Mong Cai: Creating outstanding advantages to attract investment.

With the aim of creating a "boost" in attracting investment, Mong Cai city has been steadily and persistently orienting the province's development space with the motto "One center - Two routes - Multi-directional - Two breakthroughs - Three driving forces," focusing on the socio -economic development of Mong Cai based on four pillars (border trade and logistics service center; international tourism center; development of processing and manufacturing industries; and development of high-tech agriculture). To unlock resources and effectively achieve the set goals, Mong Cai city has implemented a comprehensive set of solutions to leverage its advantages and transform Mong Cai into an attractive and worthwhile investment destination.

Mong Cai city places great emphasis on planning with a strategic vision that opens up a direction for the development of a modern urban space.

Maximizing potential and strengths.

To effectively exploit and develop its potential and advantages, and to seize opportunities, Mong Cai places great emphasis on planning. Simultaneously, it focuses on improving the quality of urban criteria; developing a comprehensive and interconnected socio-economic infrastructure system, especially transportation, urban, tourism , and service infrastructure. From 2020 to the present, investment from the budget for socio-economic infrastructure development has reached VND 2,772,264 billion, achieving 78% of the target for the period (2015-2020). Total social investment reached VND 12,235 billion, with an average annual increase of 9.7%, and total FDI reached over VND 1,638.945 billion. Currently, the city is focusing on accelerating the implementation of the project to expand the Bac Luan I border gate, while supporting strategic investors in researching and investing in a border gate commercial and service complex, duty-free shops, and outlet centers at the Mong Cai International Border Gate (Bac Luan I).

Furthermore, recognizing that "Land clearance is a strategic and ongoing task, a key to success," the city has been resolute in its land clearance efforts, creating clean land funds to attract large investors and ensure the progress of key projects and works, creating a synchronous and modern infrastructure connection, especially the Van Don - Mong Cai expressway. From the beginning of the 2020 term to the present, the city has carried out land clearance for 103 projects with a total area of 1,941 hectares, paid compensation to 3,211 households with a total cost of 1,963 billion VND, allocated resettlement land to 541 households, and collected 628.702 billion VND for the State budget.

Perspective view of the Bac Luan II Bridge inter-agency checkpoint project.

With the motto of always accompanying and creating the most favorable conditions to attract businesses to invest, conduct business, and stay committed to the locality, over the years, Mong Cai City has strived to complete planning, create transparency and conditions for quick and convenient access to information on administrative procedures, land, land clearance, meeting the need for high-quality human resources, innovating and improving the effectiveness of investment attraction, especially for large, branded investors, prioritizing industries with high technological content and environmental friendliness. At the same time, the City always innovates its leadership and management, mobilizing the entire political system in resolving and removing obstacles and difficulties for businesses to invest, with the desire to bring ever greater confidence to the people and the business community. The results in administrative procedure reform have made a significant contribution to the city maintaining its top ranking in the province's administrative reform indices (in 2021, e-government (ICT Index) ranked 2nd/13, DGI index ranked 3rd/13, PAR-Index ranked 4th/13, DDCI and SIPAS indices ranked 6th/13).

According to Comrade Hoang Ba Nam, Provincial Party Committee member and Secretary of the Mong Cai City Party Committee: To persuade investors to invest in Mong Cai, the city has been focusing intensely on building strategic trust among businesses implementing development projects in the city. It continues to "open its doors" and "prepare the nest to welcome eagles" with synchronized strategies, namely: persistently implementing the motto "using public investment to lead private investment." Implementing planning and planning management, decisively carrying out land clearance, and creating clean land funds – considering this as a tool to "lead the way" and build investor confidence. Implementing simplified, transparent, and publicly accessible administrative procedures in the spirit of "5 in one place" (including: receiving applications, appraisal, signing, stamping, and returning documents), creating a truly open investment and business environment with the message: "Together we go - together we arrive - together we share benefits - together we strive for success." Organizations and individuals investing in development within the Mong Cai Border Economic Zone enjoy the full range of preferential mechanisms at the highest level according to regulations currently in effect in Vietnam. In the long term, the city is committed to proposing and developing a specific mechanism and policy for the "Mong Cai, Vietnam - Dongxing, China Cross-Border Economic Cooperation Zone," creating a breakthrough in attracting investment and developing the city.

With effective and appropriate methods, in 2023 the city attracted one foreign direct investment (FDI) to implement the Khanh Nghiep Yarn Production project with a total investment capital of VND 316,546 million. Simultaneously, it attracted and supported strategic corporations in the processing and manufacturing industry to explore and research investment opportunities in the city (including Vinhomes Industrial Park Investment Joint Stock Company - Vingroup Group, Amata); supported businesses in accelerating the establishment of the Hai Yen Industrial Cluster; accelerated the completion of phases 4 and 5 of the Hai Yen Industrial Park; and proposed to the Province to add two industrial clusters south of the Luc Lam River, Hai Hoa ward, with the goal and nature of investment in processing, manufacturing and high-tech industries, production and assembly of electronic components, accessories, auto parts, machinery, logistics, etc. The industrial production value reached VND 30,056.894 billion.

