Assessing the potential of "Coconut land" Ben Tre
With the potential and advantages of marine and garden economies, the abundant young human resources, skilled, hard-working, eager-to-learn, and creative Ben Tre people are the province's strengths in integrating and expanding investment cooperation.
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| Panorama of Ben Tre City by author Nguyen Trung Hieu. |
Ben Tre is adjacent to the Southern Key Economic Zone, about 86 km from Ho Chi Minh City, only 1.5 hours by car on the Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong Expressway; about 122 km from Can Tho City, only more than 2 hours on the Trung Luong - My Thuan Expressway.
The province has National Highways 60 and 57 connecting with neighbouring provinces such as Tien Giang, Tra Vinh, and Vinh Long towards the provinces of the Southwest. In particular, Ben Tre has many canals and tributaries that continuously flow through, forming a very rich river network that is convenient for waterway traffic and transporting raw materials and goods to ports and seas of Ho Chi Minh City and neighbouring provinces.
Attractive in the eyes of investors
Firmly pursuing the goal of accompanying businesses, building a dynamic, creative, and serving government, and aiming to create a compelling investment and business environment to attract investment, Ben Tre province is becoming an attractive locality in the eyes of investors and businesses.
As of June 30, 2024, Ben Tre had 294 newly established enterprises and 188 affiliated units with a registered capital of VND 1,207.7 billion, reaching 24.92 per cent of the plan, an increase of 3.89 per cent in the number of enterprises and 48.69 per cent in registered capital compared to the same period. The province has 6,405 enterprises with a registered capital of VND 77,076.1 billion, of which 4,087 enterprises are operating with a registered capital of VND 61,007.6 billion.
The export turnover of goods in the first six months of 2024 is estimated at 801.66 million USD, an increase of 14.16 per cent over the same period last year and reaching 45.81 per cent of the annual plan. Industrial and handicraft products had the highest export turnover, reaching 655.65 million USD, up 13.89 per cent over the same period last year; the group of vegetables and fruits ranked second with 95.68 million USD, up 15.06 per cent; and processed seafood ranked last with 50.34 million USD, up 16.00 per cent.
According to the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) Ranking in 2023 of localities nationwide announced by the Vietnam Federation of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), Ben Tre province ranked 7th in the national ranking and 3rd in the Mekong Delta region, up six places compared to 2022. Regarding the Provincial Green Index (PGI) in 2023, Ben Tre ranked 19th, with a total score of 4 component indexes of 22.53 points.
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| The historical site of the Double Banyan Tree by author Dang Nhat Linh. |
This result recognizes the outstanding efforts of the political system and authorities at all levels of Ben Tre province to constantly improve service quality and bring satisfaction to people and businesses. Demonstrating the consistency of the Ben Tre provincial government is always paying attention to creating an open investment and business environment associated with creating a natural startup environment through the effective implementation of the new Dong Khoi Program, Dong Khoi Startup and Business Development, to create a breakthrough, promote the conversion of small production establishments into enterprises, create favourable conditions for enterprises to participate in exporting goods, expanding markets...
In the context of many difficulties and challenges, to achieve the above results is because the provincial leaders are always consistent and steadfast in the goal of accompanying enterprises and maintaining regular meetings, exchanges, and dialogues to remove difficulties for enterprises through the meeting of enterprises at the beginning of the year and the meeting of enterprises on the occasion of the anniversary of Vietnamese Entrepreneurs Day (October 13) to create a forum for sharing and dialogue between the provincial leaders and the business community. The monthly “Business Coffee” model has attracted an increasing number of businessmen and enterprises to participate, share, propose, and give opinions and advice to the province in economic management and business development.
At the same time, many localities have done an excellent job of supporting businesses through meetings and exchanges. Thereby, many difficulties and problems of businesses have been listened to and promptly resolved by leaders and localities. This is also a place for the business community to meet, exchange, share advantages and difficulties and cooperate for sustainable development.
Access to land for businesses to implement investment projects has been positively improved. In particular, one of the essential reasons contributing to the increase in the Land Access Index score is that in recent years, Ben Tre has planned many industrial parks and clusters, accelerated the progress of site clearance, creating favourable conditions for investors to access land, and not taking too much time to convert land use purposes.
