In July 2010, Song Cong Town marked its 25th founding anniversary. As a young town, Song Cong land and people always associate with the glorious history of Thai Nguyen and the whole country. On its establishment, the town had three communes and 3 wards. 25 years later, Song Cong has the stature of an industrial urban zone. Today, the prosperity is reflected densely rented industrial parks. Together with outstanding economic development efforts, Song Cong has also urgently completed its last items to be recognised the third-grade urban zone.
Creating a springboard from industry
After 25 years, the total production value reached VND4,000 billion in 2010, up 147 times from 1985; budget collections increased 1,200 times; GDP per capita reached VND25.8 million. The most prominent economic development of the town is investment attraction and industrial development. To date, the town has an industrial park and three small industrial complexes with over 200 companies, which create jobs for nearly 6,000 people.
Mr Nguyen Khac Lam, Chairman of Song Cong Town’s People’s Committee, said: “Persistent viewpoint of local leaders is to create the most favourable conditions for investors." With its sound policies, advantages of Song Cong are promoted when more investors come to do business. The town always completes all administrative procedures in the shortest time in accordance to the State provisions.
Remarking on the investment environment in Song Cong, Nguyen Xuan Tot, President of Board of Directors of Lua Viet Metallurgical Materials Joint Stock Company, said, “Since our company started the project in Khuynh Thach Industrial Complex, we were very satisfied with actions of concerned authorities. Thus, we could kick off our project within five months.” In April 2009, the company completed and operated its factory. This facility generated VND52 billion of revenues for the company in that year and paid VND1.4 billion to the State coffers. In the first six months of 2010, its revenues were estimated at over VND30 billion. Good production performance created a springboard for the company to expand its production scales.
Song Cong I Industrial Park has attracted 34 investment projects with total investment capital of VND2,000 billion. Khuy Thach and Nguyen Gon industrial parks have housed 34 projects with a total registered of VND2,000 billion, including seven operational ones. To continue with promoting local strengths, the town is investing infrastructure, improving the investment environment, and planning more industrial parks to house investors. In particular, Song Cong town has completed the planning of 250-ha Song Cong Industrial Park 2, expanded Khuynh Thach Industrial Complex to 40 ha and built the 48.5-ha Ba Xuyen Industrial Complex.
Status of a dynamic urban zone
Song Cong town is in the process of becoming a dynamic urban zone in the northwest. With its special advantage, Song Cong has been long expected to be a stepping-stone industrial and urban zone and an economic transitional centre of the northern key economic zone with the northwest. With the role of a nucleus urban zone, the development of Song Cong town has created a spill-over effect on Thai Nguyen province and the northern mountainous area.
At present, all urban investment projects have closely attached to the planning until 2020. At the same time, the town has focused on perfecting infrastructure, accelerating urbanization, developing urban networks and modernising residential areas.
To promote commercial advantages, the town is trying to attract investment in trade and services. According to Mr Nguyen Khac Lam, the town will focus on developing services and thoroughly deal with environmental issues. Cultural and social infrastructures are also invested. Combining tradition and modernity will make the town attractive to tourists.
To deserve the role of dynamic urban zone, Song Cong has actively seized the opportunity of attracting investment. Specially, the construction and upgrading of backbone roads like Hanoi - Thai Nguyen Highway and National Road 3 have created more opportunities for the prosperity of Song Cong. Presently, Song Cong is speeding up investments of several important projects. The town will provide best conditions for investors to do business and make profit.
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