Central Province Yearns For Development
By Tran Son nghia
Ninh Thuan Province has spent US$3 million commissioning the Monitor Group (the U.S.) and the Arup Group (the U.K.) to flesh out its economic zoning plan and strategy. This is arguably the most noteworthy piece of news at the Investment Promotion Conference held in Phan Rang-Thap Cham City, Ninh Thuan Province.
Both groups will hammer out the comprehensive socioeconomic zoning plan for Ninh Thuan in 2010-2020, with a vision on 2030. The focus of this endeavor is to develop Phan Rang-Thap Cham City and the coastal area of the province. Ninh Thuan, one of Vietnam’s four poorest provinces, is among the first localities to receive the Prime Minister’s approval regarding foreign consultancy for development plans.
In an interview with the Saigon Times on the sidelines of the conference, Nguyen Chi Dung, chairman of the People’s Committee of Ninh Thuan, believes the province needs a new approach to development and has chosen foreign consultancy as a way to achieve the necessary breakthroughs. “Before commissioning foreign companies to embark on this project, the province had received a comprehensive zoning plan from the Ministry of Planning and Investment. However, we decide that Ninh Thuan needs a different development plan and vision, offered by world-class groups on development planning,” Dung, who formerly served as deputy minister of planning and investment and has taken up his current job for nearly six months, says.
Dung contends that Ninh Thuan must capitalize on its existing and potential advantages, as well as the strengths of neighboring provinces, to develop. The key lies in offering incentives to investors wishing to pour money into Ninh Thuan. The province will focus on setting up high-end resorts. It has yet to cash in on many bays along its 100-kilometer coastline. Ninh Thuan’s tourism sector will be different and competitive as the slow development so far has kept the sea here pristine.
Chris Malone from Monitor Group says that Ninh Thuan has the greatest number of sunny hours and wind speed in Vietnam. While they used to impose problems, Ninh Thuan can turn both factors into comparative advantages. The average wind speed of 5 meters per second provides the basis for developing marine sports such as boat racing or surfing as well as sea-related tours. Ninh Thuan can also tap into wind and solar energy to become a national center on clean power, which fosters sustainable development. The wind speed, which may reach 7.6 meters per second, is favorable for wind power development.
In September 2009, the Government approved the pre-feasibility study for two nuclear power plants in Ninh Thuan, which are slated for construction in 2014 and has estimated investment of some US$12 billion. However, to operate the two nuclear power plants, the province must have 20,000 skilled workers and 1,000 experts. Unfortunately, Ninh Thuan’s human resources leave much to be desired.
Dung says establishing world-class education and training centers will tackle this problem. “We are cooperating with international organizations and domestic vocational training centers to set up vocational schools and institutions which help enhance the quality of human resources,” he says. Dung adds that Ninh Thuan aims to train human resources capable of using advanced technologies to meet its own demand, as well as the needs of neighboring localities. So far, no province in the south of central Vietnam has an international-standard training center.
Although it remains to be seen whether Ninh Thuan’s long-term and ambitious strategy will bear fruit, “even places whose climate and natural conditions are harsher than Ninh Thuan’s have succeeded thanks to their groundbreaking vision, ambitious development strategies and dynamic people,” Chris Malone says. More importantly, current problems facing Ninh Thuan are also common in other poverty-stricken provinces in Vietnam. Ninh Thuan’s success will pave the way for economic development in other localities.