From planning and preparing land funds to perfecting investment attraction mechanisms and selecting capable investors, the province is concentrating on securing the necessary conditions to form large-scale production projects, expand production capacity, generate additional employment, and contribute to economic growth.

From planning to perfecting investment attraction mechanisms

Increasing the proportion of industry in the economic structure is one of the crucial prerequisites for Điện Biên to realize its double-digit growth target. However, for a locality with a modest industrial scale, attracting manufacturing investment requires synchronized preparation, ranging from site planning and infrastructure development to perfecting mechanisms, policies, and selecting capable investors.

During the process of reviewing and updating the provincial planning for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050, the Department of Industry and Trade coordinated with communes and wards to propose the planning of 14 industrial clusters covering a total area of 346ha; while simultaneously identifying other potential industrial clusters spanning 153.58ha. Proactively delineating the land fund is deemed a vital preparatory step, establishing a foundation to connect and attract enterprises to research and invest.

Alongside planning, the Department of Industry and Trade provides guidance on industrial cluster investment procedures; coordinates with departments, sectors, and localities to connect and introduce approved planned locations to interested investors. Notably, the province formulated the Set of Criteria for evaluating and selecting investors to construct technical infrastructure for industrial clusters, and the Operation Regulations of the Investor Evaluation and Selection Council, submitting them to the provincial People’s Committee for promulgation. This provides the basis for the investor selection process to be executed according to specific, open, and transparent criteria, while elevating the accountability of related agencies and units.

These preparatory steps are steadily translating into concrete results. The Thanh Yên 2 Industrial Cluster project has been granted an investment approval decision by the provincial People’s Committee. The Núa Ngam Industrial Cluster and Thanh Yên Industrial Cluster have attracted investors who are exploring, surveying, and proposing their establishment.

The Thanh Yên 2 Industrial Cluster project, invested by Duyên Hùng Co., Ltd., has a total investment capital exceeding VND 268 billion and spans approximately 30ha. Upon completion, the project will form a centralized production site, creating conditions for enterprises in need of infrastructure to access and expand their production and business operations in Điện Biên. Immediately after receiving approval, the investor deployed the formulation of a 1/500 detailed planning scheme, expecting to submit it for appraisal and approval in November; concurrently executing surveying, land ownership determination, and preparing subsequent steps to roll out the project.

Lưu Công Ruyên, Director of Duyên Hùng Co., Ltd., stated: “After completing the statutory dossiers and procedures, we are determined to accelerate infrastructure investment progress, early inviting secondary investors to Điện Biên. Once operational, the project is expected to generate employment for approximately 2,000 to 4,000 local laborers, contributing to driving economic development and elevating incomes for the people.”

The Thanh An Industrial Park project was just granted an investment approval decision by the provincial People’s Committee to Hòa Phú Joint Stock Company. Covering over 104ha in Thanh An commune, the project is expected to expand the land fund dedicated to industrial production, creating conditions to attract manufacturing and processing enterprises, and contributing to effectively exploiting the locality’s potentials and advantages.

According to Hà Duy Tín, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director of Hòa Phú Joint Stock Company, the enterprise’s orientation is to develop Thanh An Industrial Park into a favorable location for storing, preserving, and deep-processing agricultural produce, thereby elevating product value and expanding export markets. Following the investment approval, Hòa Phú Joint Stock Company signed a commitment with the province regarding the project’s deployment schedule. According to the plan, the project is scheduled to commence construction in the first quarter of 2027 and reach completion in the fourth quarter of 2027.

For these projects to be deployed early, the coordinating role of grassroots administrations holds significant importance, particularly regarding land affairs, site clearance, and forging public consensus. In Thanh An commune, the locality focuses on reviewing the current status and origins of land, demographics, and assets within the project scope; determining the demand for and locations of resettlement; and executing procedures for land recovery, compensation, support, and resettlement according to its jurisdiction and statutory regulations. Efforts to communicate with and mobilize citizens are being intensified, tethered to strengthening land management and construction order, and promptly handling any emerging violations.

Trần Văn Hải, Chairman of the Thanh An commune People’s Committee, stated that the locality clearly identifies its responsibility to coordinate with functional agencies and investors, proactively executing tasks within its jurisdiction, contributing to untangling difficulties and ensuring the project’s deployment schedule.

Selecting the right sectors, elevating investment attraction efficiency

Coupled with site preparation and infrastructure project deployment, Điện Biên is accelerating investment promotion in a focused manner suited to practical conditions. The provincial People’s Committee directed the Department of Industry and Trade to coordinate with the provincial Investment, Trade, and Tourism Promotion Center to strengthen connections and introduce investment opportunities across the 14 planned industrial clusters. Priority sectors for investment attraction encompass deep processing of agricultural produce, light industry, and labor-intensive sectors that align with the locality’s potentials and comparative advantages.

To attract capable enterprises and suitable projects, providing transparent and comprehensive information regarding planning, land funds, infrastructure, and policies is a fundamental requirement. This is also an issue prioritized by enterprise-networking organizations when exploring investment opportunities in Điện Biên.

Võ Văn Thân, Chairman of the Hồ Chí Minh City Industrial Park Business Association, opined that Điện Biên needs to standardize information on planning, land funds, legal frameworks, infrastructure, mechanisms, policies, and project portfolios so enterprises have a basis to evaluate opportunities, select sectors, and make investment decisions. In the coming time, the Association will continue connecting member enterprises and partners to research investment opportunities in the province, focusing on industrial manufacturing, industrial park infrastructure development, factories, warehousing, logistics, supporting industries, processing, and services supporting production.

From land fund planning and perfecting investor selection mechanisms to deploying specific projects, Điện Biên is progressively laying the foundation for industrial development. However, the efficacy of investment attraction will hinge heavily on the progress of infrastructure completion, site clearance, the fulfillment of investor commitments, and the capacity to attract secondary enterprises.

When industrial parks and clusters receive synchronized investment and establish manufacturing and processing facilities, advantages in agriculture, raw material sources, and regional connectivity will secure added conditions for effective exploitation. Through this, industry can make an increasingly substantial contribution to production value, generate added jobs, elevate incomes for the people, and become one of the pivotal driving forces propelling Điện Biên’s economic restructuring and the realization of its double-digit growth target.