Dong Nai province - an investment destination

When the country started entering its renewal period, Dong Nai was one of the leading provinces promoting investment co-operation with developed countries.
 

By the end of the 1980s, the province established a group of experts who researched and studied the industrial zone models of countries like South Korea, Taiwan, India, Malaysia and Indonesia. The group also contacted and called for investment from investors in Thailand and Taiwan. As a result, in 1995 Bien Hoa Industrial Zone II was officially established in the province, followed by a series of other industrial zones, namely Amata, Loteco and Nhon Trach I. In 1963, the province had Bien Hoa Technology Area that then developed into Bien Hoa Industrial Zone I.

In 2004, besides industrial zones built in Bien Hoa City and Long Thanh and Trang Bom Districts, Dong Nai established another three industrial zones in the districts of Dinh Quan, Tan Phu and Xuan Loc to create favourable conditions to promote economic development in mountainous areas in the province.
 

Dong Nai has many advantages in developing the economy and industry. It has a convenient traffic system with Highway 1A, High Way 51, Highway 20 and the North-South Railway. Furthermore, it is located near Tan Son Nhat National Airport and Sai Gon Port. It has a great potential in mineral resources, such as salty water, granite, construction stone, clay and other materials for processing agricultural and forest products.

«...            In 2011, the total number of employees in 30 industrial zones in Dong Nai was 407,785, including 5,330 foreigners. The export turnover reached 5.8 billion USD, accounting for 51% of the total turnover. The export markets were mainly the US (31%), Japan (12%), ASEAN countries (11%), China (7%) and South Korea (5%). (According to the statistics of Dong Nai Industrial Zone Management Board)

The province also has abundant human resources with the number of people at working age accounting for over 54% of the total population. They are able to acquire knowledge and adapt quickly to the transfer of technology and a modern working environment in industrial zones. The province has also paid much attention to training human resources by establishing four universities, eight colleges, 16 middle professional schools and 73 vocational training schools.

So far, 22 out of 30 industrial zones have completed infrastructures with modern and synchronous systems of electricity, water, traffic, lighting, concentrated sewage treatment and telecommunications, to meet all the requirements of investors. The province has reformed drastically the administrative formalities under the “one-door and on the spot” policy, creating positive conditions for investors to do business. Therefore, Dong Nai Province has attracted a large amount of FDI in the industrial field, particularly in industrial zones. Many large groups in the world like Fujitsu (Japan), Ajinomoto (Japan), Shell (Netherlands), Syngenta (Switzerland), Arkema (France) select Dong Nai as a lucrative destination for their investments. By the end of 2011, the industrial zones in Dong Nai had 839 effective FDI projects with a total capital of 13.9 billion USD, accounting for 84% of the whole province’s FDI.
 

Nguyen Phuong Lan, Deputy Manager of Dong Nai Industrial Zone Management Board, said: “We will continue to stand side by side with businessmen, support the infrastructure and create favourable conditions in terms of administrative formalities. All of these things help these enterprises to leave good impressions on the investment environment in Dong Nai and attract more international investors.

In the development strategy in the 2011-2015 period, Dong Nai plans to give priority to developing high-tech projects that have less impact on the environment. Therefore, Dong Nai will focus on attracting large economic groups with great potential in technology and finance to invest in the fields of machines, electric-electronic equipment, information technology, telecommunications and new materials.