Ben Tre (VNA) – The Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre on October 3 organised an investment promotion conference themed "Ben Tre – look east vision and sustainable development potential", aiming to introduce its potential, strengths, and development orientation🐼 following the provincial master plan for the 2021-2030 period with a vision to 2050.

Addressing the conference, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh said that the event is a good chance for the province to mobilise resources for its rapid and sustainable development in the future. Binh lauded the important achievements that Ben Tre has made so far, with marked economic growth, expanded economic sectors, consolidated infrastructure, notable outcomes in new-style rural building, and improved living conditions. Particularly, with its business environment getting more favourable, the province has been named among the top ten provinces and cities in management capacity and turned itself into a reliable investment destination. With its important position in the Mekong Delta region, Ben Tre boasts many advantages in developing the marine economy, renewable energy, and eco-tourism. It is major supplier of agricultural and aquatic products for Ho Chi Minh City. Since Rach Mieu, Ham Luong, and Co Chien bridges were put into service, the connectivity between Ben Tre and other localities in the region has been facilitated. The recently approved provincial master plan shows a new mindset and long-term vision in optimising the locality’s potential, opportunities, and advantages in terms of nature, people, traditions, culture, and history. It aims to turn Ben Tre into a prosperous province playing the role of an important development driving force of the Mekong Delta and the whole country. The Deputy PM stressed the significance of Ben Tre’s look east vision to its future development, asking the locality to show greater efforts and stronger determination with new mindset, approach, and implementation methods. The province should mobilise and maximise resources for socio-economic development, promote public-private partnership, and invest more in strategic infrastructure, especially key projects and works with intra-regional and inter-regional connectivity, such as Rach Mieu 2, Ba Lai 8, Cua Dai, Dinh Khao, and Co Chien bridges, and coastal roads linking Ben Tre with Tien Giang and Tra Vinh provinces, he said. Binh suggested that the province speed up economic restructuring in association with growth model reform and competitiveness improvement, while paying greater attention to education-training, high-quality human resources development, science-technology research and application, digital transformation, and innovation.

He asked Ben Tre to improve its business climate, focusing on creating breakthrough reforms, simplifying administrative procedures, and creating an open and transparent investment and business environment. At the same time, it must create favourable conditions for businesses to explore investment opportunities and run production and business there, while reforming investment promotion activities, encouraging startups, developing incubators, and supporting the formation of large-scale enterprises. Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Tran Ngoc Tam said that through the conference, the province hopes to introduce potential projects and incentives to investors, and calls for investments in 32 prioritised projects from now to 2030, mainly in construction and infrastructure at industrial zones and clusters, industry, oil and gas, tourism, agriculture, rural areas, and environment. The province also hopes to provide a chance for investors and businesses to meet and seek partners in the Mekong Delta region in general and Ben Tre in particular, he said. The provincial leader expressed his belief that with the drastic engagement of the whole political system and the support of local residents and the business community, Ben Tre will become a destination of success and trust with impressive breakthroughs in the future. At the event, the People’s Committee signed memoranda of understanding with 23 strategic investors with a total value of more than 300 trillion VND (12.07 billion USD) and presented investment policy decisions and licences to six projects worth nearly 8 trillion VND./.