A flyover at the intersection of Le Hong Phong and Nguyen Binh Khiem streets in Hai Phong city (Photo: VNA) Hai Phong (VNA) - Hai Phong Chamber of Commerce, Investment and Tourism has played akey part in making the northern port city one of the most attractive investmentdestinations in the country over the past two years.
The chamber was createdto support and provide prospective investors with a simple and fastcommunication channel to access the city’s numerous bureaus, a task said to becomplicated and time-consuming.
Deputy heads from HaiPhong’s major administrative departments, such as Planning and Investment,Finance, Construction and Natural Resources and Environment, have offices atthe chamber. This allows administrative procedures to be processed at a muchgreater speed. By the city’s estimation, the average time for a procedure to becompleted or inquiry to be answered has been cut by almost half.
Do Chi Cong, head ofproject development from the Sun Group Cat Ba, said the group’s biggestchallenge at the beginning was lack of knowledge and information on thelocality. The chamber, at the group’s request, dispatched officials to workwith the group to solve numerous challenges and help to find a suitablelocation for property development.
Another commonroadblock for property developers is land-clearance. Doan Hong Thang, deputy directorof project development at Vingroup, said the chamber played a key role innegotiations held between households affected and the group, significantlyreducing the time needed to clear the land.
The chamber has alsobeen supporting the local business community. For example, during theconstruction of the deepwater port Lach Huyen, the chamber provided the investorwith legal counsel and instructions regarding the recently revised InvestmentLaw as well as other administrative procedures to cut paperwork in half, saidPham Hong Minh, Deputy Director of the Port of Hai Phong JSC.
Efforts atadministrative reform and enhanced management capacity by local governmentagencies are the driving forces behind the city’s robust economic developmentin recent years. Total investment in the city by more than 20,000 enterprises includingmore than 500 foreign businesses has reached 14.5 billion USD, according to thechairman of the city’s People Committee, Nguyen Van Tung.
Numerous leadingworld and Asian companies have major investments in Hai Phong, including LGGE,Bridgestone, AEON, SunGroup, and VinGroup.- VNA
VNA
