Tapping Local Potential

In the event of international economic integration, all social and economic sectors of Dak Lak province have protectively taken advantage of opportunities and weathered challenges to promote locally available potentialities to attract domestic and international investment capital.

 

We happily saw our tourism growing in the first months of this year. In the first quarter of 2009, the tourism sector of Dak Lak province made total revenues of VND40 billion, a year on year rise of 11.9 per cent as the province welcomed 56,000 travellers, an increase of over 2 per cent year on year. Over the past years, the province organised many conferences to introduce its attractions in the country and the world. To attract more visitors, many travel companies have introduced MICE tourism - a combination of meeting and travel for businesspeople. In the coming time, on the 105^th founding anniversary of Buon Ma Thuot city, the tourism industry is planning to build the Dak Lak Tourism Week. By 2010, two border-sharing districts of EaSoup and Buon Don hope to serve 170,500 travellers, including du 500 international arrivals and 170,000 domestic arrivals, up 18 per cent year on year. The tourism revenues are expected to reach VND15 billion, up 20 per cent on year. To boost tourism development until 2010, the two districts are calling all economic sectors inside and outside the province to invest in building and upgrade such places of interest as Buon Tri A tourist site, Dak Minh Lake and Bay Nhanh (seven parts) Waterfall in Buon Don district, Yook Don National Park, upper EaSoup Lake and Yang Prong Waterfall in EaSoup district.

 

In 2008, the processing industry was valued at above VND2,183 billion, meeting 100.2 per cent of the plan and increasing 127 per cent year on year. Particularly, the refined sugar output reached 14,700 tonnes, bottled beer output at 35.8 million litres (150 per cent of designed capacity), manioc output up 23 per cent, animal feed output at 220,000 tonnes, agricultural mechanical output at 22,000 products, and processed exported rubber at 4,000 tonnes. The operation of new footwear companies, export ground and bean coffee processing enterprises, steel laminating mills, wood processing workshops, gas filling stations will generate higher industrial prospects for the province. The province is speeding up the construction pace of industrial projects. Dak Lak is guiding its subordinated units to create best conditions for domestic and foreign enterprises to complete their projects soon and simplify legal procedures for investors to advance their investment projects to generate more products and scale up industrial production capacity.

 

The province will also continue carrying out the Vietnamese Government’s programme on developing rural power networks in the Central Highlands, including Dak Lak where 411 villages have no access to electricity. Relevant authorities are told to facilitate investors to clear construction sites for power grids. By the end of 2009, the province expects to basically complete this programme. Dak Lak will continue implementing the Programme168/CP on bringing the electricity to ethnic minority people. In the future, the industrial and commercial sectors of Dak Lak province will focus on two major advantages of processing industry and hydropower. The province will specially focus on measuring local industrial potentialities and planning development of major mechanical products, laying groundwork for industrial development planning until 2020. Then, the locality will call industrial investments to drive up socioeconomic development and speed up completion of underway projects such as the second phase of Saigon beer factory, Buon Ma Thuot central market, Phu Xuan commercial centre and several power plants. At the same time, the province will create favourable conditions to advance new projects such as milk cow farm and dairy of Vinamilk, dried jackfruit processing factory of Vinamit, and a 66-million-litre-a-year biological alcohol factory of Sabeco.

 

During its 30 year history of construction and development, the college trained more than 600 officials of construction, irrigation and hydropower, 73,000 well-trained workers, including 4,600 ethnic minority people, 72,000 half-trained workers, including 5,000 ethnic minority people, and 16,000 students, including 2,000 ethnic minority people. At present, the school is one of 15 key vocational schools for ethnic minority people in the country. It is also the largest boarding school for ethnic minority people, with 2,000 students from 30 ethnic minority peoples in Vietnam and Laos.

 

As regards domestic cooperation, the school cooperated with several research institutes, universities, colleges, vocational high schools and training establishments administered by ministries, provinces and cities to foster knowledge for its teachers and students. The college has been consolidating its close cooperation with industries, localities, associations and enterprises to employ its students.

 

Regarding international cooperation, the school took part in ADB-funded technical and vocational training project of the government in the 2006-2008 period. It completed all tasks and goals of the project. It also joined several small projects funded by embassies of Canada, the UK, Sweden and organisations of the Netherlands, Japan, Germany, Denmark and Switzerland. At present, it is calling for financial assistance to infrastructure and teaching equipment of the school.

 

To carry out the year of IT application in education and training sector, the Department of Education and Training has cooperated with the Dak Lak - Dak Nong Telecom to connect broadband ADSL internet with 514 out of 881 training units, or 58.3 per cent. Besides, the province’s education and training sector has received many centrally funded projects such as secondary education development project for difficult regions and SREM development assistance project. Additionally, educational establishments are effectively taking advantage of assistance from organisations and individuals in Dak Lak and other provinces.

 

Investment attraction into industrial parks: At present, four projects worth VND211 billion have been put into operation: A gas filling station by Dai Viet Energy Joint Stock Company (VND72 billion), a steel laminating factory by Southeast Asia Steel Joint Stock Company (VND73 billion), an agricultural product processing factory by Phuong Dong Foodstuff Industry Co., Ltd (VND23 billion) and an instant coffee factory invested by An Thai Company (VND42 billion).

 

Pending projects: The coffee processing plant invested by Import - Export One-member Co. Ltd 2-9 (VND13 billion), which is expected to be kicked off in May 2009 and a bonded depot invested by Tay Nguyen Coffee Investment, Import, Export Joint Stock Company (VND287 billion), which is expected to be commenced in June 2009.

Registered investment projects: Dak Lak Rubber Company registered to produce high-grade rubber products; Kim Truong Thinh Trading Service Joint Stock Company established a granite stone and marble processing project; WASECO Water Supply and Drainage Investment and Construction Joint Stock Company will build centrifugal construction concrete project; and Phuong Tao Steel Co., Ltd will build An Pha construction material factory.

 

Operational projects created jobs for 605 labourers, including 156 local residents (32 ethnic minority people). This is a good signal for a newly established industrial park.

 

Simplified administrative procedures: In 2009, the authority will complete its organisational apparatus as well as legal documents on industrial park management.

 

In labour and vocational fields, the province will create jobs for nearly 43,000 people, in which the provincial channels create 34,000 jobs, or 80 per cent. The VND25 billion funded channel with expected 1,000 jobs a year support small and medium-sized enterprises. The foreign promotion channel sent 400-500 people to work in other provinces and cities like Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong and Dong Nai. In 2008, the department introduced 750 labourers to work in foreign nations like Malaysia and Taiwan.

 

Job bazaars are effectively carried out when they attract districts and communes to take part in. In March 2009, the department collaborated with the Youth Union to organise a grassroots job bazaar. We expect to invest VND7 billion to set up a job transaction floor and put it into operation in 2010. Regarding human resource training, the province proposed the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs to facilitate it to approach socioeconomic development projects and poverty reduction programmes.

 

Minh Long