Kon Tum Socio-economic Development: External Forces are Important

Kon Tum is one of five Central Highlands provinces and is a constituent of Vietnam – Laos – Cambodia development triangle. The province is located in the northwest of the Central Highlands, not far from the dynamic economic development zone of the Vietnamese central region. Sharing the borderline with all three Indochinese countries, Kon Tum is seen as an important transit point on the international commercial corridor from Myanmar to northeast of Thailand, south of Laos and Vietnam’s Central Highlands, central coastal region and south-eastern region. This is the shortest East – West commercial corridor through the Bo Y International Border Gate.

Kon Tum has a natural area of 967,656 hectares of which forestland makes up three quarters (commercial forests account for 85 % and forest coverage is over 67 %.) The province holds huge potentiality in agricultural development as it has nearly 200,000 hectares of arable land, over 13,419 hectares of water surface for hydropower generation, 31 mineral mines and 49 ore locations where are found wolfram, gold, iron, peat, construction stone, diatomite and dolomite. The profuse water resource enables the province to build small and medium hydropower plants (capacity from 1 MW to 80 MW, totalling nearly 600 MW) in 82 different locations. It also has rich potentialities to develop ecological and historical tourism and grow flowers and Ngoc Linh ginseng.

 

The province has three dynamic economic zones (Kon Tum City dynamic economic zone attached with Hoa Binh and Sao Mai industrial parks, Kong Plong dynamic economic zone connected to Mang Den eco-tourism zone, and Ngoc Hoi dynamic economic zone linked with Bo Y International Border Gate Economic Zone), which are attracting investors.

 

In Kon Tum, apart from local available resources, investors are supported to process administrative procedures in a quickest manner at the Department of Planning and Investment. In the coming time, the Kon Tum People’s Committee will expand the Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Centre to attract investors into the province. Traffic systems are upgraded, electricity has been invested to reach most of remote areas, telecom, healthcare and education systems are also upgraded, financial and banking services are developed with increasing presence of commercial banks in the province.

 

To tap local potentialities, the province attaches much importance to investment promotion activities. In the coming time, investment promotion activities and conferences helped attract more investors to the province.

 

To attract more capital into the province, the Kon Tum People’s Committee has instructed to implement the following measures: (1) examine, supplement and adjust master provincial socioeconomic development plan and detailed industry development plans; (2) Speed up investment promotion activities in many methods; (3) Accelerate administrative reforms to raise spirit of responsibility of competent authorities in attracting investment capital; (4) Enhance the competitiveness of the Kon Tum Investment Promotion Centre, a locomotive in attracting investment, and (5) Strengthen examination and supervision of investment projects to help investors solve difficulties in the quickest manner.

Kon Tum is carrying out its infrastructure projects to create favourable conditions and environment to develop advantageous industries. Typical projects include upgrading National Road 14 (Ho Chi Minh Road, section from Kon Tum to Plei Ku), National Road 24 linking Kon Tum with Quang Ngai province, National Road 14C, Kon Plong – Tu Mo Rong – Dak Glei road, Bo Y International Border Gate Economic Zone, Hoa Binh Industrial Park and dynamic economic zones. With its complete and underway projects, Kon Tum province is gradually completing its infrastructure and creating a favourable environment for investors to implement their projects in the locality.

 

Under the approved development plan, the Bo Y International Border Gate Economic Zone has an important location not only in Kon Tum but also the Vietnam – Laos – Cambodia development triangle. Understanding the importance, the People’s Council and the People’s Committee of Kon Tum province have determined to build Ngoc Hoi dynamic economic zone to mutually support the Bo Y International Border Gate Economic Zone in the coming time.

 

Reported by N.N.Hanh - P.Phuc