In the context of the Government 's drastic efforts to improve the investment environment, enterprises in industrial parks (IPs) still face many legal problems, affecting their operational efficiency and investor confidence.
Vietnam Business Magazine had an interview with Mr. Nguyen Hong Chung - Vice President and General Secretary of Vietnam Industrial Park Finance Association (VIPFA), an expert with many years of experience working with investors, to clarify the "bottlenecks" and find solutions.
Sir, from the perspective of a lawyer and representative of financial investors in industrial parks, how do you assess the current context of the business investment environment, especially in industrial parks?
Mr. Nguyen Hong Chung: The Government is currently making strong reform efforts, typically Resolution No. 66. This shows the State's deep concern for the business community. However, as a direct consultant and companion to investors, we realize that behind the impressive figures in attracting FDI, enterprises in industrial parks are still having to "overcome" many legal obstacles. These challenges are not only about costs and time, but they also erode trust and slow down development momentum.
Can you elaborate on the specific “bottlenecks” that investors are facing, especially in the initial investment procedures?
Mr. Nguyen Hong Chung: The biggest and most inherent bottleneck is the overlap and lack of connectivity between core laws such as the Law on Investment, Land, Construction and Environmental Protection. Procedures for appraising investment policies, appraising land use needs, appraising designs, or approving new investments are currently running parallel, lacking coordination. Investors have to submit duplicate documents, wait for one stage to be completed before proceeding to the next, slowing down the progress of the entire project.
In addition, the actual processing time is often much longer than prescribed. I would like to emphasize the three biggest "bottlenecks". Among them, access to land is always a major barrier.
Second, the environmental impact assessment process remains complicated. Businesses often have to supplement their documents multiple times, causing long waits.
Third, fire safety regulations are constantly changing and sometimes not practical. The fire safety design and construction approval process often lacks unified guidance, forcing businesses to revise their designs multiple times, slowing down the progress of putting the project into operation.
In addition to investment procedures, tax and customs issues also seem to be major concerns for businesses. Could you share more about the difficulties in these areas?
Mr. Nguyen Hong Chung: Regarding taxes, investment incentive policies, especially for high-tech projects, are sometimes unclear, leading to inconsistent application among localities. But the most pressing issue is probably the VAT refund procedure for new investment projects. The long processing time causes huge capital congestion, seriously affecting the cash flow of businesses right at the stage when capital is most needed.
Regarding customs, despite many reforms, businesses still face risks from inconsistent classification of goods and determination of HS codes, which can easily lead to disputes and tax arrears. In particular, specialized inspections are still overlapping, causing goods to be stuck at border gates, increasing costs and reducing the competitiveness of businesses in the global supply chain.
From comprehensively identifying such obstacles, as a representative voice of investors, what specific policy recommendations does VIPFA have to remove these "bottlenecks", sir?
Mr. Nguyen Hong Chung: To truly improve the investment environment, we would like to boldly propose four key groups of solutions:
First, perfect and synchronize the legal system. It is necessary to urgently review to create a truly interconnected process between the Investment Law, Land Law, Construction Law, and Environment Law. Imagine a mechanism where investors only need to submit one set of documents and have them processed simultaneously, instead of having to go through many doors as at present.
Second, reform administrative procedures and promote digital transformation. It is necessary to substantially shorten the time for processing land records, building and publicizing procedures. Digitizing the entire process and building an effective "one-stop shop" mechanism at Industrial Park Management Boards is the key to increasing transparency and reducing informal costs.
Third, review and improve tax and customs policies. VAT refunds must be simplified and shortened to support cash flow for businesses. Regarding customs, it is necessary to move towards a specialized inspection agency or mutual recognition of results, and at the same time, reasonably loosen regulations on the import of used machinery and equipment.
Finally, strengthen dialogue and improve the capacity of civil servants. It is necessary to regularly organize substantive public-private dialogues to resolve problems right at the grassroots level. The team of civil servants needs to improve their professional capacity and service spirit, considering businesses as objects to support, not to manage.
We believe that resolving these obstacles is not only the responsibility of the State but also requires the support and constructive criticism from the business community. VIPFA is committed to continuing to be a solid bridge, contributing to building an increasingly open and effective investment environment in industrial parks.
Thank you!
Source: https://doanhnghiepvn.vn/kinh-te/chinh-sach/can-quy-trinh-lien-thong-de-giai-bai-toan-diem-nghen-phap-ly-tai-khu-cong-nghiep/20250721042113872
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