Could you tell us about the economic growth targets of Bac Ninh province in 2023? What are the main and new contents of investment attraction promotion in the coming time?

Resolution 175/NQ-HDND dated December 9, 2022 of the Provincial People's Council on goals, tasks and solutions for socio-economic development in 2023 states: "Promoting economic growth, accelerating economic restructuring towards green and sustainable development; controlling the pandemic; focus on developing modern high-tech industry, trade and utility services; building a synchronous and modern infrastructure system, especially important and key projects; speeding up the progress of upgrading and developing cultured and modern urban areas, moving closer to the goal of making Bac Ninh a centrally governed city; improving the quality of human resources; promoting scientific and technological development and application, innovation, digital transformation and green transformation.”

Some specific goals include the gross regional domestic product (GRDP) growth of 6.5-7.0%; per capita income of VND69.5 million (US$3,000), up 6.4% or an increase of VND4.2 million over 2022; total investment fund of VND60 trillion (US$2.6 billion); and total state budget revenue of VND31.63 trillion, up 2.4% against 2022.

To achieve these goals, the province has adopted many new contents in investment promotion plans like grasping every opportunity to interact with investors. Specifically, the province has improved the business investment environment and encouraged existing investors to call others to the province; and actively received and worked with investment promotion and connection agencies, including embassies, foreign trade and investment promotion agencies in Vietnam and large foreign-invested firms in the province.

In addition, the province has organized dialogues with investors and businesses and helped them promptly solve difficulties and problems; and enhanced information technology application, transparency and quality at its electronic information portals. In 2023, Bac Ninh province will hold an investment promotion conference to introduce its investment and business climate and call for new investors.

On the path to becoming a centrally governed city, what are the investment attraction requirements that Bac Ninh set for the coming time, especially in developing high-tech industries, value chains and green smart factories?

To make Bac Ninh a centrally run city, in the coming time, investment attraction is defined to play an important role and be a key resource for socioeconomic development. The private economy has become an important driving force of the economy, in which the foreign-invested economy is an integral part.

In the coming time, investment attraction must be associated with the knowledge economy, high-tech production and sustainable development based on its project selection criteria: Using less land, less manpower; having higher economic efficiency, higher budget contribution and higher technological content.

The province will focus on attracting green investment, high-tech industry, supporting industry, hi-tech agriculture, clean agriculture, high-class service and trade complexes, infrastructure and urban development investment projects. Priority is given to modern and environmentally friendly high-tech industries (semiconductor, chip manufacturing, non-energy and energy transformation), logistics, urban development and other fields.

In addition, according to the draft provincial master plan for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, the province's industry will be developed to elevate its position on the value chain, make Bac Ninh a leading manufacturing center of finished electronics in Vietnam, and continue to be the main driving force for economic growth. At the same time, the province will diversify the industry; develop the pharmaceutical industry and medical technology, and utilize its advantages of electronic equipment manufacturing for medical equipment manufacturing, semiconductor chip manufacturing, terminal equipment manufacturing and regenerative energy equipment production.

 Dap Cau Garment Joint Stock Company

To further improve the "Market Entry" Subindex in the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) and to support businesses, what solutions have you adopted?

To carry out Resolution 01/NQ-CP of the Government on key tasks and solutions for a better business environment and stronger national competitiveness in 2023 and Directive 02/CT-UBND dated 10 February 23, 2023 of the Provincial People's Committee on implementation of main tasks and solutions for a better business environment and stronger competitiveness of Bac Ninh province, we have been implementing the following main tasks and solutions:

Further communicating and disseminating methods of online and postal business registration procedures on the mass media.

Publicizing business and investment-related administrative procedures on its website and at the Provincial Public Administration Center.

Maintaining a 30% reduction in the time of receiving, processing and returning results for all business registration procedures; deploying swift services at the Provincial Public Administration Center; receiving, processing and returning results within a day for some simple procedures.

Facilitating businesses to cut costs and time needed for carrying out administrative procedures to enter the market.

Effectively implementing the Law on SME Support and the Bac Ninh SME Support Project in the 2020-2025 period.

Supporting and facilitating people and businesses; selecting professionally capable and experienced employees to work at the Provincial Public Administration Center.

Improving the effect of applying and using the National Information System on Business Registration, the National Information System on Foreign Investment, and National Information System on Cooperative Registration.

Enhancing the effectiveness of business support through the Provincial Business Support Working Group and other forms of business advisory.

In 2022, Bac Ninh province ranked 3rd in the Provincial Green Index (PGI). What do you have to say about economic development and environmental protection in Bac Ninh over the past time?

Bac Ninh always pays attention to economic development together with environmental protection and considers this a very important task. The province strives to promote sustainable economic development built on a close, reasonable and harmonious combination of three pillars: Economy - society - environment.

On May 9, 2019, the province issued Decision 222/QD-UBND on ratification of the Provincial Environmental Protection Master Plan in 2019-2025; Resolution 02/2022/NQ-HDND on investment policies and environmental pollution treatment support in rural areas and craft villages in Bac Ninh province.

While integrating political and professional tasks with environmental protection, the province built three centralized domestic waste treatment zones and a system of waste incinerators. Nine out of 10 industrial parks were invested with centralized wastewater treatment systems and installed with continuous automatic wastewater monitoring stations. The province also launched plastic waste reduction movements and farming field cleansing movements. It also scaled up waste classification and treatment models using indigenous microorganisms (IMO) in households, villages and communes; provided garbage collection trucks; and planted trees around waste treatment areas.

At the same time, the province pays attention to raising awareness of environmental protection, monitors and manages air and water quality, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and encourages environmentally responsible business.

These efforts not only help reduce negative impacts on the environment but also bring many benefits to the community.

Thank you very much!