Leaders of the southern province of Dong Nai met with representatives of foreign business associations and enterprises to learn about and seek ways to handle difficulties faced by these enterprises amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

From left to right: Secretary of the Dong Nai provincial Party Committee
Nguyen Hong Linh and  Chairman of the Dong Nai provincial People’s Committee
Cao Tien Dung at the meeting with representatives of foreign business associations
and enterprises, September 18, 2021

The locality, which is the third biggest COVID-19 hotspot after Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong, is home to 1,559 FDI projects with total registered capital of nearly US$32.35 billion.

In the first eight months this year, the total FDI inflows to the southern industrial hub reached more than US$975 million.

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, as many as 1,143 enterprises registered with local authorities to apply “three-on-spot” strategy to maintain production and protect workers’ health amid COVID-19 surge, accounting for 73.3 percent of the province’ total FDI enterprises. However, some of them had to stop the strategy due to high costs while the rest found it hard to maintain the strategy.

The representatives of foreign business associations and enterprises voiced support for local authorities’ measures to contain the COVID-19 outbreak. They also said the local authorities have provided timely support for FDI enterprises to deploy “the three-on-spot” strategy.

The business representatives welcomed Dong Nai’s plan to gradually restart economic activities from September 20 and called on the local authorities to consider easing regulations on vaccination rate, circulation of goods, and workers’ mobility.

Speaking at the meeting, Cao Tien Dung, Chairman of the Dong Nai provincial People’s Committee empathized with hardship faced by FDI enterprises and replied to questions raised by representatives of the foreign business associations and enterprises.

Cao promised to create favorable conditions and remove obstacles to help enterprises overcome difficulties and resume productions. As the COVID-19 situations remains complicated, thus preventive measures will be eased step by step.

He said Dong Nai and other cities and provinces in the Southeast Region have agreed to set up a working group which will issue regulations on inter-locality transportation of goods applicable to the whole region.

Nguyen Hong Linh, Secretary of the Dong Nai provincial Party Committee said competent authorities in Dong Nai have not created additional conditions to hinder transportation of goods and increase business costs.

Authorities will continue giving vaccine to industrial workers, Nguyen said.

He called on all enterprises in the locality to continue strict implementation of preventive measures to protect the community’s health as well as business operations./.