Central VN woos Euro investors

Trường Hải-Chu Lai Port in Quảng Nam Province. The province debuted a direct sea route connecting the port and Incheon port in Korea.

Representatives of the three localities addressed a business forum oganised by the Euro Chamber of Commerce and Industry and EU-Việt Nam Business Network in Đà Nẵng yesterday.

The three, which connect to the East-West Economic Corridor linking Laos, Thailand, Myanmar and Việt Nam, are considered to have good investment potential with long coastal lines, world heritage sites, preferential policies, cheap land prices and abundant labour force.

They are also situated on National Highway 1, as well as having railway, sea port and airport systems and large areas for industrial zone development.

A series of administrative reforms easing investment have been cleared by local administrations.

The pristine coastal line in Đà Nẵng is a favourite site for tourism projects. VNS Photos Công Thành

Quảng Nam is developing the 30,000ha Chu Lai Open Economic Zone – one of five key zones for investors in Việt Nam – with competitive land prices of between US$10 and $30 per sq.m for 50 years, said director of the provincial Investment Promotion Centre, Võ Văn Hùng.

Quảng Nam has attracted 128 foreign direct investment projects worth $5.5 billion, of which the Nam Hội An Integrated Resort Project, invested by VinaCapital and Gold Yield Enterprises Corporations, is the biggest at $4 billion.

Quảng Nam is seeking investment in automobile supportive industries, food processing industries and industrial park infrastructure.

Earlier this year, the province and the Trường Hải Automobile Joint-Stock Company, or Thaco - started expanding the Chu Lai-Trường Hải Mechanical Automobile Industrial Zone with a total investment of $35.3 million.

The project is planned to produce 215,000 vehicles, including touring cars, trucks, buses and vans starting in 2018.

Hùng said land costs only half or one-third compared to Hà Nội and HCM City, respectively.

He said Quảng Nam has reserved 10,000ha of coast for tourism and service projects.

Lê Văn Thu, director of the investment promotion and support centre of Thừa Thiên-Huế, said Huế City has 128 km of coast and 22,000ha of lagoon for tourism development in connection with UNESCO-recognised world heritage sites.

“The province hosted 3.2 million tourists, among them 1.2 million foreigners, in 2015. We are offering investors competitive low cost, including labour cost and land,” Thu said.

“Our land costs around 80 per cent of what it costs to rent in Đà Nẵng, 70 per cent of Hà Nội land, 60 per cent of HCM City, 30 per cent of Shanghai and 25 per cent of Bangkok land,” Thu said.

Thu said labour costs for manual workers and managers range from $130 to $320 per month.

A tourism property of Laguna Lăng Cô in Thừa Thiên-Huế Province.

The province has attracted 23 foreign direct investment projects with a total capital of $2.3 billion. One of the largest is a $875 million tourism complex being financed by the Banyan Tree Group of Singapore.

Several financial incentives have been provided to attract investors, such as tax exemptions for the first four years of operation, a 50 per cent tax reduction for the next nine years, and a 50 per cent tax rate for high-income employees.

Lê Cảnh Dương, director of Đà Nẵng’s investment promotion centre, said tourist real estate remains a favourite investment magnet in the city with 25 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects worth US$1.8 billion.

He said tourist real estate made up 54 per cent of total $3.68 billion FDI capital in the city

Dương also said 57 per cent of FDI projects were in the service sector as the city eyes on developing in Information Technology, hi-tech parks and coastal property, and environment-friendly projects.

The city has so far developed 16 tourist property projects consisting of 749 villas, of which 609 are for sale and 140 for lease, according to Dương.

EuroCham Việt Nam will starting operating an office for central Việt Nam in Đà Nẵng in January, 2017.