The northern province of Ha Nam attracted four foreign direct investment (FDI) projects with a combined capital of US$29 million in the first quarter of this year, said Tran Xuan Duong, director of the provincial Industrial Zones Authority (IZA).

This has increased the total number of valid projects to 262 units.

Of these, 160 FDI projects have the registered capital of $2 billion and 102 domestic projects are valued at VND14.36 trillion ($635 million).

In the first three months of this year, the province has put six more projects into operation, raising the total number of projects in operation to 227 projects while others are in the process of construction investment.

The industrial production value in the province’s industrial zones was estimated at VND10.7 trillion, up 25 per cent over the same period last year.

State budget revenue got VND536 billion, a year-on-year increase of 52 per cent.

Export value reached $290 million, up 20.8 per cent compared to the first quarter of 2016.

Enterprises created jobs for some 2,480 workers, boosting the number of employees working in the industrial park to nearly 51,750 labourers.

In order to promote investment in the industrial zones, IZA will regularly provide information, organise meetings and exchange ideas with representatives of investment promotion organisations such as the Foreign Investment Agency, the Northern Investment Promotion Centre, the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA).

IZA will co-ordinate with infrastructure investors to organise investment promotion activities, reform the administrative procedures, urge infrastructure owners to accelerate land clearance and continue investing in the construction of technical infrastructure items.

In addition to ensuring sufficient electricity and water for business operation of the investors, IZA will also provide support in the recruitment of workers, Duong added. — VNS