With its ample advantages, the north central coastal province of Thanh Hóa should work to become a model to attract investment, Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has said.
The PM described Thanh Hóa as a miniature Việt Nam, with a dynamic economy full of potential.
He urged the locality to improve the investment environment to ensure equality for businesses and provide land in an effective manner.
He also agreed with local plans to develop oil refining, aquatic processing and tourism. The PM suggested studying the development of hi-tech agriculture and focusing on products with high economic value.
He encouraged businesses to invest in agriculture, services and infrastructure while diversifying services and taking advantage of heritage sites such as Hồ Citadel and Lam Kinh historical relic site, as well as community-based and craft village tourism. To increase enterprises’ competitiveness and to build a strong business community, the province should train skilled workers, help businesses make long-term investments and join the global value chain, he said.
The prime minister also noted that the province could not do business without protecting the environment.Various Government projects are planned for the province, including the Hà Nội-Thanh Hóa-Nghệ An expressway and a coastal route to prevent natural disasters.
At the conference, Thanh Hóa granted investment licences to 32 projects with total estimated investment of VNĐ135.3 trillion (US$6.1 billion), mainly in processing and manufacturing sectors.
Earlier, the PM held a meeting with local authorities, during which he stressed that Thanh Hoá is one of Việt Nam’s key investment destinations.The province has eight industrial parks and has attracted large companies and deployed policies to lure social investment, he said. He hailed local efforts to build synchronous infrastructure for investment projects, offer competitive land lease prices and labour costs, and promptly address difficulties for businesses.
Thanh Hóa covers more than 11,000sq.m. and has a population of 3.6 million people, ranking fifth nationwide in natural area and third in population.
Per capita average income was $1,620 at the end of 2016, the highest level in the north central region. It is expected to reach $1,750 in 2017.
The province is striving to record economic growth of 12 per cent this year.
