Ninh Thuan Announces New Business Push in 2012

Picture above: Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Mr. Nguyen Duc Thanh (third from left) met with the Author Mr. Chris Runckel, President of Runckel & Associates (second from left); Mr. Vo Thai Lam, Chairman and General Director, Yen Viet (far left) and Mr. Nguyen Van Be (second right), the head of the provincial agriculture office and Ms. Diep My Hao. In late December, 2011, Ninh Thuan hosted the Prime Minister of Vietnam at a conference held December 10 to unveil and publicize the Master Plan for the provinces development to 2020.  Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee (equivalent of Governor of a State in the U.S. or elsewhere) Mr. Nguyen Duc Thanh who I had met with earlier in the week announced the provinces new development strategy to 2020.  The conference which was held with the theme “New Planning - New Development Scenario - New Investment Opportunity” hopes to kick start the provinces economy into faster and more focussed growth. Located on the coast in South Central Vietnam, Ninh Thuan province covers and area of 3,360 Kms and includes Ninh Thuan city and six districts.  With a population of nearly 600,000, the province lies 350 km from Ho Chi Minh City, 150 from Phan Thiet to the South, 50 Km from Cam Ranh International Airport to the North, and 110 km from Dalat to the West.   Flooding, heavy rainfall and storms bypass this province which is known for its abundant sunshine.  Ninh Thuan boasts a 105 km coast with high and scenic mountains stretching to the sea. The plan which was approved by the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) was helped to be developed by the consultants US Monitor Group and Britain’s Arup Group and is based according to Chairman Thanh on developing under the “accelerating economic growth” model based on four major solutions:  increasing the competitiveness, improving infrastructure, developing brand names and increasing capacity and of improving the operational efficiency of the State administrative agencies of the province.  Chairman Thanh noted “that this is a model that Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai or Shenzhen had successfully applied to create gigantic growth and to become some of the largest, most prosperous and dynamic economic centers in the world. “Chairman Thanh said that Ninh Thuan would pursue a policy of rapid and sustainable development under the “green and clean” economic model, striving to build Ninh Thuan to become a destination with open investment and business environment, high competitiveness, build a good and friendly living environment, become a center of healthcare, education and training of high-quality human resources for provinces in the region; develop high-quality education, healthcare and public utility systems to attract foreign and domestic investors, tourists and experts to live and work in Ninh Thuan.” To realize this goal, Ninh Thuan has been concentrating on three breakthrough strategies as follows: a.  One Stop Shop -Provinces Economic Development Office (EDO) would be the one stop shop to help all investors. b.  Concentrating investments in infrastructure c.  Training human resources - making Ninh Thuan a center of training for the South Central region of Vietnam Chairman Thanh also noted that Ninh Thuan will have six pillar industries.  These are: Energy Tourism Agriculture - forestry - Aquaculture Industrial Production Construction and real estate business, development of modern urban areas Education and Training According to the plan, by 2020, these industries will account for some 91% of the gross domestic product (GDP) and make up 85% of the labor demand in the entire province.  Further, under the national sea strategy, Ninh Thuan will likely become the economic hub in the South Central and Highland areas, especially with the country’s first two nuclear power plants to be located in the South of the province, according to the government portal chinhphu.vn. At the conference provincial Chairman Nguyen Duc Thanh said that over VND14.6 trillion was pledged for investment projects in Ninh Thuan Province recently.  These projects are in the areas of aquaculture cultivation, tourism and clean energy development. Of particular note, HD Investment Joint Stock Company will invest some VND3.7 trillion to develop Phuoc Hai wind power plant with the capacity of 97.5MW. Other projects include the Ninh Thuan-HVB shrimp breeding farming center costing VND100 billion by Hung Vuong-Ben Tre Group, and the five-star Hon Do high-grade resort project by Hon Do Ninh Thuan Investment and Development Co. worth VND460 billion. At the conference, which was presided over by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, the province also gave its approval in principle to six projects worth nearly VND7.2 trillion, the biggest one being the solar and wind power project worth VND4 trillion by LandVille Vietnam. Further investment pledges included Suc Song Xanh Co. committed to invest VND90 billion to construct the infrastructure for Tri Hai industrial cluster, while Lam Son Co. will invest VND50 billion in a wheat starch processing factory. In the list of would-be investors are also some foreign investors including the U.S-based Kachay Home with a project to develop a hi-tech agricultural zone in Ninh Thuan, and Impsa of Argentina signing a memorandum to develop a factory to produce wind turbines and towers worth as much as VND3 trillion. About the Author:   Christopher W. Runckel, a former senior US diplomat who served in many counties in Asia, is a graduate of the University of Oregon and Lewis and Clark Law School. He served as Deputy General Counsel of President Gerald Ford’s Presidential Clemency Board. Mr. Runckel is the principal and founder of Runckel & Associates, a Portland, Oregon based consulting company that assists businesses expand business opportunities in Asia. (www.business-in-asia.com) Until April of 1999, Mr. Runckel was Minister-Counselor of the US Embassy in Beijing, China. Mr. Runckel lived and worked in Thailand for over six years. He was the first permanently assigned U.S. diplomat to return to Vietnam after the Vietnam War. In 1997, he was awarded the U.S. Department of States highest award for service, the Distinguished Honor Award, for his contribution to improving U.S.-Vietnam relations. Follow us on Twitter: @InsightNewsAsia Back to Homepage