New driving forces for Quang Tri’s development

On December 29, 2023, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha signed Decision No. 1737 approving the provincial planning of Quang Tri for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050. This provincial planning holds significant importance, as it provides the highest legal framework, encompassing all aspects, and serving as the backbone for the province’s development. It’s a new driving force and opportunity for Quang Tri to implement development strategies, aiming to realize the set goals and become a new economic center in the future.

By 2030, Quang Tri aims to achieve a relatively developed level among provinces nationwide. Photo: H.N.K

Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Vo Van Hung emphasized that the provincial planning of Quang Tri for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, is in line with the Party and State’s resolutions, with the socio-economic development orientation of the country, the National Strategy for Green and Sustainable Growth, unified with the national planning system, national sectoral planning, North Central Coastal and Central Coast Regional Planning, and related plans. The approved provincial planning plays a particularly important role in the province’s development, providing a long-term vision, opening up new directions and development spaces, outlining crucial strategic directions to propel the province towards rapid and sustainable development by mobilizing domestic and international investment resources and efficiently exploiting the province’s existing potentials and strengths.

Quang Tri expects to become one of the comprehensive economic centers of the North Central Coast and Central Coast regions.

By 2030, Quang Tri aims to achieve a relatively developed level among provinces nationwide, with a basic economic structure as an industrial-service province, becoming one of the comprehensive economic centers of the North Central Coast and Central Coast regions, a logistics and goods transit hub of the Southeast Asia region and ASEAN corridors, improving people’s lives.

By 2050, Quang Tri aspires to become a province with a strong and sustainable economy, with its main structure being industry and services, serving as one of the driving forces for the development of the North Central Coast and Central Coast regions, ensuring national border security, and providing a happy life for its people. The provincial planning has specified the development focus areas, sectors, and territories, providing a list of priority key projects to attract both domestic and international funding for implementation.

Quang Tri has defined strategic development objectives such as harmonious economic, social, and environmental development.

Based on existing advantages and understanding the global economic transition trends, Quang Tri province has seriously studied and formulated a development planning strategy until 2030 and a vision until 2050. It has defined strategic development objectives such as harmonious economic, social, and environmental development, completing the investment in a synchronized transportation infrastructure system, including road, rail, waterway, seaport, and airport, creating a strong transformation in industrial, commercial, service infrastructure, and tourism to lay the groundwork for breakthrough development in the next phase.

Regarding the organization of socio-economic activities, it has clearly identified the development sub-regions, including the midland and high plains region, coastal areas, lowland areas (between coastal areas and high plains), and western mountainous areas.

Dynamic economic corridors have been established to connect the se sub-regions, including the central development corridor focusing on industrial, tourism, service activities, and urban areas, connected with the national technical infrastructure corridors in the north-south direction. The coastal development corridor focuses on the gas industry, and multi-sector industries exploiting the advantages of seaports, logistic services, eco-tourism urban areas, and coastal ecological areas linked to ecosystem restoration. The east-west development corridor along National Highway 9; the east-west development corridor along National Highway 15D; the border-economic corridor and supporting corridor linked with the Ho Chi Minh Road branch to the west, connecting with the east-west corridors; the supporting corridor along Highway 9D, connecting urban areas of Ho Xa-Ben Quan-Huong Phung with coastal areas and western mountainous regions to exploit the potential and advantages of the East-West international corridor, connecting Lao Bao-Dong Ha-Cua Viet border gates, developing logistics, commerce, services, tourism, improving living environment quality, supporting sustainable forest development linked with communities and ecological tourism, ensuring national border security.

In 2023 alone, the whole province attracted 50 new investment projects with a capital of VND3.4 trillion.

Up to now, there are more than 650 investment projects with valid licenses operating throughout the province, with a total investment capital of nearly VND237 trillion, including 21 foreign direct investment projects with a total registered capital of US$2.5 million.

In 2023 alone, the whole province attracted 50 new investment projects with a capital of VND3.4 trillion (increasing by 167% compared to 2022). This figure is forecasted to continue to increase in the coming years, as many infrastructure projects of the province are being concentrated on implementation and gradually completed, such as Quang Tri Industrial Park, Northwest Ho Xa Industrial Park, Quang Tri Airport, My Thuy Seaport, Cam Lo Highway...

Such a vibrant prospect also imposes an inevitable requirement for the local administrative system to modernize adapt and enhance management quality. Recognizing this demand, Quang Tri province has implemented the e-Single Window model - centralized reception and result return through the Provincial Public Administration Service Center.

From 2018 to the present, about 1.5 million administrative procedures have been received and processed through the system. The model has received positive feedback and suggestions for improvement from citizens and businesses. Deputy Director of the Department of Planning and Investment (DPI) Le Thi Thuong said that the DPI has timely researched and applied many technological innovation initiatives to support investors and efficiently manage investment and business data across the province.

