The northern central region's potential infrastructure, energy and support industry as well as human resources will be highlighted at a conference on October 17 in Vinh City in Nghe An province.

According to Do Nhat Hoang, head of the Foreign Investment Agency (FIA) under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the conference will be organised by the Ministry of Planning and Investment in collaboration with six northern-central provinces.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung will attend the event, which is expected to attract more than 500 delegates including officials from the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Ministry of Industry and Trade, World Bank, PetroVietnam and JETRO, as well as domestic and foreign businesses.

Hoang said the conference is an important economic event for domestic and foreign enterprises to seek investment opportunities.

The northern-central region is seen as a potential destination for tourism and investment in many sectors.

At the conference, the Prime Minister will speak about sustainable development in the northern central region as it is related to the socio-economic development strategy for the 2011-20 period..

The northern central region consists of six provinces, namely Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue, with a total area of more than 50,000 square kilometres and a population of 10 million.

As of September 26, the region had attracted 243 investment projects with registered capital of 19.9 billion USD, accounting for 10 percent of the country's Foreign Direct Investment.

Although the total investment capital is still modest, it shows that investors continue to tap the tremendous potential in this region.

Hoang said the region is strong in many areas, including Ha Tinh province, which is known as a steel industry centre in Southeast Asia .

Thanh Hoa is an oil refinery centre and has an advantage to develop the electricity production industry. Nghe An is suited for airports, wharves and the industry and service sector.

Thua Thien Hue province's priorities are tourism and healthcare training. Quang Binh and Quang Tri provinces, have faced difficulties but have potential in tourism and industry./.