Chairman of VCCI (left side) presents a souvenir to the Chairman of the People's Committee of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province (right side).

On the morning of September 8, 2023, Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) Pham Tan Cong and Chairman of the People's Committee of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, Nguyen Van Tho, had a meeting and worked at the headquarters of the Provincial People's Committee of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

Attending the meeting and working session were Vice Chairman of VCCI Vo Tan Thanh; Director of VCCI Ho Chi Minh City Branch Tran Ngoc Liem; Director of VCCI Can Tho Branch Nguyen Phuong Lam; Deputy Editor-in-Chief in charge of the Business Forum Magazine Nguyen Linh Anh, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Business Forum Magazine Pham Hung.

The VCCI delegation was also welcomed by representatives of the leadership of various departments and agencies of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tho stated that Ba Ria-Vung Tau province always places a strong emphasis on developing transportation infrastructure in its economic development plans and regional connectivity investments.

Welcoming the delegation, Chairman of the People's Committee of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, Mr. Nguyen Van Tho, has assessed over the past few years that the province has consistently maintained close cooperation with VCCI. These relationships have remained strong and continue to be nurtured at an increasingly higher level.

He mentioned that the province's economic development plan is focused on cooperation, investment in connectivity, and regional linkage. The province is vigorously working on completing the expressway, particularly the Phuoc An Bridge project connecting with provinces in the Southwestern region.

When the Phuoc An Bridge is completed, the road connecting the Southwest and Vung Tau will be significantly shortened. This route not only serves the seaport but also connects to tourist areas and coastal regions. The bridge has an investment value of 5 trillion VND and is one of the largest-span bridges in Vietnam. Provincial leadership regularly oversees and checks the progress of the project.

Ba Ria-Vung Tau not only prioritizes inter-provincial connectivity investments but also continuously improves and enhances internal transportation routes. The province's transportation system has now extended to the administrative commune level. 

Ba Ria-Vung Tau also pays great attention to businesses. Currently, the province has approximately 21,000 businesses. Compared to a population of nearly 1.2 million, this is a relatively high density of businesses per capita, which is noteworthy.

In recent times, the province has successfully undertaken a project to comprehensively survey all businesses and classify them by industry and tax category. After classification, the province will have a more precise and practical direction to support businesses.

However, there are still some lingering issues in the province's business environment. Within the province, there are many large enterprises, such as those in the oil and gas sector, which execute significant contracts and require large suppliers. Local leaders have noted that while the province has many raw material producers, these businesses and consumer businesses have not yet effectively connected with each other, causing many large enterprises to seek outside sources. Therefore, Ba Ria-Vung Tau has set the task of connecting and linking these businesses together.

Another issue is that, despite having many businesses, there is a lack of truly strong businesses to serve as pillars. The province is working on establishing five pillar businesses in each sector and will strongly support them by creating favorable conditions for their operations.

In addition to supporting businesses, the province also focuses on building and caring for its labor force. Ba Ria-Vung Tau has a population of over 1 million people, including more than 300,000 workers. Besides providing employment opportunities, the province is also concerned about issues related to housing, wages, and the well-being of its labor force. The province has plans to create residential areas with full amenities such as healthcare and education for workers. According to Mr. Tho, by 2030, Ba Ria-Vung Tau aims to eliminate all worker dormitories.

The Chairman of the People's Committee of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province requested that VCCI continue to show interest and provide support to create a more conducive environment and share experiences and solutions for issues related to businesses.

Chairman of VCCI Pham Tan Cong highly appreciates the business environment in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province.

Mr. Pham Tan Cong, Chairman of VCCI, has high praise for the leadership of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province. He believes it's not surprising that Ba Ria-Vung Tau consistently ranks at the top in the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI), and even in the top 5 in the past year.

According to the Chairman of VCCI, the PCI reflects businesses' perspective on the province's business environment. A high PCI indicates a business-friendly environment.

Mr. Pham Tan Cong also mentions that, according to the viewpoint of the Communist Party, the community of entrepreneurs is identified as the backbone in the process of industrialization and modernization of the country. To achieve economic independence and self-reliance, there must be Vietnamese national entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs play a very important role.

In terms of the business environment in each province, businesses are most concerned about policies, planning, infrastructure, and the behavior of government officials towards businesses. Ba Ria-Vung Tau is performing very well in all these four criteria, promising to be a highly attractive environment for businesses.

Chairman of VCCI Pham Tan Cong expresses his hope that Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province will continue to cooperate more closely in the future.

On the same afternoon, Chairman of VCCI Pham Tan Cong and Chairman of the People's Committee of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, along with VCCI leaders, local officials, and representatives from various agencies, will participate in the event "Logistics Development Partnership - Driving Force for Economic Growth in the Southeastern Region," taking place at the Ba Ria-Vung Tau Provincial Conference Center.

According to QUAN BAO - DINH DAI (Business Forum Magazine).