The country’s three high-tech parks still have plenty of space to fill for new projects. Photo: Le Toan Hoa Lac High-tech Park (HHTP) is now surrounded with complete infrastructure and favourable transport links which were expected to be an important factor for investment attraction. According to the park’s Management Board, it attracted six projects with total investment of about VND9 trillion ($391 million) in 2020, including one foreign and five domestically-owned. They focus on research and development, manufacturing, and high-tech pharmacy. While the figure is higher than that of 2019, when the park lured in just four domestically-invested projects registered at VND7.46 trillion ($324 million), it was far lower than 2018, when it attracted 11 projects registered with VND17 trillion ($739 million), a record high over the past 20 years. Notable names involved included Nidec, Mitsubishi, and Hanwha Group. The result is lower than expected though the HHTP itself enjoys Decree No.74/2017/ND-CP which came into effect in 2017, governing special mechanisms and policies for the park only. Few social infrastructures such as workers’ housing, hospitals, trade centres, and other services have been licensed there. Industry insiders said that in the context that the country is promoting high-tech foreign investment and the trend of making business and investment in the local market among technology groups, the lacklustre foreign investment attraction of the HHTP has raised questions over how attractive it actually is. While COVID-19 is an obvious reason, others should be included, some added. Established in 1998, the filling rate of the park is now 40 per cent of its over 1,500 hectares. The HHTP boasts the longest history among the country’s three high-tech parks, and has the advantages thanks to Decree 74, which includes unique incentives such as the 10 per cent corporate income tax (CIT) within the first 30 years for a new investment project of at least VND4 …
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VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES MARCH 2
Red Spring Festival expects to collect over 4,000 blood units Young people donate their blood In his opening remarks, Director of the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) Bach Quoc Khanh, who is head of the festival’s organizing board, said that the festival has been held annually since 2008 to address blood shortages after the lunar New Year holiday, and gradually changed public awareness of blood donation. After 13 editions, the festival has collected over 85,000 blood units and become the annual biggest blood donation event. Khanh took the occasion to express his gratitude for donators nationwide. The 14th edition is taking place from March 1-7 at the NIHBT headquarters, and three fixed places - 26 Luong Ngoc Quyen in Hoan Kiem district, 132 Quan Nhan in Thanh Xuan district, and Valley 122 of Lang Street in Dong Da district. The organizing board expects to receive over 4,000 blood units during this year’s festival, which then will be allocated to nearly 180 hospitals and medical establishments of 28 provinces and cities in the northern region. It has also made thorough preparations to welcome donors so as to ensure COVID-19 prevention and control as recommended by the World Health Organisation and the Health Ministry./. Fatal coach crash kills three, injures 4 in Dong Thap A serious traffic accident caused by a passenger coach took place on National Highway 54 in Tan Thanh Commune of Dong Thap Province’s Lai Vung District this morning, March 1, killing three and injuring four people. The passenger coach with plate number 51B-17273 driven by Tran Van Nam, aged 41, was heading from Vam Cong Bridge to Vinh Long Province when it plowed into a group of 10 bike riders and killed a rider, identified as Tran Van An, aged 59. The passenger coach continued slamming into two electric poles and a tree on the pavement, damaging the front of the coach. Local residents immediately took some injured passengers …
US wants to play active role in Southeast Asia
Chief Operating Officer of the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) David Marchick has stressed that DFC wants to play an active role in the development of Southeast Asia, with a big priority to the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS). Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Ha Kim Ngoc speaks at the online discussion (Photo: VNA) He made the statement during an online discussion with Ambassadors of ASEAN member states in Washington D.C. including Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Ha Kim Ngoc, together with Indo-Pacific Coordinator of the US National Security Council Kurt Campbell and Director of the ASEAN-US Business Council Alex Feldman. DFC will pay attention to climate change, sustainable development, investment in green energy projects and support for Southeast Asia in handling COVID-19 pandemic via strengthening medical system and distributing vaccines, he said. He added that DFC will also assist small and medium-sized enterprises in the fields of agriculture and education while working with partners such as Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia and Taiwan (China) to improve the efficiency of projects. According to him, potential of cooperation between DFC and Vietnam remains huge. Campbell, for his part, highlighted the importance of ASEAN in the US’s polices and the need to enhance linkage between ASEAN ambassadors and the US Government’s organs. He expressed his hope for an early meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his ASEAN counterparts to talk bilateral cooperation areas in the near future. Vietnamese Ambassador Ngoc hailed the US’s efforts to promote energy development and facilitate trade and medical assistance for Southeast Asia. On the occasion, he suggested the US Government continue helping countries in Southeast Asia and the GMS develop a sustainable supply chain, improve digital trade capacity and attract investment in high-quality infrastructure such as Long Thanh international …
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