In the first 6 months of 2024, Kon Tum province's socio-economy has achieved many encouraging results such as GRDP reaching VND 8,165 billion, up 6.47% higher than the national average, ranking 30th out of 63 provinces and cities and the highest in the 5 Central Highlands provinces. Important sectors such as agriculture, forestry, industry and construction, and services all had an increase of over 5%.

VCCI Vice Chairman Nguyen Quang Vinh acknowledged that administrative reform, business environment improvement, and business support in Kon Tum province have achieved many positive results.

According to Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) Nguyen Quang Vinh, Kon Tum province is located in the Central

Highlands region with many difficulties, so this is an encouraging result and achievement. It can be said that the efforts of the entire political system and the business community of the province in improving the business environment, focusing resources, creating momentum for the recovery and socio-economic development of the province have been rewarded with quite impressive growth figures.

VCCI also highly appreciated the province's efforts in improving the business investment environment, creating favorable conditions for attracting investment, developing enterprises, and developing the economy in recent years. Under the lens of the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI), the business community in Kon Tum has quite positive assessments when the province's PCI index in 2023 continues to maintain an upward trend.

Of the 10 component indices, 4 component indices including Market Entry, Time Cost, Business Support Policy and Labor Training will maintain an upward trend in 2023, in which the two component indices Time Cost and Labor Training have continuously increased in rank from 2021 to present.

"We highly appreciate the province's efforts in administrative reform, improving the business environment, supporting businesses with the right policies and very specific actions", said the Vice Chairman of VCCI.

Kon Tum province's socio-economic growth has been good every year.

Specifically, implementing Resolution No. 02/NQ-CP, Kon Tum Provincial People's Committee issued an Action Program on key tasks and solutions to improve the business environment and enhance national competitiveness in 2024 in Decision No. 23/QD-UBND dated January 19, 2024; at the same time, continue to direct agencies, units and localities in the province to effectively implement Resolution No. 11-NQ/TU dated May 23, 2022 of the Provincial Party Committee "On improving the investment environment, enhancing provincial competitiveness and increasing investment attraction in the province by 2025, with a vision to 2030"; Program No. 2359/CTr-UBND dated July 22, 2022 of the Provincial People's Committee on implementing Resolution No. 11-NQ/TU dated May 16, 2022 of the Provincial Party Committee...

Since the beginning of 2024, the province has issued 54 Decisions announcing the list of newly issued administrative procedures; amending, supplementing and abolishing administrative procedures under the jurisdiction of state administrative agencies at all levels in Kon Tum province.

Kon Tum has also reviewed administrative procedures related to the satisfaction assessment index of people and businesses in handling administrative procedures to promptly remove difficulties, obstacles and shortcomings in the implementation process.

In particular, the work of improving the business environment and supporting businesses has also received attention from all levels and sectors in the province with the motto "Government accompanies businesses", creating the best conditions for the business community to operate within the legal framework. The Provincial People's Committee maintains the Dialogue Program with businesses twice a year and the Business - Entrepreneur Coffee Program periodically every month.

At the same time, maintain the implementation of DDCI assessment to grasp the limitations and shortcomings in economic management and operation of departments, branches, sectors and district levels,...

Despite many efforts and initial results, improving the business environment and supporting enterprises in the province still has limitations and the province still has a lot of room for improvement. According to VCCI Vice Chairman Nguyen Quang Vinh, through the PCI index, it can be seen that the market entry index is ranked quite low, with a downward trend in the last 2 years and a low ranking.

Specifically, enterprises still face difficulties and obstacles in implementing conditional business licensing procedures. The Transparency component index also shows that enterprises do not highly appreciate the quality of information provided by the province through the province's official electronic information pages, especially news related to investment incentives.

“For a business to feel secure in investing and doing business in the province, creating a secure and orderly environment and ensuring the maintenance of legal institutions is very important. However, the Legal Institutions and Security Index also decreased by 8 levels in the past year. Businesses still seem hesitant to use the court to resolve disputes. The rate of businesses trusting in the ability of the law to protect copyright or enforce contracts is lower than in other provinces and cities,” said the Vice President of VCCI.

To improve PCI Kon Tum in the coming time, VCCI Vice Chairman Nguyen Quang Vinh proposed 6 solutions for localities to apply and implement.

Firstly, identifying and removing difficulties and bottlenecks in policies and mechanisms, and unblocking resources to create favorable conditions for enterprises to operate in production, business and investment is an important goal in the socio-economic development of the province. Taking enterprises as the center, the driving force and the goal for development, strongly improving the investment and business environment, supporting and promoting private economic development; perfecting mechanisms and policies to attract investment in the province.

Continuing to review and remove limitations and shortcomings in mechanisms and policies related to investment procedures, planning, land, construction, site clearance, fire prevention and fighting, and environment; having solutions to facilitate access to credit capital and labor force to serve production and business for enterprises. Along with that, promote administrative reform, administrative procedures, improve the business investment environment to reduce compliance costs for businesses.

Secondly, continue to maintain regular and in-depth business dialogues to promptly grasp and promptly and effectively resolve difficulties and problems for businesses. In the context of the world economy still having unpredictable fluctuations due to the influence of world geopolitics, businesses in the province really need to be listened to, timely supported and accompanied by authorities at all levels.

Thirdly, promote linkages between the Central Highlands provinces, regional linkages between the Central Highlands and the Central Coast; the Central Highlands and the Southeast. Coordinate with provinces and cities in the Central Coast and the Central Highlands, Ho Chi Minh City and other potential Southeast provinces that have signed cooperation linkage programs with the province to implement cooperation programs, create regional, industry and sector linkages.

Fourthly, promote the introduction and promotion of the investment environment, the list of projects calling for investment and invite businesses to invest in the province. The province has issued a list of projects calling for investment, which is very good, but it is better to be more specific in the "parameters" of preferential policies and mechanisms, support (if any), support contacts, investment compliance requirements... so that investors have sufficient data to evaluate and appraise the effectiveness of the project and make early decisions, "put money down" in investment,...

Fifthly is to promote green transformation of businesses and the economy.

The province's strength is still the agricultural and forestry sector... the industry has not developed strongly, but the province's PGI green index is outside the TOP 30, so it needs more attention.

“VCCI is actively promoting green transformation activities in enterprises and the economy through the provincial PGI index and especially the Program for assessing and announcing sustainable enterprises in Vietnam, the Sustainable Development Business Forum... We look forward to receiving the support and cooperation of the province in implementing green transformation programs in the coming time”, said the Vice Chairman of VCCI.

Sixth, effectively implementing the action program to implement Resolution No. 41-NQ/TW, dated October 10, 2023 of the Politburo on building and promoting the role of Vietnamese entrepreneurs in the new period. Special attention is paid to developing the province's business and entrepreneur team, which is increasing strongly in both quantity and quality to shorten the gap with other localities in the region. Kon Tum is the province with the lowest number of enterprises and the ratio of enterprises per 1,000 people in the Central Highlands region.