PM urges facilitating land clearance for Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc inspects a planning model for Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park. (Credit: VGP)

Noting that the Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park (HHTP) is not merely a technological area but also a miniature model for Vietnam's economy in the future, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has urged Hanoi together with the hi-tech park’s management board to complete land clearance for its development within 2017.

The PM made the above request while touring the complex in suburban Hanoi on February 16 together with Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam and representatives from relevant ministries and central agencies.

HHTP is located in the two districts of Quoc Oai and Thach That, spanning over a total area of 1,586 ha. It has been set to become a city of science, attracting investors in the field of R&D; training and incubating; and manufacturing high-tech products in the field of biotechnology, ICT, new materials and automation. To create an attractive environment in the complex, modern infrastructure is being built with capital from the State budget and ODA provided by the Japanese Government.

According to a report of the Management Board of the HHTP, to this point, the unit has received 1.586ha of land out of a total of 1.530ha as planned. It has 78 investment projects being implemented, including nine foreign ones, with a total investment of approximately VND60 trillion. Currently, 36 projects have come into operation with more than 10,000 people working and studying. The total import-export turnover of the hi-tech park in 2016 reached more than US$2.4 billion with exports accounting for nearly US$1.3 billion.

The biggest difficulty and also the longest standing problems for the HHTP is that 243ha of land has not been released for construction over the last 15 years, causing a lot of problems during infrastructure development and attracting investment.

Visiting several current projects there, such as the FPT Software Village and factory No. 2 run by VNPT Technology, PM Phuc praised efforts made by the complex in forming a high-tech zone and attracting such important investment partners as FPT, Viettel and VNPT. The PM asked the Ministry of Science and Technology and the park’s Management Board to maintain their orientation for the long-term development of HHTP to facilitate the construction progress, contributing to the national economic development based on innovation and creativeness, which is an important prerequisite for Vietnam to enter the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc speaks during a working session with Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park’s Management Board. (Credit: VGP)

He also indicated some of limitations of HHTP as the number of high-tech projects is too small compared with other electronic industrial parks across the country; land clearance progress is too slow; and infrastructure development faces many problems in attracting skilled workers.

The government leader pointed to measures to boost HHTP activities in the future, the first and foremost task is to build a brand for the park to attract investment. “In addition to investing in infrastructure, it is necessary to select and attract businesses producing goods with high knowledge content, so every product that comes out from the HHTP is of high-quality and recognised by users from advanced countries, making businesses proud and honoured to locate their factories and projects in this high-tech park," the PM stressed.

He urged the park to become a model of Vietnam’s development in the future, with economic entities operating on the basis of high technology in research and the application of scientific and technological achievements, using innovation as a driving force for development.

For land clearance issues, the PM asked Hanoi and HHTP’s Management Board to strengthen efforts to complete the work in 2017. Accordingly, the Hanoi People's Committee needs to facilitate funding for land clearance coupled with construction of resettlement areas and the external facilities of the high-tech park such as electricity, water supply and transportation.

The PM also expressed his hope that HHTP would become a start-up centre to serve its long-term development. In that spirit, relevant ministries and agencies should support HHTP with priorities and investment, while making regular inspections to encourage the business community and identify breakthrough solutions. “Every six months, the PM or Deputy PMs will come to listen to reports, contributing to the removal of difficulties faced by the HHTP,” PM Phuc said.

The PM also agreed to assign the Ministry of Science and Technology and HHTP’s Management Board in collaboration with Hanoi, Vietnam’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Government Office and the Ministry of Planning and Investment to organise governmental-level investment promotion activities in the future. Along with that is the focus on protecting the environment and promoting sustainable development in such a huge area in line with the development of the capital city and the country, he added.