VietNamNet Bridge – It would be better to gather strength to develop the nine national economic zones instead of scattering money to everywhere.

Under a Prime Minister’s Decision, by 2020, Vietnam would have 52 border gates in the Vietnam – Cambodia border area, comprising of four provinces in the Central Highlands and six provinces in the west of the southern region). These include 13 international border gates, 13 main border gates and 26 auxiliary ones, a railway – Xuyen A, four airports and a transport system.

These would provide favorable conditions to develop border economic zones. However, the development of the zones has been facing big problems.

Land fund not ready yet

Local residents in An Giang, Dong Thap and Kiem Giang provinces all affirmed that they have got ready to give land to the investors to serve the border economic zone projects. They also said that they have got ready to move to resettlement areas, even though they can anticipate big difficulties there.

However, the local people’s readiness still cannot help speed up the projects. In many localities, the resettlement areas have not been built over the last 10 years. Local people complained that their lives have become harder, while a lot of them have left the home village for other localities to earn their living.

In the border commune of Thuan Yen in Ha Tien town of Kien Giang province, where there is the Thuan Yen Industrial Zone existing for the last 8 years, 37 out of the 115 households who have to relocate to give land to the industrial zone still have not got houses.

The 33 hectare resettlement area, just 600 meters far away from the Dong Ho Sea, remains a wild land. Meanwhile, the Thuan Yen Industrial Zone, covering an area of 141 hectares, has been lying quietly on the side of the highway No 1, because a lot of investors have left.

Pham Van Nhon, 49, in Thuong Phuoc commune, where there is the Thuong Phuoc economic zone in Dong Thap province, said in the past, local residents earned their living by trading across the border. However, things have changed a lot recently because of the implementation of economic zone projects.

The problem is that the planning changes so regularly that people cannot settle their lives and start their business. Some families had just finished the building of their new houses with the money they received as the compensation for their relocation for site clearance, when they were asked to leave again to give land for another project.

Eight years ago, it was very quiet in the border area. However, since 2004, when the area was programmed to develop into an international border gate area, there have been an asphalt road and a concrete bridge.

Capital lacking

According to the Management Board of the Economic Zones in the southwest border area, it’s very difficult to call for investment, because of the slow implementation of infrastructure items. Meanwhile, this has been caused by the serious lack of capital and the problems in the investment encouragement policies.

The Management Board of the Thuong Phuoc Economic Zone admitted that investors still keep away from the zone because of the poor infrastructure conditions here. The money from the central budget every year just can meet 10 percent of the demand, while it’d better not to expect money from the provincial budget.

Nguyen Van Tan, Head of the Kien Giang provincial Economic Zone Management Board, complained that a specific investment mechanism, which has been long awaited, has not been given to the Ha Tien border zone. Meanwhile, the duty-free sale policy initiated by the government has stopped; therefore, it cannot attract investors any more.

NLD