Planning for a 16 billion USD free trade zone
On June 27, the People's Committee of Dong Nai province organized a workshop on "Free Trade Zone in Dong Nai - Growth Driver in the New Era, Taking Off with Long Thanh Airport". The event attracted many experts in the fields of finance, logistics, urban development and planning to discuss the potential for forming the largest free trade zone (FTZ) in the country right at the gateway to Long Thanh airport.
According to the project, this free trade zone will be planned on an area of over 8,100 hectares, with a total investment capital of about 16 billion USD. This will be the first FTZ to fully integrate the ecosystem of production, aviation - seaport logistics, finance - trade - services, high-tech industry and innovation research.
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Workshop on free trade zone in Dong Nai took place on the morning of June 27 |
Specifically, the project includes four main functional areas: a production area of over 3,000 hectares, a logistics area of over 2,200 hectares, a finance - trade - service area of about 1,500 hectares, and an innovation, information technology, and digital economy research area of over 1,400 hectares. Phase one is expected to be implemented in 5 years, on an area of about 3,700 hectares, with a total cost of over 9.2 billion USD.
One of the outstanding advantages of this FTZ is its prime location, directly connected to two strategic infrastructure projects: Long Thanh International Airport and Phuoc An deep-water port. Long Thanh Airport, covering an area of 5,000 hectares, with a total investment of more than VND336,000 billion, is expected to begin operating in phase one in the middle of next year with a capacity of 25 million passengers per year. About 20 km away, Phuoc An port, with an investment of nearly VND20,000 billion, a capacity of about 2.2 million TEUs and 4 million tons of cargo per year, is also about to come into operation.
Synchronizing aviation and seaport infrastructure will form a multimodal logistics chain, shorten transportation time, optimize costs, and contribute to improving the competitiveness of the Southern region in the global supply chain.
Dong Nai aims to turn the free trade zone into an international cargo transit hub, attracting multinational corporations, high-value industries and creating new growth momentum for the province’s GRDP. In addition, the project is expected to create hundreds of thousands of high-quality jobs in the fields of information technology, digital logistics, mechanical engineering, pharmaceuticals and human resource training.
Key development orientation
According to the Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee, the free trade zone will prioritize the development of 18 strategic industries. Of which, digital logistics and electronics are two key areas, expected to create a strong spillover effect to manufacturing and supporting services. At the same time, Dong Nai also aims to attract investment in the food processing industry, pharmaceutical technology, electronic equipment manufacturing, precision mechanics and training of high-quality human resources.
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Dong Nai sets up a project for a free trade zone near Long Thanh airport with an investment capital of 16 billion USD |
The project also aims to closely link the FTZ with the Ho Chi Minh City international financial center, through digital financial services solutions and building an international gold trading center in Dong Nai, to expand the commercial value chain and increase local budget revenue.
At the workshop, delegates spent a lot of time analyzing the transport infrastructure being developed around Long Thanh airport. In addition to the existing expressways, many connecting projects have been approved and will be implemented in the near future, helping to form a synchronous transport network.
Specifically, key routes such as Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 4, Phan Thiet - Dau Giay Expressway, Provincial Road 769E, National Highway 51 and Bien Hoa - Vung Tau Expressway will help conveniently connect the free trade zone with key economic regions in the Southeast, Ho Chi Minh City and the Central Highlands provinces.
According to planning experts, these expressways not only facilitate the rapid transportation of goods but also attract secondary investment capital into industrial real estate, logistics and modern urban services around the airport.
Not just a single project, the free trade zone near Long Thanh airport is identified as a strategic driving force in the new phase of Dong Nai development planning. In the provincial planning approved by the Government , Long Thanh airport is positioned as a “breakthrough growth center”, combining aviation industry, high-tech industry, innovation and high-quality services.
Dong Nai aims to gradually build a chain of smart urban areas associated with airports, forming a space for developing modern trade - services and logistics, capable of competing with international transit centers. The province's main development corridors, including Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Phan Thiet Expressway, National Highway 51, Ben Luc - Long Thanh Expressway and Dong Nai River corridor, are expected to create a belt of industrial and urban development.
An urban planning expert assessed that, with its central location in the Southeast region, Dong Nai possesses a special advantage to become an "economic gateway" connecting Ho Chi Minh City, Ba Ria - Vung Tau and the entire South Central and Central Highlands regions.
Promote investment in connecting infrastructure
To maximize the potential of the FTZ, Dong Nai and neighboring localities are simultaneously implementing inter-regional transport projects. In Ba Ria - Vung Tau, the Provincial People's Committee has proposed to build a 41 km Ho Tram - Long Thanh airport expressway with a total investment of about 17,000 billion VND. When completed, this route will become the fastest connecting axis between the Ho Tram - Binh Chau tourist area and Long Thanh airport.
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Dong Nai also proposed that the Central Government support an additional VND8,800 billion to implement infrastructure projects around the airport. |
In Dong Nai, the provincial People's Committee has also submitted to the Government a proposal to support the budget for investment in Ma Da Bridge and the 44km connecting road from Ma Da Bridge to Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 4, with a cost of about VND13,300 billion. This is a strategic infrastructure project to help connect the Central Highlands provinces and Binh Phuoc with Long Thanh airport and southern seaports.
Chairman of Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee, Mr. Vo Tan Duc, said that the locality is focusing a large amount of resources to clear the land for many key projects such as Bien Hoa - Vung Tau Expressway, Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3. Therefore, the province proposed that the Central Government support funding to continue implementing important projects such as the North - South Expressway, Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 4 and some routes connecting the airport area with neighboring areas.
In addition, Dong Nai proposed that the Central Government support an additional VND8,800 billion to implement infrastructure projects around the airport, including drainage outside the airport boundary, upgrading routes 769, 773A and building routes 770B, 769E.
In addition, the locality also hopes to allocate about 3,500 billion VND to deploy strategic routes such as Road 25B, 25C, 774B, Bien Hoa City Ring Road, road to Ong Keo Industrial Park and routes connecting Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3.
In the regional development strategy, Dong Nai and Ho Chi Minh City are also coordinating to discuss investment plans for three more large bridges across the Dong Nai, Long Tau and Dong Tranh rivers to enhance direct connections between the two localities.
In addition to Nhon Trach Bridge on Ring Road 3, which is about to open to traffic, the Cat Lai Bridge, Dong Nai 2 Bridge and Phu My 2 Bridge projects, when completed, will create a complete traffic network, helping to shorten travel time, reduce logistics costs and facilitate the development of industrial and urban clusters on both sides of the river.
According to provincial leaders, the synchronous construction of infrastructure is a decisive factor in turning Long Thanh airport and the free trade zone into a national growth engine. Mr. Vo Tan Duc affirmed: “When the airport is put into operation, connecting infrastructure projects must be ready to ensure the flow of trade, services and international investment capital. This is Dong Nai’s greatest opportunity in decades, and needs to be carefully prepared to maximize its advantages.”
Source: https://baophapluat.vn/dong-nai-dat-muc-tieu-khu-thuong-mai-tu-do-thanh-trung-tam-trung-chuyen-quoc-te-post553281.html
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