Being the only provincial city in Vietnam located near the Vietnam - China border and the starting point of the Kunming (China) - Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong - Quang Ninh (Vietnam) Economic Corridor, Lao Cai City has a particularly important position in the development strategy of Lao Cai province and of Vietnam in general. The government and people of Lao Cai City have united to overcome all difficulties and challenges and achieved many important social and economic results. Mr. Hoang Dang Khoa, Chairman of Lao Cai City People's Committee, grants an exclusive interview to Vietnam Business Forum’s reporter on solutions to realize the goal of building a modern and smart elegant city. Duy Binh reports.

To realize the goal of building Lao Cai toward a first-class urban area and a smart city in 2020 - 2025, what solutions and tasks will the city adopt?

To make the above plans come true, governmental agencies of all tiers and people of all walks of life have unanimously coordinated and carried out many solutions with the highest determination. First of all, the city has prioritized investment for infrastructure construction, area expansion, construction acceleration and landscaping. In the past five years, all development plans have been carried out synchronously and effectively, thus giving a facelift to the urban landscape. The city has prepared and submitted for approval 307 urban planning projects and sectoral planning projects, with a total area of nearly 4,000 ha, for infrastructure construction and operation.

Carrying out Decision 1020/QD-UBND of the Provincial People's Committee on revised master plan of Lao Cai City and its vicinity to 2040, with a vision to 2050, the city has focused on developing main urban space axes. Specifically, the landscape corridor along the two banks of the Red River is an ecological landscape corridor featured by water surface, trees, service, tourism, trade and entertainment, in combination with buildings, townhouses, villas, public works and architectural bridges across the river. The corridor along Tran Hung Dao Boulevard is an administrative - political - cultural - educational and commercial service center chain. The Hoang Lien - Hoang Quoc Viet corridor is a space of commercial and economic urban centers in the south of the city, combined with urban housing projects and commercial and service works. The landscape chain along Ngoi Dum, Ngoi Duong, Ngoi San and Ngoi Bo streams features commercial facilities, resort services and hot spring bathing, combined with villas and townhouses. Urban corridors form an urban chain, relatively independent, complete, interactive and supportive for joint sustainable development.

Beside urban space development, Lao Cai City focuses on improving people's living conditions by improving technical infrastructure services, social infrastructure and urban environment. Traffic routes have been restored and upgraded and sociocultural infrastructure has also expanded in the city. Urbanization has been accelerated, with focus placed on decoration, lighting system installation, water supply and drainage system construction, sidewalk construction, tree planting and green urbanization.

To realize the goal of building a civilized and modern city, apart from investing in completing infrastructure and changing the urban appearance, over the years, Lao Cai City has effectively applied order-keeping principles. This program concentrates on managing construction order, roadway and sidewalk order and public order; managing urban cultural construction and civilized lifestyles, ensuring traffic order and safety and urban security and order, and managing urban beauty and environmental sanitation.

To build urban infrastructure and landscaping architecture that meet first-class urban criteria and standards and move toward smart city standards in 2020 - 2025, Lao Cai City will carry out consistent tasks and solutions: Concentrating investment resources for some key projects that foster social and economic development, connect western parts of the city to the left of Noi Bai - Lao Cai Highway and effectively use the land fund. The city will complete the traffic landscape system along the Red River that links to the Kim Thanh International Border Gate and Lao Cai International Border Gate. It will improve the quality of urban planning projects, ensure a long-term vision, and calculate investment resources for each phase. It will apply and integrate ideas and criteria on sustainable green and smart city development in planning projects. Lao Cai will also actively invite strategic investors to study and establish feasible projects based on the Master Plan to 2040 and further to 2050, and the Social and Economy Development Plan approved by the Government

In 2019, Lao Cai City ranked No. 7 out of nine localities in the District and Department Competitiveness Index (DDCI), scoring 76.8 points. In 2020, the city climbed to No. 2. Would you be kind enough to reveal some solutions behind the higher DDCI Index of Lao Cai City?

In 2019, Lao Cai City ranked 7th in the DDCI Index with 76.8 points. Without doubt, this was a very low standing for a provincial capital as it was. To improve its DDCI ranking in 2020 and beyond, Lao Cai City was resolved to bring DDCI to the top of the ranking list. In particular, the city paid special attention to applying information technology and digital technology to managing, administering and carrying out its tasks to uplift its DDCI standing to No. 2 in 2020. To have the above results, the city focused on some following solutions:

One, market entry cost, public service quality of granting licenses and effect of inspection; effect of administrative procedure reform, quality of public services and the effect of single-window service; and informal charges.

Two, Dynamism and innovation of district leaders; effect of communication and accountability; information transparency and fair treatment; and effect of business support.

Three, effect of tax procedures; access to land and business locations; application of information technology and e-government to administration; sustainable and inclusive development in administration.

Four, the city is also determined to be really and clearly responsible and play a better role in improving the investment environment. This is among important tasks to improve operating capacity.

Would you mind describing some commitments of Lao Cai City to improve the investment environment and enhance business support?

Determining that investment attraction is an important factor to boost socioeconomic development, Lao Cai City always facilitates and supports businesses and investors in tax and rent exemption and reduction, quick settlement of procedures; instruction and support for carrying out procedures in respect of business registration, investment certification and business support. The city attaches much importance to administrative reform, especially administrative procedure reform in the single-window service.

To create a clean land fund for investors, the city government is always keen to solve problems emerging from land compensation and site clearance. The process of land recovery, land allocation, land lease, compensation approval and resettlement support is carried out under the law.

The city always sides with enterprises in all activities; regularly coordinates with provincial agencies to help them deal with business and investment difficulties; strictly manages land in industrial zones and handicraft villages; selects suitable and quality projects engaged in agricultural and food processing and eco-friendly projects. The city also applies science and technology to production, facilitates them to access new technologies in order to reduce production costs and enhance product quality and competitiveness.

With many support solutions, the business community is constantly growing in size, quality and quantity and actively contributing to local socioeconomic development.

Thank you very much!