Economic development of region along Saigon river

Part 2: Clearing the flow

Provincial Party Committee’s Program No.23-Ctr/TU on environmental protection in the 2011-2015 period has set 3 main goals: Prevent and curb environmental pollution; improve environmental quality and pollution; reasonably tap and use natural resources, preserve biodiversity. With a large scale, it has directly affected each business, resident and played an importance in the local socio-economic development.

Based on results done between 2011 and 2015, provincial Party Committee is continuing to build the Program No.23 in the 2015 and 2020 period in accordance with the local socio-economic development orientations till 2020 and visions towards 2030.

 Din Ky Resort in Thuan An town

As planned till 2020, trade-services will account for 45% of the province’s economic structure. The local region along Saigon river (including TDM city, Thuan An and Ben Cat towns) will enjoy more opportunities for environmentally friendly and sustainable economic development, in which trade-services and tourism are seen as key fields.

Provincial Party Committee’s development orientations till 2020 and visions towards 2030 also specify that Binh Duong will become one of the centrally controlled municipalities with an economic structure shifted towards trade-services and tourism. Till 2020, trade-services and tourism will account for 45% of the province’s GDP. Thuan An town and TDM city are seen as a main point of the province’s region along Saigon river and they will become a trade-services and tourism hub with the regional scale.

Administrative reform promoted

In the 2014 Provincial Competitiveness Index, Binh Duong had five indexes with score increase, including market participation, business support, transparency, labor training and time cost, according to leaders of provincial Department of Planning and Investment (DoPI).

In early May 2015, provincial DoPI and Department of Environment and Natural Resources were also ordered to have harmonious and synchronous coordination in granting investment certificates to businesses. Prior to that, the province also made efforts in shortening time of handing over land ownership right certificates to businesses in operation. All have aimed to help businesses be easier in infrastructure construction.

According to Vietnam’s commitment process to WTO, since early 2014, Binh Duong has complied with commitments for businesses in logistic domain. Truong Cong Thach, Deputy Head of Thuan An town’s Division of Economics said that the town has so far absorbed a lot of logistic projects from businesses at home and abroad. In the coming time, logistics will be a spearheading sector, promoting the province’s comprehensive development in terms of trade-services and tourism.

Thanh Le Trading Export Import One-Member Co.Ltd. as of late 2014 also fulfilled the 45-hectare An Son port project. Meanwhile, Ba Lua port is now underway and it is expected to create a close economic linkage chain, ensuring requirements for the province’s logistic activities. It will not only bring great revenue to the province’s State budget, but also open employment opportunities for thousands of rural laborers.

With the active support of province-based commercial banking system together with financial companies, Binh Duong will see a robust growth in terms of trade-services and tourism. The province has also attracted great groups from South Korea, Japan…to make investment in the local system of markets and plazas.

Tourism to rise up

As planned, Binh Duong will welcome 6 million tourist arrivals in 2020 and the figure will be 9 million tourist arrivals in 2025. The province’s tourism revenue in 2015 is expected to be VND2.2trillion and it will be VND4.45trillion in 2020.

The province is also calling for domestic and foreign investors to get involved in the domain with total investment of 2016 and 2020 being VND8.3trillion and land fund of 1,400 hectares.

Whilst, according to the province’s southern space plan, TDM city, Thuan An town and a part of Ben Cat town will reach a quick and strong development in tourism with main products: ecotourism, cultural tourism, recreation at weekend…

To Dr.Phan Anh Tu of HCM city University of Social Sciences and Humanities, the maker of Binh Duong’s project on craft village and ecotourism development, the province needs to focus on promotion activities with foreign market, attach special importance to the local ecological and cultural features; learn about market demand to sort out and develop a tourism model in line with the local features; pay attention to the role of the community in tourism development; have a synchronous development for tourism types…

Reported by P.Hieu-K.Vinh-Translated by K.T