LONG AN – Industrial zones and complexes are central to socio-economic development and attracting investors, the Long An Province Department of Industry and Trade has said.

They account for half of the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province’s US$4 billion annual trade, it said in a report.

Long An, which neighbours HCM City, has 28 industrial zones (IZs) and a similar number of industrial complexes (ICs), some operational and others under construction.

The 25 that are operational have attracted over 1,000 domestic and foreign projects worth over $5 billion.

Phan Nhân Duy, director of the province’s Department of Natural Resource and Environment, said the number of industrial zones and complexes have kept increasing in the province, and the focus is now on quality instead of quantity.

The province is now soliciting investment in them, he said.

Thái Hoà Industrial Zone in the Đức Hoà III Industrial Zone, for instance, is offering incentives such as tax holidays and flexible land leasing policies to attract high-tech companies.

Trương Văn Triều, head of the Long An industrial zones management, said many other IZs too are striving to offer the best incentives and facilities to investors.

But projects in the zones should be environment-friendly, he underlined.

The province does not welcome projects that harm to the environment, he said.

Long An has the highest economic growth rate of all provinces in the delta. It has good transport infrastructure and borders Cambodia.

Its average economic growth in the 2012-20 period is estimated at 13 per cent a year. — VNS