Long Thành International Airport under construction. —VNA/VNS Photo

ĐỒNG NAI — Authorities of Đồng Nai are working on a master plan for a free trade zone (FTZ) that will make use of the upcoming Long Thành International Airport, together with seaports, expressways, high-speed rail, and industrial parks across the southern province.

The proposed Đồng Nai FTZ will cover more than 8,200 hectares across seven sites connected with Long Thành International Airport and Phước An Port. It will consist of four functional zones, namely a high-tech industrial production area, a logistics hub, a financial and commercial services centre, and an innovation cluster.

Đồng Nai plans to introduce eight policy groups and 29 special mechanisms to attract investment and position the FTZ as a regional hub for high-tech industries, logistics, financial services, innovation, and international trade.

Dr. Trương Minh Huy Vũ, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies, suggested that Đồng Nai should develop a green, digital, and smart FTZ model linked with institutional reform and regional coordination.

He argued that Đồng Nai, with its important role in the southern key economic region, could become the nucleus of a broader Southeastern Free Trade Zone (SEFZ) complex that is currently under study and may become Việt Nam’s first integrated economic zone model.

The SEFZ will form a multi-polar growth space linking the Long Thành logistics – industrial – airport free zone, the Cái Mép – Thị Vải free port, and an international financial and trade centre in Cần Giờ of HCM City.

Similar models in Dubai, Shanghai and Incheon have successfully attracted FDI, boosted high-tech production and logistics, and delivered double-digit GDP growth for their regions, Vũ noted.

With direct connectivity between Long Thành Airport, Cái Mép – Thị Vải seaport, the Phước An port system, and existing industrial parks, Đồng Nai is well placed to become a strategic logistics and export production hub for the southeastern region.

To operate effectively, Vũ recommended piloting a paperless and single-window electronic management system, along with clear decentralisation in planning, investment licensing, and SEFZ management. He also proposed establishing a regional development coordination board for the Southeast to ensure cross-provincial planning, budget allocation, and investment coordination.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Trần Kim Chung, Scientific Secretary of the Central Theory Council, emphasised that service industries are already a strength of Đồng Nai. With the addition of Long Thành Airport and its associated services, especially the FTZ, the province will have two growth engines, anchored in the Long Thành airport service urban area.

He stressed that the airport, the largest in Southeast Asia once completed, will itself encourage major investment flows and spur infrastructure connectivity to socio-economic centres. The formation of an urban centre of intergated services serving Long Thành Airport will help Đồng Nai “take off”.

Experts agreed that to fully leverage growth momentum generated by aviation, logistics, trade, and urban development, Đồng Nai needs breakthrough policies and mechanisms to attract strategic investors, particularly those in high technology.

Hồ Văn Hà, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said the FTZ will have an estimated investment of US$16 billion. Public capital will account for about 5 per cent, while domestic private investment will contribute 40 per cent and foreign direct investment 55 per cent. — VNA/VNS