Quang Tri’s 2021-2030 planning seeks new driving forces for growth

Chairman of the Quang Tri People’s Committee, Vo Van Hung, discussed the province’s potential and prospects for attracting investment capital in an interview with Quang Tri Newspaper, following the recent approval of its master plan.

Open up new opportunities

At a conference between the Standing Government and 63 localities to address difficulties in planning projects, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính emphasized: "Good planning leads to good projects, good projects attract good investors, and good investors help efficiently utilize public investment and foster effective economic development." With the provincial planning of Quang Tri now approved by the Prime Minister and recognized as "good planning," the question arises: In which key sectors will the province focus on attracting investment in the near future to harness its potential, enhance its internal resources, and accelerate economic growth?

Provincial planning holds significant importance in creating strategic breakthroughs in institutional reform, turning challenges into opportunities, enhancing investment attraction, and efficiently utilizing resources for socio-economic development, national defense, security, and environmental protection. Additionally, the planning is developed using a completely new approach, serving as a crucial legal foundation for synchronized connectivity and resolving conflicts to maximize the locality’s potential, advantages, and opportunities, thereby promoting economic development and improving the material and spiritual life of the people.

The provincial planning emphasizes the urgent need for infrastructure development, particularly in regional and inter-regional transportation connectivity and industrial zone infrastructure. It identifies priority investment areas and aims to create clean land to attract investors. This foundation is crucial for spatial orientation for future development needs, creating favorable conditions to attract external resources for the province’s socio-economic development.

Ground breaking ceremony of the My Thuy Port, Hai Lang District - Photo: T.T

With the perspective that provincial planning must have breakthrough thinking and strategic vision, the province aims to achieve by 2030 a development level among the top provinces in the country, with an economic structure primarily comprising industry and services. Quang Tri aims to become a comprehensive economic center (industrial, service, marine economy, clean energy, and renewable energy) in the North Central and Central Coast regions.

Infrastructure is one of the most crucial factors influencing local economic development. Therefore, the province prioritizes attracting investment in building and developing key economic corridor connections, such as the road corridor from La Lay International Border Gate to My Thuy, connecting with Laos and Thailand; Cam Lo-Lao Bao Expressway, National Highway 15D, logistics infrastructure, seaports, airports, urban infrastructure, and industrial infrastructure.

Regarding sectoral development, the province focuses on attracting investment in sectors with significant potential and advantages, emphasizing new and high technology and sustainable development. Projects include deep processing industries with high added value, such as energy (gas power, wind power), supporting industries, wood processing, silicate, large-scale and high-tech livestock farming, logistics infrastructure, resort tourism, spiritual tourism, cultural-historical tourism, commercial centers, hospitals, and high-quality educational institutions. Identifying energy industry development as a crucial pillar, Quang Tri focuses on attracting investment in renewable energy, biomass power, hydrogen power, and concentrating gas power, wind power, and gas industries in coastal areas and Con Co Island. The province also prioritizes applying technology to produce green hydrogen and green ammonia from renewable energy sources.

The Southeast Quang Tri Economic Zone is expected to become a comprehensive maritime economic zone, focusing on energy industry, multi-sectoral industries leveraging coastal advantages, and logistics. The development of My Thuy port aims to make it a regional and global transshipment center. Establishing and developing the Lao Bao (Quang Tri) - Densavan (Laos) cross-border economic and trade zone is also a priority.

Building a synchronized logistics infrastructure with the transportation system, focusing on logistics centers in Hai Lang, Gio Linh, Cam Lo, and Lao Bao areas is emphasized. Developing advanced, high-tech processing industries, high-tech agriculture, and organic agriculture aims to create greater value on limited land resources and meet the increasing consumer demand.

Tourism development aims to make it a spearhead economic sector, building the Quang Tri tourism brand based on leveraging its symbolic values of strong post-war recovery, war memories, and peace aspirations. This will capitalize on the advantages of seas, islands, ecology, and culture, and connect inter-regionally within the Central Heritage tourism system and national and international economic corridors.

A particular focus is on attracting investment in the “tourism triangle” of Cua Tung - Cua Viet - Con Co Island, the final point reaching the sea of the East-West Economic Corridor through the Lao Bao and La Lay International Border Gates, connecting Vietnam with Laos, Northeastern Thailand, and Myanmar. Promoting and attracting investment in marine and island tourism, the province aims to create a favorable, open, and equal environment for investors in infrastructure, facilities for marine ecological tourism, and resort tourism.

Lao Bao International Border Gate from above. Photo: T.T

Ready to welcome investors

Based on the key economic sectors identified in the provincial planning, what solutions will the province implement to attract investment and create rapid and sustainable breakthroughs in socio-economic development in the near future?

To achieve high results in mobilizing investment capital and driving implementation, transforming provincial planning into reality, I believe that at first, all levels and sectors must focus on effectively coordinating and implementing the tasks and solutions outlined in the provincial planning.

In recent years, to create favorable conditions for investors to easily access investment opportunities, the Provincial People’s Committee has approved a list of priority projects to attract investment in the period 2022-2025. Some key projects include: LNG Hai Lang gas power plant, conversion of the Hai Lang coal-fired power plant to gas, construction of customs warehouses, logistics centers, international border gate infrastructure at La Lay, tourism service area along the coastline from Cua Tung to Cua Viet - Vinh Moc, and the Cam Lo - Lao Bao expressway...

The province focuses on effectively exploiting logistics services along the East-West Economic Corridor, strengthening friendly cooperation relationships between Quang Tri - Savannakhet - Mukdahan, and the broader Vietnam - Laos - Thailand context, enhancing synergies and facilitating development across Quang Tri and neighboring provinces. There’s also an emphasis on enhancing regional cooperation, especially with provinces in the North Central and Central Coastal regions, promoting North-South connectivity and rational coastal space utilization. Currently, Quang Tri is implementing several key projects such as My Thuy port terminal, Quang Tri Industrial Park, LNG Hai Lang project, Vanninh - Cam Lo expressway passing through the province, and coastal roads connecting the East-West Economic Corridor... These projects are expected to drive economic development breakthroughs for Quang Tri in the near future.

In addition to government incentives, investors coming to Quang Tri also benefit from specific support policies. These include sector-specific support such as encouraging high-tech agriculture and organic farming, policies supporting the application and replication of scientific and technological results, promotion incentives, land lease fee benefits, infrastructure development support within and beyond project boundaries, technical support, training, market advisory for project-specific products.

To enhance the attractiveness of investment when implementing provincial planning, Quang Tri will continue to introduce policies to improve the investment environment, enhance competitiveness index, including policies on land, taxes...

There’s a strong focus on reforming investment procedures, reducing approval time for investment proposals, business licenses, tax identification numbers, and vocational training to provide skilled labor for enterprises investing in Quang Tri.

Proactively building a transparent and open investment environment is a crucial ongoing effort for Quang Tri to enhance provincial competitiveness. Continuous improvement of human resource quality is seen as essential and fundamental to attracting sustainable investment and development.

In addition to investment incentives, provincial leadership consistently demonstrates support and resolves difficulties for investors coming to the province. There’s a commitment to administrative reform, shifting from administrative management to service-oriented administration, creating the safest and most favorable environment to attract investors researching and investing in Quang Tri. Strongly promoting digital transformation to make breakthroughs in investment attraction and socio-economic development.

Furthermore, provincial leadership pledges to stand alongside investors, actively acting as a positive bridge, ready to create conditions for investors to access resources, turn ideas into reality, and realize provincial goals outlined in the provincial planning.

Thank you for your time!

Thanh Truc - Ngoc Mai