A truck transporting goods through the Xa Mát International Border Gate in Tây Ninh Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Hồng Đạt

TÂY NINH — The southern border province of Tây Ninh has implemented many key projects to boost economic development in land border areas.

One of these highlights is the investment in developing the infrastructure of the Mộc Bài border economic zone.

Established in 1998, Mộc Bài border economic zone is not only a gateway for Tây Ninh Province in developing trade exchanges with Cambodia, but also plays an important role in socio-economic development.

With an important strategic position for national security and defence, it also maintains its role as the economic locomotive for the entire southwest border on the path to international integration.

It has attracted 56 investment projects, including 20 foreign-invested projects and 36 domestic investment projects, with registered investment capital of US$401 million and VNĐ8.6 trillion ($351.8 million), respectively.

Over more than 20 years of establishment and development, Mộc Bài border economic zone has made important contributions to the province’s socio-economic development.

Import-export turnover through the Mộc Bài border economic zone has increased sharply in recent years. It was $476.7 million in 2015, and increased to $878 million in 2019. Despite the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, import-export turnover still reached $718.5 million in 2021.

The contribution of the Mộc Bài border economic zone to the province’s socio-economic development is also increasing. State budget revenue reached VNĐ149.5 billion ($6.1 million) in 2015, increased to VNĐ380.7 billion ($15.6 million) in 2019, and reached VNĐ246 billion ($10.1 million) in 2021.

Economic relations with ASEAN countries through import-export activities in Mộc Bài have also grown. Many local people have found jobs, improved their income, and enjoy stable lives, contributing to ensuring security and order in the border area.

Promoting green urban, industrial and service models

Vũ Tiến Lộc, a member of the National Assembly’s Economic Committee, said developing the Mộc Bài border economic zone contributes to expanding development for the southern key economic region, including HCM City, and is associated with strengthening national security and defense and foreign affairs.

Socio-economic development can be facilitated and accelerated by the presence of social and economic infrastructure.

“The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has clearly exposed the reality that the southern region, including HCM City, has an overloaded social and economic infrastructure in the centre and industrial areas, so we need to expand development space,” he said.

Accordingly, it is necessary to develop the Mộc Bài border economic zone with a vision of developing the industry-urban chain of the Mộc Bài border gate, HCM City and Cái Mép-Thị Vải Port associated with the trans-Asian economic corridor, he said.

Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng, deputy secretary of the province's Party Committee, said it is necessary to shift the Mộc Bài border economic zone to a multi-functional development model, including industry-urban-smart services at national and international levels, with modern industry as an important driving force for local development.

It will focus on developing high-tech industry, clean energy, ecological-smart-modern urban areas, logistics services and inter-regional connection between the province and neighbouring localities, and tourism activities.

To achieve this goal, it is necessary to attract experienced and prominent investors who have sufficient resources for investment in modern and well-planned urban development, and have potential partners in the field of manufacturing high-tech products, products using advanced technology and high-quality labour, high value-added products, and products deeply involved in the global value chain, he said.

With its location in terms of security and foreign affairs, the zone could become the intersection of international and national traffic axes in the country’s southwest region.

It is also an important gateway for services, tourism and transhipment of goods to Cambodia and other countries in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (including Laos, Thailand and Myanmar) and other ASEAN countries.

The governments of HCM City and Tây Ninh are speeding up key intra-regional infrastructure projects, including the HCM City-Mộc Bài Expressway, to clear traffic congestion at gateways to the Southern Key Economic Region.

A border guard post for checking vehicles travelling in and out of the Vạc Sa sub-border gate in Tây Ninh Province’s Tân Châu District. — VNA/VNS Photo Giang Phương

Maintaining border security

Ngô Văn Hối, director of the provincial People's Procuracy, said 1,389 criminal cases involving 2,826 defendants were detected and prosecuted from November 2022 to October 2023.

Crimes related to social order included 534 cases involving 1,550 defendants, crimes infringing on property, the economy, and the environment totalled 514 cases involving 703 defendants, and drug-related crimes totalled 334 cases involving 543 defendants.

Criminal groups of all kinds were discovered including those performing illegal acts that cause damage to life, health, property and reputation.

“The main reasons for the increase in certain types of crimes is the global economic downturn, and conflicts and disputes between individuals or family members,” he said.

Standing Vice Chairman of Tây Ninh Province’s People's Committee Võ Đức Trong said the crime situation on the local border areas is still potentially complicated with sophisticated methods and tricks, especially illegal drug trading and transport in large quantities across border areas, fraudulent misappropriation of assets, and cross-border ​online gambling.

The provincial People's Committee has directed departments and relevant forces to deploy many measures preventing and fighting against social evils and crimes.

Many campaigns have been deployed to suppress crimes and organised crime groups aimed at reducing crime and social ills.

Provincial authorities have focused on fighting against Vietnamese scammed into illegal work in Cambodia.

In the coming time, the provincial People's Committee will promote crime prevention, focusing on dissemination and legal education based on real situations of the province.

It will improve the effectiveness of coordination between departments, sectors and socio-political organisations, develop effective models of crime prevention and control, and regularly organise peak attacks to suppress all types of crimes.

The province will focus on sustainable poverty reduction, ensuring social security and job creation, especially among ethnic groups and in border areas, to eliminate the root causes of crimes.

It will improve coordination, making cooperation more effective among agencies in the investigation, prosecution and adjudication processes required for cases.

It will improve the operational efficiency of the provincial’s steering committee for crime prevention and social evils, promote propaganda activities to mobilise the public to join the “All people protect national security” movement, and establish the Border Liaison Office (BLO) in Mộc Bài and Xa Mát.

It will also strengthen coordination and exchange information with Cambodia to fight cross-border smuggling and maintain security and order at border areas. — VNS