Committee has recently issued its policies on investment encouragement in industry and handicraft, site clearance and resettlement. Policies on investment encouragement in rural market infrastructure development are expectecd to be issued soon. Hau Giang province will create favourable conditions via its mechanism and policies for enterprises to invest in the province.

In the coming years, what are Hau Giang's economic development orientations? Which economic spearhead sectors will the province focus on?

The province's orientations are to develop internal strength and potential with priority given to promoting cooperation with Can Tho city, other localities in the region and Ho Chi Minh City. Hau Giang province will concentrate on infrastructure development, accelerating and increasing the quality of its economic growth with agricultural and rural industrialisation and modernisation and an economic structure consisting of industry, agriculture and services. In the short term, we will fully tap our potential and advantages in agriculture, industry, handicrafts and services to exploit effectively land and create jobs and incomes for the local people.

With these goals in our sights, we will take the following measures:
1/ To develop and adjust master plans, from a comprehensive socio-economic development master plan to more specific and localised ones. We will also concentrate on major works to develop production and infrastructure facilities for economic restructuring.
2/ To concentrate on completing the construction of the Vi Thanh concentrated industrial park and two industrial parks of Hau River, next to the Cai Cui seaport of Can Tho city, and Tan Phu Thanh. To continue to invest in building centres for industry and handicrafts in districts while finalising its policies on attracting investment, developing urban areas and building houses and other capital construction facilities.
3/ To develop trade and services. Accordingly, the province will build trade centres and markets in Vi Thanh and Nga Bay towns and a rural market network.
4/ To promote the application of technologies into production, such as biotech and post-harvest technologies, accelerate agricultural mechanisation to increase productivity, quality and production effectiveness, while developing local agricultural production in a sustainable manner and boosting cooperation with scientific research agencies in Can Tho city, institutes, universities and enterprises in Ho Chi Minh City.
5/ To mobilise and use funds with suitable policies to attract investment while strengthening local State-owned enterprises and increasing the quality of economic activities of cooperatives, as well as encouraging the development of the private sector. This is an important solution. The province will also have mechanisms and policies to attract excellent cadres and experts while promoting the training of cadres and workers for industrialisation and modernisation.

• Reported by Xuan Hoe