In 2023, the DPI advised the Provincial People’s Committee to build a database management system for investment projects in the province. The system includes many outstanding features in managing data of licensed projects, updating the implementation status of administrative procedures after investment decisions and project deployment progress; monitoring the signing of investment implementation deposit and the process of inspection and supervision of investment; investors are provided with accounts to submit online reports on project implementation results periodically as regulated, helping to shorten the update time of investment registration authorities and strengthen the role and responsibility of investors... Up to now, the system has integrated information from more than 500 investment projects and is being continuously updated. The DPI is coordinating with the Management Board of Provincial Economic Zones and related agencies to finalize the management regulations and operation of the system; it is expected to submit to the Provincial People’s Committee for issuance and officially put the system into operation in April 2024.

Additionally, Quang Tri province has been developing and implementing several other models to simplify administrative procedures and optimize state management, such as the software for registering and managing cooperatives, household businesses, and enterprises in the province (already operational); and the software for state management in the field of inspection and examination in the province (under construction). The Department of Planning and Investment has proactively implemented solutions to provide comprehensive support and maximum assistance to enterprises in order to timely resolve difficulties for businesses and enhance the efficiency of handling administrative procedures related to investment. They have maintained hotlines and Zalo groups for investors according to the management areas to timely share new legal regulations, announcements, and newly issued policies of government authorities at all levels, and to provide legal guidance for investors both during and outside of office hours.

These solutions have brought about significant improvements in the process of document preparation and administrative procedure resolution in the province. Investors are gradually grasping and understanding better the legal regulations that must be complied with in investment and business activities. Many investors have provided positive feedback and are satisfied with the investment support work of the province, hoping to continue receiving support and assistance from various levels and sectors in the process of operating in Quang Tri. This is an encouraging sign for a business-friendly, open, and sincere investment environment for investors coming to Quang Tri.

The provincial development plan has attracted a lot of attention from various levels, sectors, units, localities, and people, as well as businesses within and outside the province, regarding the fundamental and core contents of the plan, and the spirit and aspirations to propel Quang Tri into rapid, comprehensive, and sustainable development.

Nguyen Viet Nen, former Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, stated: "I highly appreciate the high sense of responsibility and determination of the provincial leadership and relevant agencies and units in implementing the provincial planning work. To successfully realize the set goals and aspirations, it is necessary to elevate the spirit of unity, dynamism, creativity, and high determination to exploit and utilize the existing advantages of the province in terms of economic geographical location, natural resources, minerals, aquatic resources, and cultural and historical relics. Furthermore, combining with new strengths being invested in, forming in terms of infrastructure, transportation, clean energy... is creating clear and outstanding competitive advantages for Quang Tri to attract investors from the North Central Coast and the Central Coast regions, as well as internationally. Moreover, we need to find ways to overcome existing difficulties and constraints to create an attractive environment for effective investment projects; there must be careful consideration of the priority order of strategic projects, especially strategic projects such as Quang Tri Industrial Park, Quang Tri Airport, My Thuy Seaport... thereby, creating strong momentum for economic development, more effective investment attraction. Quang Tri has made significant strides in development, but internal resources still face many difficulties, so it is essential for the Central Government to continue to pay special attention to realizing these dreams. I myself always believe that Quang Tri will reach new heights in the future, even though the journey ahead will encounter many difficulties and challenges."

Hoang Thi Le Hang, Deputy Secretary of the Youth Union of the Department of Planning and Investment, said: "From the goals and directions set forth in the provincial planning, along with the efforts made by the authorities at all levels, businesses, and the people in implementation, I fully believe and hope for a future of synchronized, modern, and vibrant development for Quang Tri province. In that vision, Quang Tri province has a solid, comprehensive infrastructure foundation; a comprehensive, effective legal framework; establishing an investment-friendly, modern, and attractive business environment; overcoming bottlenecks and constraints in terms of mechanisms, infrastructure, and human resources. These are the driving forces to successfully attract investors to Quang Tri, realize the proposed projects, and propel Quang Tri to become a new economic center."

Hang believes that herself and young people must take responsibility and strive to contribute to realizing the goals set forth in the planning. Accordingly, in addition to fulfilling their assigned tasks well, everyone must continuously learn, research to propose new, innovative, and progressive solutions to modernize state administration, establish an investment-friendly, convenient environment, and effectively attract private investment; actively apply information technology in handling administrative procedures and managing investment projects; actively promote the potential, strengths of the locality through digital technology... thereby, contributing to building Quang Tri province into an attractive and reliable destination for investors both domestically and internationally.

The approved provincial planning has provided new impetus for Quang Tri to confidently enter a new phase. It is believed that with the comprehensive strength of the political system, along with the high unity, consensus of officials, party members, and people working together with determination to realize the goals and aspirations, Quang Tri will achieve brilliant and impressive successes as expected.

Minh Duc - Ngoc Mai