Creating breakthroughs through improving the investment environment.

That determination is concretized by the Project on improving the investment environment and enhancing provincial competitiveness for the period 2026-2030, issued by the Provincial Party Committee. This is a step that clearly demonstrates the direction of innovation in governance, using the level of satisfaction of businesses and citizens as a measure of the quality of the public administration's performance, creating a foundation for promoting rapid and sustainable development.

Efforts to improve the investment environment and enhance competitiveness are creating further impetus for production and business activities in the province. In the photo: The textile and garment industry is recording positive signs of recovery as import demand from major markets increases again.

From "management" to "partnership"

For many years, Thai Nguyen has consistently played a key role as one of the major industrial centers in the Northern Midlands and mountainous region, strongly attracting FDI, especially in the processing and manufacturing industries.

However, provincial leaders also clearly recognize that advantages in geographical location, infrastructure, or land resources will no longer be absolute advantages if the quality of governance and the investment environment do not meet the increasingly high demands of businesses.

Therefore, instead of a "management" or "licensing" mindset, the province is strongly shifting towards a model of "accompanying and supporting businesses." This is also the overarching spirit in the Project to improve the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) for the period 2026-2030.

According to the set objectives, Thai Nguyen strives to maintain its PCI index among the provinces and cities with the best governance quality nationwide; continue to keep its Public Administration Reform Index (PAR INDEX) in the top 10 out of 34 provinces and cities; achieve a minimum of 95% in the Satisfaction Index on Administrative Services (SIPAS) by 2030; and maintain its Provincial Public Administration and Governance Effectiveness Index (PAPI) among the highest in the country.

The province also aims to shorten the processing time for procedures related to investment, land, construction, environment, taxes, and customs by at least 30%. By 2030, 100% of eligible online public services will be provided in full; 100% of administrative procedures will be processed online; and the online payment rate will exceed 80%.

Aluminum product manufacturing at Hyundai Aluminum Vina JSC, Diem Thuy Industrial Park.

Alongside administrative procedure reforms, the province aims for an average annual increase of 15-20% in the number of newly established businesses; creating 400-600 hectares of clean land annually to attract large-scale projects; and prioritizing high-tech projects, supporting industries, logistics, green industries, and the circular economy . These figures demonstrate Thai Nguyen's clear determination to build a modern, transparent administration, reducing time and informal costs for businesses.

The period 2021-2025 has seen many positive results in the province's administrative reform. The time for business registration has decreased from 3 days to 2 days; the procedure for approving investment policies has decreased from 35 days to 25 days; and the issuance of investment registration certificates has decreased from 15 days to 10 days.

In addition, business dialogue conferences, the "Morning Tea with Entrepreneurs" program, and task forces to address business difficulties are regularly maintained, creating a direct connection channel between the government and the business community.

Departments, agencies, and localities are working together in a coordinated manner.

One of the changes recently noted by the business community is the shift in the service spirit of sectors directly related to production and business activities, such as taxation, banking, and customs.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thoi, Chairman of the Thai Nguyen Provincial Business Association: The business community is clearly feeling the coordinated efforts of departments and agencies in resolving difficulties. Businesses acknowledge the efforts of various sectors, especially the tax and banking departments.

Procedures related to tax declaration, payment, and access to credit are now more convenient than before. Importantly, the spirit of supporting businesses is becoming increasingly evident. The banking sector's proactive debt restructuring, interest rate support, and acceleration of digital transformation in credit operations have contributed to reducing financial pressure on businesses.

Electronics and high-tech components play a leading role in the province's export structure.

Not only large enterprises, but also many cooperatives and small and medium-sized production facilities have clearly felt the changes in the investment and business environment.

Ms. Dao Thanh Hao, Director of Hao Dat Tea Cooperative (Tan Cuong commune), shared: "We feel more strongly the spirit of partnership between the government and businesses and cooperatives. Administrative procedures are now handled faster, and the service attitude is more open than before. However, the business community still expects more equitable reforms at all levels, especially at the grassroots level."

