Trucks transporting goods pass through the Lao Bao Border Gate of the central Quang Tri Province or the Lao Den Savanh Border Gate to export goods to countries along the East-West Corridor. — VNA/VNS Photo Tran Viet

QUANG TRI (Biz Hub) — The central province of Quang Tri needs to make greater efforts in improving its investment climate and better facilitate businesses critical to boosting the national and local economies, said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc during an investment and tourism promotion conference that took place in the locality on Sunday.

The large-scale event witnessed the participation of many economists, investors, and representatives from trade promotion agencies, and domestic and foreign businesses.

The PM asked Quang Tri to enhance inter-regional connectivity, develop hi-quality personnel resources and accelerate scientific and technological applications.

Ministries and central agencies should continue to support the province to make it more attractive to investment, the PM said. He also called on domestic and foreign companies to come and invest in the locality.

In terms of tourism, Quang Tri should better advertise its brand name while ensuring adequate investment sources and skilful manpower for tourism development, the PM noted.

In his speech at the conference, National Assembly deputy Tran Du Lich spoke highly of the province's "geographic advantages such as being located on national arterial roads, railways and sea routes connecting Laos, Thailand and Myanmar with the Pacific Ocean through the East–West Economic Corridor."

These reviewed advantages would help the province become an intersection of goods movement along the north–south and east–west routes and facilitate the province's tourism development, he said.

In 2011-15, Quang Tri attracted 262 domestically and foreign-invested projects with a combined investment capital of about VND50.3 trillion (over US$2.23 billion), according to the province's People's Committee.

In the first four months, the province granted principal investment certificates to 15 projects with capital totalling more than VND10 trillion (US$444 million).

These figures, however, failed to match the province's potential or the expectations of local authorities, Committee Chairman Nguyen Duc Chinh told the meeting.

Looking forward, the province will focus on significantly improving its investment climate, investing in infrastructure and creating favourable conditions for several important sectors to develop, such as support, clean and environmentally-friendly industries

"We promise to consider and approve investment registration within 10 days and license foreign workers within four days," Chinh said.

A hotline through which the committee chairman could talk directly to investors and assist in removing obstacles for the firms would be set up, he added.

At the conference, the committee granted the principal investment certificates to 16 projects with a registered capital of over VND10 trillion.— VNS