Cooperating with Provinces, Cities: Needing Common Image and Programme

How do you think of the potentialities and possibilities of economic development cooperation between Ninh Thuan with other localities?
At present, Ninh Thuan has set up three cooperative programmes with Ho Chi Minh City, with Binh Thuan and Lam Dong and with Khanh Hoa and Phu Yen provinces. They are based on common characteristics and locally typical advantages to tap development investment efficiency.

 

Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan and Lam Dong provinces share borderlines and constitute an economic triangle to exploit regional favourable conditions to develop economy. Lam Dong is strong at highland eco-tourism while Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan are renowned for maritime eco-tourism. All three provinces feature cultural peculiarities of many ethnic minorities like KHo Ho, Ede, Cham and Raglay, thus having numerous uniquely historic relics and cultural rituals.

 

Ninh Thuan, Khanh Hoa and Phu Yen provinces are located along the coastline of Vietnam, thus having many common points in natural and socio-economic conditions. The tripartite cooperation not only promotes local advantages and also assists each other to build an economic sub-region.

 

The cooperation with Ho Chi Minh City will help Ninh Thuan to lure capital, human and technological resources because this city has a large volume of enterprises, foreign investors and financial investors. They can arrive in Ninh Thuan to do two-way business: Ninh Thuan is a production base and Ho Chi Minh City is a consumption market, and vice versa.

 

Ninh Thuan has signed these cooperation pacts for more than one year. Can you tell the implementation activities and results?
The Phu Yen-Khanh Hoa-Ninh Thuan cooperation relation has been officially set up for more than one year. To tap the regional potentialities, the three provinces have asked the central authorities for upgrading Cam Ranh Airport into an international airport, Ba Ngoi Port into a container terminal and several national roads. The Ministry of Transport agreed these projects and the Government passed the Cam Ranh Airport project. In tourism, trade and industry, all sides have suitable development plans. Ninh Thuan has introduced white sand reserves to Minexco Co. and tobacco project to Khanh Viet Co., both in Khanh Hoa.

 

Ninh Thuan has signed a cooperation deal with Ho Chi Minh City to develop three fields, namely economy (trade, tourism, industry, agriculture and sci-tech), education-training and health. After more than one year, many projects have commenced. Ho Chi Minh City has supported VND2 billion for the construction of a vocational high school. The city-based Hoan My Co. also donated VND300 milllion for a kindergarten in Phan Rang Thap Cham Township. Satra has cooperated with Vietnam Geology and Minerals Co. to develop a stone tile factory in Thanh Hai Industrial Zone.

 

Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, Lam Dong and VCCI’s Ho Chi Minh City branch have jointly organised quality improvement activities and supporting services to develop regional tourism.

 

How can you make the cooperation programmes more effective?
In my opinion, to optimise the cooperation, the cooperation image should be highlighted, especially on regional scale. The cooperative sides should organise regionally common activities and events. For example, to attract investment, a common promotion programme should be organised. In tourism, a common handicraft supplying system should be established to advertise and sell locally advantageous products in tourist sites in each province. Tourism firms of the three provinces are encouraged to open inter-provincial tours. Besides, the tourism promotion activities should also focus on regional purposes to create regional attractiveness. In infrastructure, a regional development plan is necessary for the common socio-economic development.

 

However, the implementation should be clearly allocated to each province to avoid overlaps and wastes.