The My Phuoc - Tan Van Expressway in Binh Duong province, part of the Southern Key Economic Zone, is being widened and upgraded. (Photo: laodong.vn) Besides the city the zone also includes the provinces of Binh Phuoc, Tay Ninh, BinhDuong, Dong Nai, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Long An, and Tien Giang.
It needs specially tailored policies and mechanisms to attract large amounts offoreign direct investment and improve linkages within the region to ensuresustainable development, the experts say.
It attracts a lot of FDI, in fact, half the entire amount coming into thecountry every year.
It also accounts for 45% of the nation’s GDP, 42% of the Government’s revenuesand 40% of exports.
But its technical and social infrastructure remains inadequate, and this keepslarge FDI projects (of above 100 million USD) away, they say.
Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Phan Van Mai said the Governmenthad outstanding special mechanisms that helped the south-eastern region and theSouthern Key Economic Zone maintain their leading positions in the social andscience and technology arenas and play the role of a financial and logisticscentre and the country’s largest international trade hub.
But there are still challenges that restrain the region’s development andeconomic growth.
The experts say transport is a “severe bottleneck” in the south-east, pointingout the Southern Key Economic Zone only has 91km of highways (11% of thecountry’s total), Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCM City is increasinglyoverloaded, and the Cai Mep-Thi Vai port terminal is currently operating wellabove capacity while a synchronous system of roads and railways leading to andfrom it is lacking.
The role of the steering committee and council of the region has not beenproperly fostered.
That the synchronous development of air, road, rail, and sea routes is onlypossible through close cooperation between the Government and localadministrations is not a new idea but has to be thoroughly implemented, theexperts say. At the meeting recently Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stressedthe need for a joint mechanism to manage the development of the south-easternregion and the Southern Key Economic Zone.
He pointed to the important strategic economic, political, defence, andsecurity location of the region.
Speaking about the limitations plaguing it, he said a new development paradigmis needed with new guidelines, policies and mechanisms that meet the currentrequirements.
He suggested three strategic breakthrough moves covering infrastructure,especially transport, human resources and institutional and administrativereforms.
He called for continuing economic restructuring, stepping up regionalconnectivity, promoting science and technology and innovation, paying moreattention to socio-cultural development, improving people’s material andspiritual lives, consolidating national defence and security, and focusing onthe building and rectification of the Party and political system.
Experts agree that localities need to be proactive in seeking investment from arange of sources for developing intra-provincial and inter-regional transportsystems given the Government’s resource constraints.
The neighbouring province of Binh Duong has, for example, sought investmentfrom both within and outside in its infrastructure, becoming the first in thecountry to implement the build-operate-transfer model in transportation andachieve unexpected success.
Binh Duong plans to complete a number of key transport infrastructure projectsthis year and get others underway to maintain its leading position inattracting foreign investment and act as a springboard for recovery after theCOVID-19 pandemic ends.
It is speeding up work to open the Bac Tan Uyen - Phu Giao - Dong Phu Road totraffic this year. The 12.15km road is set to cost over 965 billion VND (42million USD) and will connect Phu Giao and Bac Tan Uyen districts in Binh Duongwith Dong Phu district in Binh Phuoc.
Binh Duong and Dong Nai provinces started to build the Bach Dang 2 Bridgebetween them late last year at a cost of 980 billion VNA (42.6 million USD).
The 540m bridge over the Dong Nai River will connect Tan Uyen Town in Binh Duongwith Vinh Cuu district in Dong Nai, and play an important role in thedistribution of goods.
It is part of the growing transportation network in the Southern Key EconomicZone./.
VNA
