Ba Ria – Vung Tau Provincial Planning: New Breakthroughs – New Opportunities – New Values

Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province identifies that “Good planning leads to good development space; good development space attracts good investors; good investors lead to good projects.” Therefore, it is essential to maximize existing advantages.

(Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha attended the conference to announce the Ba Ria – Vung Tau Provincial Planning on the morning of March 30, 2024)

On the morning of March 30, 2024, the Provincial Party Committee, People’s Council, People’s Committee, and Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province organized a conference to announce the provincial planning for the period of 2021-2030, with a vision towards 2050, and to promote investment in Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province. Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha attended the conference and delivered directives.

The conference was also attended by nearly 600 guests, including leaders from central ministries and agencies, representatives from embassies and consulates of various countries in Vietnam, representatives from trade and investment promotion organizations, leaders from provinces/cities in the Southeast region, potential domestic and foreign enterprises, as well as over 200 local manufacturing and business enterprises.

(The scene at the conference announcing the Provincial Planning)

Pioneering the establishment of a “one-of-a-kind” free trade zone.

In his directive at the conference, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha emphasized that the provincial planning, as formulated, leverages the province’s potentials and strengths to create a space for robust development, fostering innovation and driving Ba Ria – Vung Tau towards becoming one of the national maritime economic centers, an internationally renowned tourist destination, and a hub for clean energy and green industries with high value-added. From this, both the people and businesses stand to benefit significantly from the values that the provincial planning brings.

However, for the planning to materialize and integrate into daily life, the province requires effective organizational measures, as well as the dynamic and creative spirit of the political system and the unified support from the people and business community. Furthermore, Ba Ria – Vung Tau must draw valuable lessons and maintain its pioneering role in green economic development, fostering new breakthroughs in the green and circular economy. Coupled with digital transformation, this will attract increasing numbers of domestic and foreign investors and large enterprises to Ba Ria – Vung Tau. The petroleum industry serves as a catalyst for Ba Ria – Vung Tau to select and transform its economic development through high-quality human resources, gradually becoming the energy center of the nation.

(According to Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, the provincial planning of Ba Ria – Vung Tau has unlocked potential to create momentum for breakthrough development)

During the implementation of the planning, the province needs to closely adhere to Resolution No. 06 of the Politburo, considering the goal of urban development attached to ecology, smart cities as the driving force for economic development; effectively exploiting land resources, underground space, and transitioning to green transportation to develop sustainable urban areas.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha believes that Ba Ria-Vung Tau will be a pioneering locality in building a free trade zone connected to a “one-of-a-kind” seaport system of the country and clearly defines the strategic and specific goals for this free trade zone. This will serve as a prerequisite for Ba Ria-Vung Tau to assist the country in researching and building models and creating important legal mechanisms and corridors for the implementation of breakthrough goals.

The door has been opened, and Ba Ria – Vung Tau is choosing a new path and a new development model to realize its development goals. The provincial planning has “uncovered” hidden potentials and turned them into reality. The government always trusts that Ba Ria – Vung Tau will take firm and scientific steps to enhance its position, continue to attract large investors, and build a rapidly developing and sustainable province.

Creating new development momentum.

Speaking at the conference, Mr. Pham Viet Thanh, Secretary of the Ba Ria – Vung Tau Provincial Party Committee, stated that Ba Ria – Vung Tau province holds a strategically important position as the gateway to the East Sea for the Southeast region and the whole country, with favorable natural conditions, hospitable people, and a high-quality workforce.

Currently, the central government has been focusing on investing in the largest-scale comprehensive infrastructure projects ever, which are being urgently constructed. Therefore, in just two more years, the Southeast region and Ba Ria – Vung Tau will become a convergence point with all the necessary conditions to transform potentials into new opportunities in industrial development, seaports and logistics, tourism and urban areas, and high-quality services.

