The Covid-19 pandemic swept across continents, causing many countries to fall into economic crisis, threatening health security. Going through […]
The Covid-19 pandemic swept across continents, causing many countries to fall into economic crisis, threatening health security. Having gone through two outbreaks, Vietnam has been recognized by the world as a country with many proactive measures to control and contain epidemics. Contributing to that initial success, Hai Phong emerged as a locality with a position in national and international trade, but has kept a clean sheet, not allowing outbreaks to spread in the community and continues to be a safe destination for domestic and foreign investors.
Mr. Nguyen Van Luan, Head of the Labor Management Department of the Hai Phong Economic Zone Management Board, confided: After working for nearly 30 years, I will probably never forget the days of working... Covid, eating... Covid and staying up all night with... Covid during recent outbreaks. Update hourly developments of the epidemic in the world and Vietnam, especially neighboring countries and countries where the epidemic has appeared but have flights to the S-shaped country, even at 10-11 p.m., the leaders of the Economic Zone Management Board and the professional staff have to eat boxed lunches, discuss epidemic prevention solutions and then advise the City Party Committee and People's Committee to promptly direct industrial parks to deploy immediately on the morning of the next working day.
Directly participating with the management agencies and our reporters, early in the morning, we were present at the yard of LG Display Company in Trang Due industrial park to observe the body temperature measurement, wearing masks, and disinfection of the first group of workers entering the work shift, late at 10 p.m. to check the disinfection activities of the factory, dining room, and common walkways of factories in VSIP industrial park.
And yet, upon receiving information about foreign experts, especially from countries in the epidemic area, Board officials were immediately present, coordinating with infrastructure businesses to collect personal information, health status, as well as implement monitoring and quarantine measures.
The most difficult thing is convincing experts from European countries such as Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, the US and Japan to wear masks, keep a safe distance as well as comply with regulations on medical supervision. Due to differences in habits and customs, managers and medical staff must persistently explain, persuade, and even use strong measures when introducing provisions of Vietnamese law on administrative and criminal handling to ensure effective epidemic prevention.
With the motto of not letting the epidemic penetrate from outside into industrial parks and economic zones, leaders of the Hai Phong Economic Zone Management Board have asked businesses to strictly control foreign experts and workers related to the epidemic area. At the same time, we always recommend that workers must truthfully declare their medical conditions and those of their relatives, so that businesses can promptly take measures to localize, quarantine, and control the epidemic.
The above efforts are not redundant when, at the time of a large-scale outbreak in many provinces and cities across the country, including in localities bordering Hai Phong such as Hai Duong, Thai Binh, and Quang Ninh, the majority of businesses in economic zones and industrial parks in the city's production and business activities are still maintained and stable.
The results are beyond imagination. Although the epidemic is always lurking, in 2020, industrial parks and economic zones in the city attracted 39 new foreign investment projects with a capital of 1,103.445 million USD; 25 projects adjusted to increase capital with an additional capital of 428.153 million USD. Thus, the total foreign direct investment capital attracted in 2020 is 1,531,598 million USD, an increase of 21% compared to 2019, reaching 102% of the plan.
Accumulated to December 31, 2020, industrial parks and economic zones in the city attracted 400 foreign direct investment projects with a total investment capital of 16,248.858 million USD.
For domestic investment, industrial parks and economic zones attracted 10 new projects with a capital of 1,193,437 billion VND; 3 projects adjusted to increase capital with additional capital of 607,524 billion VND; Total attracted capital reached 1,800.962 billion VND. Accumulated as of December 31, 2020, industrial parks and economic zones attracted 167 domestic investment projects with a total investment capital of 145,885.183 billion VND.
By 2020, economic zones and industrial parks will account for nearly 80% of the city's industrial production value, over 70% of export turnover, contributing to increasing budget revenue, expanding markets, increasing the amount of goods passing through the port, and improving the competitiveness and international integration of the city's economy. Currently, the economic zone and industrial parks have nearly 160,000 workers, including 4,500 foreign workers, the rest are workers from Hai Phong and neighboring localities, remote provinces and cities.
It can be seen that, with the drastic intervention of the entire political system and the determination to not let the epidemic penetrate, industrial parks and economic zones in the city have initially passed the Covid test and successfully achieved the dual goal: Effectively preventing the epidemic, while also stabilizing and developing production and business.
Fire tests gold, hardship tests strength, in the context of no effective vaccine and many countries are still struggling to prevent epidemics, the above valuable experiences will continue to be promoted so that Hai Phong strives to attract foreign investment from 2.5 to 3 billion USD in 2021 and Hai Phong is truly a safe destination for investors!
Kim Oanh
Procedures