A safe and attractive destination.

To meet the requirements for attracting investment in the next phase, Mong Cai City is focusing on directing the synchronized implementation of solutions to attract investment resources for the development of a comprehensive and modern infrastructure, meeting the requirements for rapid and sustainable development of the city in conjunction with the Border Economic Zone. This includes completing and implementing the detailed planning for the Tra Co and Binh Ngoc areas to attract investment; emphasizing regional tourism linkages and leveraging the advantages of Mong Cai's five unique tourism products (self-driving cross-border tourism; Vietnamese-Chinese cuisine; cross-border tourism; golf tourism combined with high-end hotels; and high-quality branded shopping); gradually building tourism product brands, including developing beach tourism products (Tra Co, Binh Ngoc, Vinh Thuc Island), eco-tourism, experiential tourism, and community tourism (Hai Xuan, Bac Son, Hai Son, etc.); and establishing and operating the Po Hen highland market in Hai Son commune. The pedestrian street in Tran Phu ward has become a "street of luxury brands"; managing passenger transport activities in border areas, market gates, bus stations, school gates, etc., ensuring clear and safe passenger pick-up and drop-off lanes; coordinating with Dongxing city and Fangcheng district (China) to develop border tourism products; and promoting the development of the "night-time economy".

The Van Ninh port project is currently underway.

In addition, the city continues to expand investment attraction into the Hai Yen Industrial Park Phase 6, aiming to complete the establishment of the Hai Yen Industrial Cluster; attract investment into the Hai Yen Industrial Park in conjunction with the Hai Ha Port Industrial Park; establish the Nam Song Luc Lam Industrial Cluster; relocate, cease operations, convert industries, and move to new planned locations for industrial and handicraft establishments that pose a risk of environmental pollution, are unsuitable, or violate planning regulations. Implement Resolution No. 15-NQ/TU dated April 23, 2019, of the Provincial Party Committee on the development of seaports and port services; focusing on completing Phase 1 of the Van Ninh General Port and connecting the sea transport route from the Mekong Delta and South Central provinces to serve import and export goods; and develop the marine economy in conjunction with protecting national sovereignty over the sea and islands. Maximizing the advantages of the Border Economic Zone in conjunction with the development of seaports and port services, diversifying forms of capital mobilization; effectively utilizing social resources to continue investing in the development of synchronous infrastructure with a number of key projects of the City, including: the Van Gia maritime channel dredging project to serve the land reclamation for the Van Ninh General Port project (phase 1); constructing the road embankment section of the Van Don-Mong Cai Expressway connecting road project to Van Ninh port; researching investment in the coastal road project linking the Van Don-Mong Cai Economic Zone to the Mong Cai Border Economic Zone, from Hai Ha seaport to Cau Voi bridge in Van Ninh commune, Mong Cai city, phase 2023-2025 (in accordance with the adjusted general planning for the construction of the Mong Cai Border Economic Zone until 2040); researching dredging the Luc Lam river channel and publishing the channel to support the consumption of agricultural products, seafood, and fruits for people inside and outside the province; The plan is to build a Logistics Center at Van Ninh port, which will serve as a storage, preservation, and transshipment hub for containers.

Mong Cai is becoming increasingly dynamic and attractive, a land of promise for investors.

Chairman of the People's Committee of Mong Cai City, Ho Quang Huy, affirmed that to continue building Mong Cai into a new, attractive, and convenient investment destination for domestic and foreign investors and businesses, Mong Cai City will continue to implement comprehensive solutions to support and strongly improve the investment and business environment, creating favorable conditions to attract investment, using "public investment as seed capital to lead and activate investment from outside the state," striving to mobilize an average of 8-9 dong of non-budgetary capital for every 1 dong of budget spent to participate in investment in Mong Cai. Mong Cai City is committed to always accompanying and working closely with investors and businesses throughout the research, survey, and investment proposal process, as well as during the production and business operations.

Based on mobilizing diverse social resources to focus on the rapid development of socio-economic infrastructure, gradually addressing challenges and meeting the requirements of the new development phase that Mong Cai City is currently facing, and above all, demonstrating seriousness, a willingness to befriend and partner, and a spirit of mutual development, the city has created a dynamic and attractive image of Mong Cai. This outstanding and distinctiveness will undoubtedly continue to create new highlights and attractive destinations for investors, enabling them and the city to gradually realize the goal of making Mong Cai a key service, trade, tourism, and seaport center of Quang Ninh province.

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