Dong Thap People’s Committee convened an online meeting earlier this year to review investment construction activities in 2021 and tackle limitations and impediments.

Management agencies at all levels have been urged to ensure law compliance and enhance transparency and efficiency in bidding activities, paying due regard to boosting flexibility and executing measures to push up public investment pace in 2022, and ensure efficiency in implementing capital allocation plan towards 2025.

The agencies need to regularly keep tabs of and issue guidance to ensure effective disbursement of public investment sources which amounted to $250 million this year, including the capital volume carried forward from 2021.

Dong Thap leaders speak with business representatives at Sa Dec Industrial Zone in the province

In April, Dong Thap People’s Committee established a steering committee to execute the construction of key transport works in the province before 2025, and presented a cooperation mechanism and action plan for construction of key transport works in the province during the period.

Efforts are gearing towards accelerating infrastructure construction at Tan Kieu and Ba Sao industrial zones (IZs), and at Quang Khanh Industrial Cluster.

The central government and the province are busy forging ahead with a string of projects, including the My An-Cao Lanh Highway project whose investment proposal was greenlit by the prime minister in December 2021; a National Highway No.30 section bypassing Cao Lanh city; building road infrastructure in Nam Song Tien, building the An Phong-Tan Binh ferry landing; and several other projects carried forward from the previous year.

Dong Thap is currently home to three operating IZs attracting 63 investment projects valued at $504 million in total registered capital, of which there are 11 foreign-invested projects worth $204 million. The occupancy rate at Sa Dec, Song Hau, and Tran Quoc Toan IZs averages 99.3 per cent.

With respect to border economic zones, Dong Thap currently reports five such investment projects worth $5.42 million in total registered capital.

Many leading groups have registered to invest in the province’s IZs. Leading contractor Hoa Binh Corporation proposes to expedite a project on infrastructure construction in Lap Vo district with a scale of 150 hectares in phase 1, and a high-tech park project in Chau Thanh district covering over 250ha. Private conglomerate T&T Group also envisages building an IZ in Lap Vo district over 150ha.

Border economic zones now enjoy more favourable conditions for development after the Dinh Ba international border crossing in Tan Hong district was complemented to implement a road transport agreement between the Vietnamese government and Cambodia. This has inspired investors to pour money into the region.

Dong Thai is emphasising construction management along with accelerating construction pace at diverse projects on building the technical infrastructure of these zones, as well as infrastructure construction at Tan Trieu IZ, and Tan Lap and Quang Khanh clusters, along with further calling for investment into Ba Sao IZ from private sources.

The province’s latest master planning is now out for comments from the public before being perfected for submission to the government. In light of the latest draft, during 2021-2025 a number of crucial infrastructure works will be built. These include upgrading and expanding the National Highway No.30; building Ho Chi Minh Highway’s Tan Thanh-My An section and My An-An Binh T-junction; building the My Thuan-Can Tho section of the North-South Expressway; and upgrading the National Highway No.80B, among others.

Thanks to the leadership’s concerted efforts, last year Dong Thap came third out of 63 cities and provinces in the 2021 Provincial Competitiveness Index rankings. This marked 14 consecutive years Dong Thap has carved a spot in the top five, and eight consecutive years in the top 3 of the “best economic governance quality” criteria.