(Secretary of the Ba Ria – Vung Tau Provincial Party Committee, Pham Viet Thanh, spoke at the Conference)

Therefore, Mr. Thanh emphasized that building and implementing the Provincial Plan is an extremely important task. The province needs to seize this opportunity to create a model for spatial development allocation, remove bottlenecks, renew old growth drivers, and create new development momentum. This involves implementing three strategic breakthroughs: a breakthrough in the multimodal transportation infrastructure system, a breakthrough in digital transformation linked to administrative reform, and a breakthrough in enhancing public governance capacity.

The provincial plan clearly identifies the goal by 2030, where Ba Ria – Vung Tau will become a centrally governed city with a per capita GRDP ranging from $18,000 to $18,500. The province aims to develop into a national maritime economic center, a maritime service hub of the country and the Southeast region, a high-quality international tourist destination, and one of the largest industrial centers in the Southeast region. By 2050, it aims to achieve net-zero emissions as committed by the Government at the COP26 International Climate Change Conference.

Businesses are hopeful about the plan’s implementation.

Speaking at the conference, Mr. Pham Van Triem, Chairman of the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Association of Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province, stated that the Provincial Plan for the period 2021-2030 with a vision to 2050 plays the role of a comprehensive blueprint, outlining the objectives, strategic vision to maximize the province’s strengths, ensuring harmony between economic and social development, and environmental friendliness. The plan also focuses on removing bottlenecks, improving the efficiency of investment promotion activities, and making breakthroughs in attracting investment to accelerate rapid and sustainable economic development.

In particular, the comprehensive picture outlined in the provincial plan provides a strategic vision for the period from 2026 to 2030 and a vision until 2050, with the economy developing on four main pillars: “Industry – Seaports and logistics – Tourism and urban areas – Services” as per Resolution No. 05 dated May 31, 2023, of the Provincial People’s Council of Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province. Therefore, the implementation will be proactive, and businesses, investors will have the legal basis to concentrate on investment and development, conducting business activities in the right direction and effectively.

(According to the Chairman of the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Association of Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province, the business community and entrepreneurs in the province have high expectations for the implementation of the provincial plan)

“According to the plan, when the bottlenecks are eliminated, Ba Ria – Vung Tau will experience significant acceleration in all areas, leading to a strong transformation in economic structure, investment development, and resources. This will create many new breakthroughs, new opportunities, and new value for the business community in Ba Ria – Vung Tau. Therefore, businesses have high expectations for the implementation of this plan,” Mr. Triem said.

During the conference, Ba Ria – Vung Tau also issued Investment Registration Certificates and Investment Approval Decisions for 15 exemplary projects, both domestic and foreign. Additionally, a list of 92 projects was announced for promotion, aiming to attract investment from now until 2030. These are large-scale projects that play a decisive role in the comprehensive and sustainable development with the long-term vision of Ba Ria – Vung Tau.

(Awarding certificates to investors in Ba Ria – Vung Tau province)

Commitment to accompany businesses

In response to the feedback and directives at the conference, Mr. Nguyen Van Tho, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Ba Ria – Vung Tau province, expressed that the province’s success today is a great achievement attributed to the leadership of generations of provincial leaders over the past 33 years. Currently, the province is in a “golden” period to attract investment, gathering all the necessary elements to accelerate and further break through in the coming years.

(Leadership of Ba Ria – Vung Tau province presents investment certificates to investors at the conference announcing the provincial planning)

The Chairman of the People’s Committee of Ba Ria – Vung Tau province hopes that experts and investors will continue to research and propose innovative ideas and models for development not only for Ba Ria – Vung Tau province but also for the region and the country as a whole. He also requests that diplomatic agencies and domestic and foreign business associations pay attention to and support both domestic and foreign investors with information and opportunities when investing in Ba Ria – Vung Tau.

Ba Ria – Vung Tau province commits to always accompany the sustainable development and prosperity of businesses and investors, continuously creating the most transparent and effective investment environment, emphasized Mr. Tho.