Bac Ninh builds highly competitive investment environment

Mr. Vuong Quoc Tuan, Standing Vice Chairman of the Bac Ninh Provincial People's Committee.

At the Business Forum, Mr. Vuong Quoc Tuan, Standing Vice Chairman of Bac Ninh Provincial People's Committee shared Bac Ninh’s tasks to enhance competitiveness in investment attraction. Bac Ninh province priority should be given to attracting projects that use advanced, new, high-level and clean technology, while applying modern governance, generating high added value, and connecting the global production and supply chains in line.

Could you please tell us Bac Ninh's opinion on responding to the green growth strategy?

Green growth, energy transition, and greenhouse gas emission reduction have become inevitable trends globally. This is an opportunity for provinces and cities across the country in general and Bac Ninh in particular to develop and restructure their economies towards green, greenhouse gas emission reduction, and sustainability.

Responding to the National Strategy on Green Growth, Bac Ninh has early oriented its economic growth to pay attention to environmental protection, culture, and society towards the goal of sustainable development. Since 2007, the province has developed Agenda 21 on the province's sustainable development strategy for the period 2006–2010, with a vision to 2020, and developed plans and programs to implement the government's directives on the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and the Green Growth Strategy.

Bac Ninh identifies green growth as the cause of the entire party, people, authorities at all levels, businesses, and social organizations. The province has implemented many solutions and approaches towards harmonious, sustainable, and inclusive development, taking people and businesses as the center, subject, and goal of development and participating extensively and effectively in the global production network and value chain with the view of not sacrificing progress, social justice, and the environment to pursue mere economic growth.

How does Bac Ninh select projects to ensure green and sustainable development in investment attraction, sir?

Over the years, Bac Ninh has always been a prominent “brand” in investment attraction, especially foreign direct investment (FDI). The province has become a typical example of strong, sustainable, and effective development.

Developing that brand is a long process, requiring breakthrough strategic thinking and a consistent view of selective investment attraction. Bac Ninh province does not apply the motto of attracting investment at all costs but prioritizes attracting investment in projects in high-tech, modern, environmentally friendly, and less labor-intensive industries. Therefore, up to now, most enterprises operating in industrial parks have centralized wastewater treatment systems and automatic monitoring systems. Among these, a proportion of newly built production facilities have applied advanced technology, been equipped with equipment to minimize environmental pollution, and treated waste according to standards.

VSIP Bac Ninh Industrial Park becomes a model in the development of concentrated Industrial Parks at home and abroad.

In addition, many industrial parks have built modern infrastructure associated with environmental protection, effectively using land funds and meeting the factory construction requirements of international investors.

To ensure green growth, the Provincial Green Index (PGI) is an important reference parameter. What will Bac Ninh province do to improve this index ranking, sir?

In 2023, Bac Ninh ranked 21st out of 63 provinces and cities nationwide in terms of PGI with 22.53 points. This ranking demonstrates the province's efforts to protect the environment over many years and clearly affirms the province's viewpoint of "not trading the environment for economic development, selectively attracting investment, and focusing on solutions to reduce environmental pollution.".

Accordingly, the province has proposed a group of tasks and specific solutions to improve each component index in the PGI index. The Provincial People's Committee requested departments, branches, sectors, People's Committees of districts and communes to enhance their roles and responsibilities in improving and enhancing the PGI ranking, promote propaganda, raise awareness among officials and civil servants about the meaning and importance of the PGI index, and have departments, branches, and sectors pay attention to effectively implementing it.

Along with that, the province proactively deployed plans to respond to natural disasters and climate change, focusing on improving the quality of forecasting and warning of natural disasters, promptly overcoming the consequences of natural disasters, and minimizing the impact on people's lives and the activities of production and business establishments in the area.

Especially, the province has minimized the processing time for procedures for appraisal and approval of environmental impact assessment reports; appraisal of environmental improvement and restoration plans is lower than that prescribed by law, thereby creating favorable conditions, reducing costs, and saving time for organizations and individuals when carrying out administrative procedures.

Thank you very much!