5:08:08 PM | 18/4/2012
The government of Lang Son province at every level has been making endeavours to provide the best conditions for investors to do business in the locality. Vietnam Business Forum has an interview with Mr Le Minh Thanh, Director of Lang Son Department of Planning and Investment, on this issue. Tran Tung reports.
Could you highlight investment attraction results that Lang Son province has achieved in recent years, and prospects the province expects in the coming years?
Although Lang Son province encounters difficulties and disadvantages in attracting investors, it still gains encouraging results in investment attraction thanks to the effort and guidance of the Party and government to improve the investment environment like improving the quality of planning, building infrastructure systems, reforming administrative procedures, and applying investment incentives. As of 2011, the province licensed 30 foreign-invested projects, with larger ones later. Typical projects include 30-ha Dong Banh cement plant with annual output of 91,000 tonnes (operational), 8.5-ha Hong Phong cement plant with yearly output of 35,000 tonnes (operational), 6-ha lead ingot processing plant with annual output of 10,000 tonnes (operational), parking lots and goods processing and storing facilities in Huu Nghi, Tan Thanh, Coc Nam, Bao Lam, and Na Hinh border gates (operational), and some commercial and urban projects now underway.
Currently, Lang Son has completed the provincial socioeconomic development master plan and the Dong Dang - Lang Son border gate development plan from now to 2020. It has also developed urban, commercial, service and industrial development zone plans. From these plans, the province is focusing on elaborating five-year and one-year development plans and programmes and building infrastructure in border gate, industrial, commercial, service and transhipping zones. Lang Son continues introducing investment preference policies, investing in human resource training, and stepping up public administration reform. to improve the investment environment and enhance attractiveness to investors.
Thus, we will focus on developing export processing zones and industrial zones in economic zones to prepare facilities for investors from China and ASEAN countries. In addition, we will improve infrastructures and management mechanisms to stabilise the operations of warehousing systems, bonded warehouses, commercial and service zones in Huu Nghi International Border Gate and Dong Dang International Border Gate Railway Station. In our provincial capital, we will attract investment capital for building commercial zones, ecological tourism zones, cultural zones (Tam Thanh Temple, Na Tam Lake, etc).
To this point, we are concentrating on completing site clearance and ground levelling in Huu Lung Industrial Complex to provide facilities for investors as soon as possible. We have completed detailed planning for Dong Banh Industrial Park and have interested investors. In addition to our special care of industrial zone infrastructure development, we also encourage investment into agricultural, forest product processing, tourism zones, and construction material production.
In the context of economic downturn, many investment projects are being implemented behind schedule. Does Lang Son have any solutions to address this reality?
Lang Son is no exception in this general context. Many projects in the province are delayed, such as the wholesale and retail centre project, the commercial centre project, and five-star hotel project in Lang Son City. To limit adverse external impacts, in addition to keep a close watch on registered project progress, the province urges investors to quicken their projects, while guiding concerned agencies to solve difficulties facing investors, particularly in site clearance, land compensation, administrative procedures related to land leasing, construction permits and tax. In case project delays result from the incapability of investors, the province may revoke investment licences to provide the opportunity for other ones.
Can you describe the efforts of the Lang Son Department of Planning and Investment to provide favourable conditions for investors and its advisory roles for the Provincial People’s Committee in investment attraction in the past years?
As an advisor on investment planning and attraction to the Provincial People’s Committee, the Department of Planning and Investment always tries its best to enhance the professionalism, knowledge and skills of its staff to complete their jobs with the best result. To provide best advice for provincial authorities, particularly in investment attraction, the department has coordinated with related organs to formulate the list of projects calling for investment capital in 2011 - 2015. It has also consulted the provincial government to define key infrastructure projects for construction priority, especially in border gate, industrial and commercial zones. It has advised provincial authorities to build and organise a project to boost the provincial competitiveness index (PCI) from now to 2020; to review, amend and supplement investment preference policies; to issue labour training mechanisms and policies to serve enterprises; to reform administrative procedures related to investment licensing and business registration; to enhance the quality of investment project examination; to keep track of investment progress, and listen to investors to seek solutions for them.
As regards administrative procedure reform, the department publicly posts its regulations on administrative procedures on its website (
www.tthc.langson.gov.vn/tthc-so-ke-hoach-dau-tu) and in administrative offices, uses software to apply single-window mechanism, operates an online national business registration system, and enhances the quality of information on its website.
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