Long An looks to become modern industrialised province by 2020

Long An (VNA) – Although Long An province has taken the lead in foreign direct investment (FDI) attraction in the Mekong Delta, it is still using different measures to improve its competitiveness and investment climate so as to become a modern and sustainable industrialised province by 2020.

Nearly 800 FDI projects worth almost 6 billion USD are registered in Long An. About 500, or 62.5 percent, of the projects are operational with about 3 billion USD already disbursed.

They concentrate in industrial parks and clusters in key economic districts such as Duc Hoa, Ben Luc, Can Duoc and Can Giuoc, and Tan An city.

The UK, China’s Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, the Republic of Korea, and the US provide the most funds of the 37 countries and territories that invest in the province.

FDI projects are said to have been making a breakthrough in local industrialisation and modernisation, promoting economic restructuring, job creation, and social issues settlement.

From now to 2020, Long An will give top priority to FDI projects in urban residential area construction, transport and industrial infrastructure, hi-tech agriculture, and support industry, according to provincial authorities.

Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Tran Van Can said more effective solutions are being used to create a more favourable investment environment.

The administration will strictly deal with sluggish projects by cancelling them, resizing the project area to suit investors’ actual capacity, or extending the deadline for project implementation.

It will also restrict permission for projects that may cause serious environmental pollution, reclaim rice farming land, or do not match local planning, Can said.

Long An, 15th in the Provincial Competitiveness Index rankings last year, will step up administrative reforms and put its public administrative centre into use soon to save time and cost for people, businesses, as well as civil servants, the People’s Committee said.

They are going to develop vocational training establishments to improve the local workforce’s capacity, thus meeting enterprises’ employment demand.

About 5,000ha of land will be ready soon to accommodate investment projects through 2020. Areas in the districts of Dong Thap Muoi, Can Duoc and Can Giuoc will be zoned for hi-tech agricultural activities, according to the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment.-VNA