Tra Vinh (VNA)– The year 2017 marked the outstanding performance of the Mekong Delta provinceof Tra Vinh in investment attraction, contributing remarkably to the localeconomic growth.

During the year, nearly 80 domestic and foreigninvestors came to study the local incentives in investment, doubling the numberof 2016, including 35 investors from Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore,the US, Turkey and Malaysia.

As a result, the locality licensed 49 investmentprojects, encompassing five foreign ones with total registered capital of 143million USD, and 44 domestic ones worth nearly 3.5 trillion VND (153.3 millionUSD).

On aggregate, 59 projects worth over 153.8 trillionVND (6.7 billion USD) are being carried out at industrial and economic zones inthe province.

The inflow of investment has made positiveimpacts on local development. The gross regional domestic product (GRDP) sawannual average growth of 11 percent over the past five years. In 2017, the GRDPexpanded by over 12 percent, the highest level over the past four years.

The provincial economic structure continues toshift toward higher proportion of industry-construction and services and lower proportionof agriculture, forestry and fishery.

The per capita average income was estimated atmore than 39.2 million VND (1,716 USD) in 2017.

Chairman of the provincial People’s CommitteeDong Van Lam said Tra Vinh will push ahead with administrative reforms andpromote the one-stop-shop mechanism to create a friendly environment forinvestors.

At the same time, the province will giveincentives to invite investors to implement high technology projects and highlycompetitive sectors such as the brackish shrimp breeding project on 100-200hectares, the cultivation of shrimp-forest and shrimp-rice models on 800-1,000hectares, and the manufacturing, processing and sale of coconut products on20,000-30,000 hectares.

The province also looks to develop tourism projectsincluding the establishment of a nearly 65 hectare cultural area at Ba Om pondin the southwest of Tra Vinh city and a 30 hectare hot spring resort in DuyenHai town, he added.

Tra Vinh will support businesses with landclearance, technical infrastructure investment, labour training, and promotionof trade, investment and tourism.

Lam said the provincial Party’s Committee aimsto bring Tra Vinh into the group of middle-range provinces in the Mekong Deltaby 2020.

The province will optimise its strengths andpotential to help investors expand operation to create an important drivingforce for the local economic development breakthroughs, he added.-VNA