Hai Phong (VNA) - The Belgium government has always supportedinvestment in projects in Vietnam, especially support to further pursue greenprojects, Rudolf Huygelen, Director of the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs’ cabinet, said.

Huygelen,attending the celebration to mark the 20th anniversary of the Dinh VuIndustrial Zone (DVIZ) and its success as the leading seaport industrial zone(IZ) in Vietnam, held in northern Hai Phong Port City on April 5, said theDeep C-DVIZ project was a symbol of the firm cooperation between Belgium and Vietnam.

Hesaid the project is “the largest investment of Belgium in Vietnam, probablyalso one of the oldest, and maybe also be the one with the maximum impact onthe Vietnamese economy and society.” Development of other expansion projectssuch as this and green energy projects have also been welcomed by bothgovernments, he said.

DinhVu Industrial Zone Joint Stock Company, the company invested by the Hai PhongPeople’s Committee, Rent-A-Port (Belgium) and Infra Asia Investment Hong Kong,has developed and manages the Deep C cluster.

“PartnerRent A Port has a proven track record as a pioneer in the development andexploitation of renewable energy in Europe and particularly Belgium, hence weare convinced we have the correct partners in Vietnam and we are happy to seethis partnership moving to the next level in addition to the development ofindustrial parks,” he said.

Setup on Dinh Vu Peninsula, a deserted area mainly used for fishery, DVIZ isdifferent from other IZs as it started with no land, no power, no water supplyand no access road; only with the vision of exploiting this premium andstrategic location as the centre of a transportation hub.

“Overthe last two decades, DVIZ has drawn 3 billion USD in investment from 70multinational companies from Japan, Germany, the United States and Vietnam, aswell as Singapore and the Republic of Korea. Prominent investors includeBridgestone, JX Nippon Oil & Energy, Idemitsu and Shin-etsu, as well asChevron, PVOil, IHI and Nippon Express, along with Yusen, Knauf, C.Steinweg andFlat Group. DVIZ has created more than 10,000 direct and 50,000 indirect jobsin the industrial service sector, contributing to the country’s rapidindustrialisation,” Nguyen Van Tung, Chairman of the municipal People’sCommittee, said.

DVIZcreated the precedent to confirm feasibility of building on the sea and hasbecome the symbol for port and industrial development in Cat Hai-Lach Huyen, inwhich DVIZ/Deep C is also a major player. Expanding to south Dinh Vu (Deep C HPII) and Cat Hai (Deep C HP III next to Lach Huyen Deep Seaport), DVIZ is a goodstarting point for the Deep C Industrial Cluster of over 3,000ha at the centreof the city’s mega infrastructure, which is the most strategic location innorth Vietnam.

Takingthe initiative for sustainable development of the city and the country, themain shareholder of the Deep C/DVIZ project is undertaking green energyprojects, including green power generation from renewable energy sources,generation of water from the sea and generation of electrical energy fromwaste, which is today left unexploited.

Onthe same day, a number of co-operation MoUs were signed between Rent-A-Port andthe city for “green” projects, including research on the development of a greenindustrial cluster in Hai Phong, research on green energy production supply toindustrial zones and research on wind-powered water treatment in Cat Hai tosupply 400 cu.m. per day clean water to 4,000 residents of the island in thebeginning stage. This is a pioneering project in Hai Phong and can beduplicated in other provinces with water shortage. Both parties will partner torequest for 4.5 million euros Official Development Assistant from the Belgiangovernment to fund this project.

AnotherMoU was signed between Daiwa House Vietnam and DVIZ stating co-operation infinding prospective investors for DVIZ and its expansion. Daiwa House isJapan’s largest firm in real estate and construction, while Daiwa House Vietnamhas operated since 2012. The co-operation promises increased presence andparticipation of Japanese investors in the city for its strategic development.-VNA