Ms. Hao's opinion quite clearly reflects the current requirements. Administrative reform at the provincial level has seen many positive changes, but for the PCI ranking to improve sustainably, the quality of implementation at the grassroots level needs to be continuously improved. Many small businesses and cooperatives still face difficulties in accessing land, construction procedures, environmental regulations, and processes directly related to the commune level.

That is also why Thai Nguyen has clearly identified the groups of indicators that need to be focused on improving in the coming period, including time costs, transparency, informal costs, fair competition, and access to land.

Attracting investment through a truly business environment.

Industrial park infrastructure in Thai Nguyen has been comprehensively developed, ready to welcome large-scale FDI projects.

According to economic experts, the PCI (Provincial Competitiveness Index) is not simply a ranking, but reflects the quality of governance and the level of satisfaction of businesses with the investment environment. To sustainably improve the PCI ranking, the most important thing is for businesses to clearly feel the changes in their production and business operations.

For manufacturing businesses, especially export businesses, the key factors are not only investment incentives, but also the stability, transparency, and long-term support of local authorities.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Hanh, General Director of Vina Truong Giang Trading Joint Stock Company, a toy manufacturing enterprise in Tan Cuong commune, said: Businesses are currently very interested in the speed of work processing, transparency, and the ability of the government to provide genuine support.

If the investment environment is stable and procedures are streamlined, businesses will feel secure in expanding production and making long-term investments. What businesses want is for support policies to be implemented uniformly and consistently across all levels and sectors, avoiding the situation where policies are implemented enthusiastically at the top but ineffective at the bottom.

Many foreign investors also appreciate Thai Nguyen's recent efforts to improve its investment environment. The Glory Thai Nguyen Golf Course project has a total investment of nearly 388 billion VND, covers nearly 54 hectares, and features 18 holes designed to international standards. The project integrates golf with resort services, aiming to serve hundreds of visitors daily and create jobs for local workers.

Mr. Park Seung Sun, CEO of Glory Thai Nguyen Golf Course Project: We highly appreciate the support of Thai Nguyen province in the project implementation process, especially the coordination of departments and agencies in resolving investment, land and construction procedures.

This helps businesses feel secure in implementing projects on schedule. What foreign investors are currently concerned about is the stability of the investment environment, the ability to quickly resolve any arising difficulties, and the supportive spirit of the local government.

This requirement was also emphasized by Thai Nguyen province in its PCI improvement plan for the 2026-2030 period, which individualizes the responsibility of heads of departments and links the results of improving the investment environment with the assessment of the performance of leaders of departments, sectors, and localities.

Thai Nguyen Customs is stepping up administrative reforms to create a favorable environment for businesses in import and export activities.

Alongside administrative procedure reform, Thai Nguyen is promoting digital transformation, applying digital data and artificial intelligence in state management; improving the efficiency of Public Administrative Service Centers at all levels; and strengthening regional linkages with Hanoi and other provinces in the region.

The province is also focusing on investing in transportation infrastructure, logistics, and industrial parks to reduce transportation costs, expand development space, and create a competitive advantage in attracting high-quality investment capital.

Notably, the province is implementing a "24-hour green channel" and "60% green channel" mechanism for key projects to shorten investment procedure processing time and create conditions for businesses to implement projects faster.

As localities increasingly compete to attract high-quality investors, a transparent investment environment, a dynamic government, and the ability to genuinely support businesses will be outstanding advantages.

From political determination to concrete action, Thai Nguyen is gradually building the image of a dynamic, modern, and investor-friendly locality. Therefore, improving the PCI ranking is not just a goal in terms of ranking, but a measure of the effectiveness of governance, the capacity for development creation, and the quality of service provided by the local government in this new development phase.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/kinh-te/202606/tao-but-pha-tu-cai-thien-moi-truong-dau-tu-d8061f9/