The front gate of Công Thanh Group's cement factory in Thanh Hóa Province. —  Photo courtesy of the company

THANH HÓA  The north central province of Thanh Hóa signed memoranda of understanding on 15 projects worth US$12.5 billion during an investment promotion conference last week. 
Speaking at the event, Deputy Prime Minister Trương Hòa Bình said it is the first locality nationwide to hold such an event since Việt Nam has began to bring the COVID-19 pandemic under control. 
He expressed his hopes that Thanh Hóa will capitalise on its advantages to gain prominent socio-economic achievements in the future and stay among the country’s leading localities by 2025. 
To realise the target, the province needs to complete its planning for the next ten years, he noted, urging local authorities to create optimal conditions for businesses.
At the event, as many as 34 projects with a combined investment of nearly $15 billion were granted permission. They were in processing and manufacturing industry, urban development, tourism and health care, among others.
At a similar event held in 2017, some 31 projects of a total $6.3 billion were approved and six of them so far have been completed. — VNS