In addition to improving the PCI Index, Ben Tre also focuses on improving and enhancing the PGI Index to promote the construction of an environmentally friendly investment and business ecosystem and economic development associated with environmental protection, supported by businesses and investors. The province also directs investors to improve their capacity and responsibility for environmental protection during production and business activities, promoting more green projects. These are practical solutions for Ben Tre to gradually improve the PGI Index in attracting investment.
According to the Ben Tre Provincial Planning for the period 2021 - 2030 with a vision to 2050, the province prioritizes development to the East, orienting the development of 50,000 hectares towards the sea, including sea encroachment (the additional development area is nearly 1/4 of the current area of the province). The province will focus on the following areas: Coastal transport infrastructure connecting regions (connecting from Ho Chi Minh City, Tien Giang, Tra Vinh to Soc Trang); Logistic infrastructure (ports, transportation services, warehouses, etc.); Arrangement of agricultural and aquatic production (high technology, climate change adaptation); Water for production and daily life; Industrial Parks (processing and manufacturing industry); Tourism: ecology, sea, historical culture; Development of coastal urban areas, population arrangement; Clean and renewable energy; Green hydrogen.
To develop industry, Ben Tre focuses on investing in building infrastructure for industrial parks and creating clean land funds to attract secondary investors. On November 17, 2023, the Prime Minister signed and approved the Planning of Ben Tre province for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, including the orientation to develop and expand 7 Industrial Parks and 14 Industrial Clusters with a total area of about 2,290 hectares. Phu Thuan Industrial Park (232 hectares) is completing infrastructure investment to attract secondary investors.
It is expected that in September 2024, the province will organize a large-scale investment promotion conference in Ben Tre province to invite strategic investors, corporations, and domestic and foreign enterprises to invest in projects, sectors/fields, etc., in the Ben Tre Provincial Planning for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050.
Making tourism a key economic sector
Ben Tre is a land blessed by nature with rich and diverse resources distributed harmoniously and reasonably among the islands. This place has a coastline of 65 km and a dense system of rivers and canals, which is a great potential for the locality to develop eco-tourism.
Thanks to the river system, the climate in Ben Tre is fresh and cool all year round. In addition, the rivers and canals also contain an ecosystem with many vegetation types such as water coconut, mangrove, cajuput, melaleuca, and reed grass... along with a rich source of aquatic products, partly meeting the needs of relaxation, entertainment as well as the cuisine of tourists when coming to Ben Tre.
By promoting the available potential and advantages, Ben Tre aims to make tourism an important economic sector by 2025 and one of the most attractive tourist destinations.
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| Beach tourism - Nguyen Kim Cuong. |
In the first six months of 2024, the province's total tourism revenue reached VND 1,594 billion, with nearly 1.3 million visitors, including about 245,000 international visitors. With the growth target by 2025, Ben Tre strives to achieve tourism revenue of VND 3,800 billion or more, attracting over 2.8 million visitors (including 1.12 million international visitors).
By 2030, Ben Tre will turn tourism into a spearhead economic sector and develop sustainably; at the same time, it will become a particularly attractive destination with high competitiveness and among the leading localities in the region, meeting the requirements and goals of sustainable development. To achieve the set goals, Ben Tre has implemented many synchronous solutions such as promoting the restructuring of the tourism industry towards professionalism, modernity, quality, and sustainability; continuing to facilitate attracting international tourists to Ben Tre; Increasing investment attraction, focusing on crucial tourist areas; develop products and promote tourism communications and promotion...
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| Coconut on the Road to Integration by author Nguyen Nam Phuong. |
Ben Tre implements solutions to promote rapid development of the domestic tourism market, creating a foundation for short-term breakthrough growth. At the same time, diversify and effectively exploit the international tourist market, focusing on markets with high spending capacity and long-term stays; link product development and markets; connect tours, routes, and tourist destinations within the region and inter-region; promote tangible and intangible cultural values, participate in tourism development imbued with local cultural identity; diversify tourism forms and products, focus on linking tourism with other industries in the value chain, associated with green and sustainable development and the motto "taking the experience of tourists as the centre".
Ben Tre promotes the development of community and rural tourism in new rural construction; Promotes tourism products related to agriculture, tourism services associated with rural landscapes and community culture; maximizes agricultural tourism associated with rural areas and farmers; promotes industries, occupations, craft villages, and rural services. Focus on developing the Ben Tre tourism brand, the land of Coconuts, based on the potential and advantages of nature, history, and local cultural traditions, building Ben Tre as a safe, attractive, friendly, hospitable destination...
(Source: VNA)
