Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Đào Hồng Lan and  Korean Ambassador to Việt Nam Park Noh-wan at the reception. — VNA/VNS Photo

BẮC NINH — The authorities of northern Bắc Ninh Province always create favourable conditions for foreign businesses, including those from the Republic of Korea (RoK), Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Đào Hồng Lan has said.

Lan made the statement during a reception for Korean Ambassador to Việt Nam Park Noh-wan on Wednesday, during which she called on Korean investors to pour more investment into Bắc Ninh, especially in the development of smart cities, education-training, high-tech agriculture, supporting industry, environmental protection and energy-saving technology, and automobile and component manufacturing.

Provincial authorities will also make it easier for local enterprises to export goods, especially handicraft products, to the Korean market, she said.

According to the official, Bắc Ninh is one of the provinces with the fastest growth rate in the country. The province is home to 10 concentrated industrial parks, attracting more than 1,500 foreign-invested enterprises from 37 countries and territories.

The RoK leads in terms of foreign investment in Bắc Ninh, with 945 projects worth a total of US$13.27 billion, accounting for about 66.33 per cent of the total amount of foreign investment in the province, Lan said.

Recently, provincial authorities have worked with agencies to allow foreign experts, managers and highly skilled workers, mainly from the RoK, to enter the province to work, she noted.

To minimise difficulties for businesses amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Bắc Ninh has extended the deadline for tax payments for Korean firms, benefiting 178 enterprises to the tune of VNĐ1.15 trillion (nearly $49.9 million).

For his part, Park highly appreciated Bắc Ninh's achievements in socio-economic development and foreign investment attraction and thanked local authorities for their policies to support Korean enterprises amid difficulties posed by the pandemic.

He expressed his hope that Bắc Ninh will have more policies to facilitate Korean firms’ investment.

The ambassador promised to encourage Korean businesses to invest in Bắc Ninh Province, especially in developing smart cities and hospitals, protecting the environment, and co-operating in education-training. — VNS