Lam Dong promises to be ideal land for Thai investors, tourists

Bangkok (VNA) – The Central Highlands province of Lam Dong promoted itself as a promising land for investment, trade and tourism at a conference held in Bangkok, Thailand, on October 4.

The event attracted representatives of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the Board of Investment of Thailand, the Board of Trade of Thailand, the Thai Chamber of Commerce, the Federation of Thai Industries, the Thailand – Vietnam Business Council, and the Thai Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises Council. More than 300 Thai businesses and investors also attended the conference.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Nguyen Hai Bang emphasised that the two countries now boast the best ever political and economic relations. They have signed many agreements creating legal frameworks for business, investment and trade activities. The two Governments are also making efforts to enhance their economies’ connectivity.

With favourable geographical, political and economic conditions between the two sides, Thai firms have operated profitably and invested in many strategic sectors of Vietnam’s economy, from petrochemistry to retail.

He added Lam Dong owns specific geographical, economic and cultural advantages and also has a flight route linking its Da Lat city with Bangkok. It will surely be a good destination for Thai investment and tourists in the central region of Vietnam.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Van Yen said local economy has developed continually over the past years. In 2017, Lam Dong recorded an economic growth rate of 8.16 percent and export revenue of 552 million USD. It also welcomed 5.9 million tourist arrivals.

However, the province’s economic development has yet to match potential and advantages due to limitations in capital, technological application, production scale and markets, as well as businesses’ modest connectivity and integration capacity, he said.

The official stressed that Lam Dong pledges to support enterprises and continually work to build an open, transparent and friendly investment climate. It is also ready to remove obstacles facing companies in a timely manner so as to facilitate investors’ activities.

This is the first time an investment, trade and tourism promotion event of Lam Dong has been held in Bangkok. The conference was a chance for the provincial administration to talk face-to-face with investors and for investors and businesses to seek partnerships, thus popularising Lam Dong’s images among Thai partners.

As one of the five Central Highlands provinces, Lam Dong is located about 800 - 100 metres above the sea level. While the special soil condition has created optimal conditions for the province to develop agriculture and tourism, the favourable geographical location has helped it to gain close socio-economic relations with neighbouring localities.

Da Lat, the capital city of Lam Dong, is also one of the most well-known tourist destinations in Vietnam, attracting millions of tourists each year.-VNA