How do you assess the achievements and contributions of the industry and trade sector in the 30 years since provincial reestablishment?

Despite having a lower starting point than the national average, after nearly 30 years of provincial reestablishment, the Tra Vinh industry and trade sector has advanced in both quantity and quality and made significant contributions to local economic restructuring.

By late 2021, the province had 375 companies, eight cooperatives and 10,353 individual households engaged in industry. Many factories have been furnished with modern technology and equipment to make products of export standards and employed 56,402 workers.

Commercially, the market and supermarket network has been built, upgraded and restored. The province has developed two new trade centers, namely VinCom Shopping Mall and Tra Vinh Retail Supermarket and Trade Center, seven supermarkets, 27 convenience stores and four vending machines; constructed six new markets; upgraded and restored 31 markets; and converted 15 markets into enterprises and cooperatives.

In 2016-2020, annually, industrial production value rose by an average of 18.15%; total retail revenue of consumer goods and services climbed by 12.41% and export value increased by US$342.81 million from the previous phase.

A notable achievement of Tra Vinh is investment flows for energy development projects. Currently, the province is home to Duyen Hai Thermal Power Plant (Plants Factory 1, 2, 3 and 3+) with a total installed capacity of 4,498 MW; five wind farms with a total capacity of 256.8/322 MW; and 165-kWp Trung Nam Solar Park (equivalent to 140 MW) which are already in commercial operation. These facilities currently provide 16 - 22 billion kWh of electricity a year, becoming the largest source of electricity in the Mekong Delta and helping ensure electricity for production, livelihoods and national energy security.

48 MW Wind Farm V1-2 (Truong Thanh Tra Vinh Wind Power) in Duyen Hai town was inaugurated and put into operation

Regarding the power grid infrastructure, the province has 3,127.63 km of medium voltage lines and 5,335.55km of low voltage lines; 6,333 transformer stations (total capacity 535,441 kVA); power grid projects such as 500kV Duyen Hai - My Tho transmission line; three 220kV transmission lines like Duyen Hai - Tra Vinh, Duyen Hai - Mo Cay and Vinh Long - Tra Vinh; 146.08 km of 110kV transmission lines and 110kV/22kV stations including 6TBA/9MBA substations with a total capacity of 360MVA to create circular conductivity for daily life and production of people and businesses. 100% of communes, wards and townships and 99.25% of households have access to electricity by the end of 2021 from 92.11% in 1992 (an increase of 7.14%).

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, what solutions has the industry and trade sector taken to support and promote trade and service in the province?

Confronting the complicated development of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Industry and Trade has actively worked with relevant agencies to advise the Provincial People's Committee to launch many instructive and operative documents to achieve assigned tasks: Distributing essential goods and services for pandemic prevention and control; supporting businesses with COVID-19 vaccinations; and connecting and consuming agricultural and aquatic products.

Accordingly, the Department of Industry and Trade has coordinated with businesses to work out plans for commodity and food reserves, and grant SMS messages to 898 shippers of 27 companies to meet delivery demands. In addition, the department has stepped up support worker vaccination for enterprises. As a result, 8,017 shippers and employees of supermarkets, convenience stores and small businesses were vaccinated.

In particular, to support agricultural sales, the Department of Industry and Trade has reviewed local products to make marketing support plans. As a result, the department has assisted localities to sell over 10,000 tons of agricultural and aquatic products during the COVID-19 pandemic time.

Furthermore, to support the business community to access e-commerce platforms, the Department of Industry and Trade has worked with relevant bodies to introduce local products on e-commerce applications like Voso.vn, Shopee.vn and Sendo.vn. Typically, Tan Qui Cooperative based in Cau Ke district cooperated with Shopee.vn and Sendo.vn e-commerce platforms to market 10.18 tons of fruits.

Others included reducing power bills for people and businesses; organizing meetings with trade associations and investors to share and assist in solving difficulties and stabilizing production and business.

To date, although the pandemic is still complicated, local manufacturing is guaranteed. Most businesses have restarted manufacturing and business recovery and created a solid position for economic development.

What fields have the industry and trade sector focused investment priorities and solutions on for strengthened sustainable development and higher added value for the sector?

In the coming time, Tra Vinh province will focus on developing industry, trade and services, especially locally advantageous industries; accelerating business development, promoting entrepreneurship and innovation, and expanding consumer markets. At the same time, the province will continue to attract new investors to develop industries and create added industrial value.

The Department of Industry and Trade will coordinate with concerned sectors and localities to strengthen communications on policies to woo domestic and foreign investors to invest and develop industrial complexes like Tan Ngai (Chau Thanh district), Phu Can (Tieu Can district), Sa Binh (Long Duc commune, Tra Vinh City) and Hiep My Tay (Cau Ngang district). The province encourages and attracts investment flows for prioritized industries that make high value-added products, applying clean, energy-saving and environment-friendly technologies.

To become a renewable energy center of the region, the province will continue to develop wind farms, solar parks and biomass power plants - local strengths and potential. Recently, the industry and trade sector has supported about 30 electricity projects according to the Power Development Plan VIII, proposed the Provincial People's Committee to ask the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Prime Minister for ratifying the province’s total potential capacity of 46,505.13 MW1 (including 33,787MW of wind power; 7,587MW3 of solar power; 110MW of biomass power; 21.13MW of waste-to-power; and 5,000MW of gas power).

Regarding commerce, the sector will concentrate on attracting investment capital to build logistics service centers, supermarkets, trade centers and small markets to meet consumers’ needs and modernize urban development. It will step up trade promotion, expand export markets, diversify products, and gradually restructure export products towards higher value-added content.

Moreover, the department will continue to work with other sectors to advise the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee to strongly improve the investment and business environment, reform administrative procedures; remove difficulties and obstacles, and create the best favorable conditions for people and enterprises to stabilize production and business.