Workers produce rolled steel for export at JFE Shoji Steel Hai Phong Co Ltd at VSIP Industrial Park in Hai Phong city. (Photo: VNA)Hai Phong (VNA) – Fiveinternational delegations paid working trips to Hai Phong inMarch and on the first days of April proved that the northern port city is always ready toexpand diplomacy and relations with partners, thereby promoting investment attraction, boosting exports and improving its competitiveness capacity.
Receiving a delegation from the US Embassy in Vietnam led by Ambassador Marc E. Knapper on March 1, Standing Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Le Anh Quan said he hoped the diplomat will introduce more US investors and businesses to invest in the city.
The city's authorities pledged to create optimal conditionsfor US investors to explore the local investment environment and seek cooperation opportunities, he said.
For his part, Knapper said that the delegation'svisit aimed to gain a deeper insight into the city's situation and seekcooperation opportunities.
The delegation also hoped to explore Hai Phong'smethods to rank in the top localities in the provincialcompetitiveness index (PCI), thus making more US firms aware of the city's advantages, the diplomat said.
At a reception for the Republic of Korea (RoK)’s Ambassadorto Vietnam Oh Young-ju, Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Le Tien Chau affirmed that Korean-invested projects have made important contributions to the city’sdevelopment.
The Korean diplomat said that the RoK and Vietnam have enjoyed profound and long-standingcooperative relations, and achieved cooperation results in all fields. Hai Phong is currently an investment centre of Korean enterpriseswith many successes, notably projects of LG Group.
While working with a delegationfrom the Singaporean Embassy in Vietnam led by Ambassador Jaya Ratnam, Chau said that Singapore has always been a major investor and trading partner of Vietnam. There are currently858 FDI projects worth 24.8 billion USD in Hai Phong, including 52 projects from Singaporeaninvestors, with total capital of over 2.6 billion USD.
The official said the city wants to boost collaboration withSingapore in fields where the city-state has strengths such as renewable energy,urban management and digital transformation. Chau also hoped that the Singaporean Ambassador would help connect Hai Phong with Singapore businesses in those fields.
Hai Phong is set tobecome one of the most developed cities in Asia and the world by 2050 under an adjusted master planning scheme, which has been approved by Deputy Prime Minister TranHong Ha.
The city will build broadbandinformation infrastructure, creating a foundation for its smart citydevelopment. It plans to set up smart management centres in new urban areas. A new information and communication technology (ICT) parks are alsoproposed for construction in Nam Dinh Vu, and Kien Thuyand Tien Lang districts.
According to Director of the Hai Phong Economic Zone Authority Le Trung Kien, as the city has defined digitaltransformation as a driving force for its economic growth, the authority hassynchronously implemented many solutions. As a result, the local businessinvestment environment has been improved, making important contributions to the city'ssocio-economic development.
Hai Phong continued ranking among the toplocalities in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) in thefirst quarter of this year. As of March 22, the city had lured 385.08 millionUSD in FDI, equal to 78.89% of the figure in the same period last year, and17.91% of the yearly plan./.
