Since Vietnam's prime minister approved the planning for Long An Province in 2021-30 with a vision to 2050 in June 2023, the province has made strides in establishing many economic development axes.

Truong Van Liep, director of the provincial Department of Planning and Investment, said that since the planning was passed, the province has done its utmost to reach the target of being a dynamic, effective, and sustainable economic hub in southern Vietnam by 2030.

The province also seeks to become a gateway on the urban-industrial economic corridor of the Mekong Delta, with close connections to Ho Chi Minh City and the southeastern region as a whole. Long An will be an important trade link with Cambodia while establishing domestic economic corridors as well as dynamic urban areas focusing on sustainable living solutions amidst climate change.

Long An aims to ensure national defense, security, social order, safety, and residents’ prosperous, civilized and happy lives.

One center, two economic corridors, three socio-economic zones, six dynamic axes

The most notable aspect in the province’s development is the establishment of economic and social activities based on the model of 'one center, two economic corridors, three socio-economic zones, and six dynamic axes.'

Tan An City, the province's capital, is a political and administrative center and a nuclear city in Long An, a satellite city of Ho Chi Minh City, as well as a trade, service, and hi-tech industrial hub in the northwest of the Mekong Delta region.

The city is adhering to the plan of turning into a smart and modern city. It has been integrating services to supervise security, order, traffic safety, smart lighting, public administration, and socio-economic indicators.

Tan An is on track to meet the criteria of a tier-I city by the end of 2025.

The two economic corridors will run along Beltways Nos. 3 and 4 as well as Road 50B passing through Ho Chi Minh City, Long An Province, and Tien Giang Province, all in southern Vietnam.

Construction on Beltway No. 3 is being executed ahead of schedule and its expressway sections are expected to be opened to traffic at the end of next year.

The three socio-economic zones have also showed progress. 

Of them, the zone of Duc Hoa, Ben Luc, Can Giuoc, and Can Duoc Districts and part of Tan Tru, Thu Thua, and Chau Thanh Districts, along with Tan An City, are concentrating on developing urban areas and industries to create a central urban development corridor in Ben Luc and Tan An as well as urban-industrial areas in Duc Hoa, Can Giuoc, and Can Duoc.

The zone is also developing economic hubs in Can Giuoc and Can Duoc, in addition to peri-urban, specialized, and hi-tech agriculture in Chau Thanh, Tan Tru, and Tan An.

The second socio-economic zone is a hi-tech agriculture, tourism, and border economy stretch covering Kien Tuong Town, Vinh Hung, Tan Hung, Moc Hoa, Tan Thanh, and Thanh Hoa Districts, together with part of Thu Thua District.

The zone gives a priority to service and industry development in the border area and eco-tourism in association with typical landscapes in the Dong Thap Muoi area, striving to develop the Dong Thap Muoi tourism brand into a national brand and attach it to the province’s tourism. A key task is to turn Kien Tuong Town into the heart of the Dong Thap Muoi area.

The last zone is the ecological buffer zone including Duc Hue District and part of Thu Thua and Tan Tru Districts. The region will develop hi-tech agriculture and set aside land banks for industrial development, ecological urban areas, and intra-provincial transit.

These socio-economic zones are the lodestar for cities, towns, and districts in Long An to complete their detailed planning and attract investors in the coming periods.

Encouraging green development

The province is prioritizing the development of processing, manufacturing, and renewable energy sectors; the attraction of energy-saving manufacturing sectors that minimize environmental pollution; hi-tech processing and mechanical processing industries, especially agro-forestry-fishery product processing; in addition to setting up industrial clusters in association with the Dong Thap Muoi material area.

Long An attaches much importance to developing clean energy, renewable energy, and liquefied petroleum gas-fired power projects at the Long An I and II thermal power plants in Can Giuoc District.

The service sector is being actively developed to help Long An Province keep pace with the more developed provinces in the southeastern region. The province has enhanced its trade infrastructure, modernized traditional fairs, and expanded its e-commerce capabilities.

Cross-border trade has seen significant improvements, with increased cargo circulation between Long An and Cambodia and greater investment in infrastructure along the border.

In recent years, Long An has identified logistics as a key sector for investment and development. A prime example is the expansion of Long An International Port, which now boasts advanced logistics infrastructure. The port has become a vital connection hub, linking the province with the Mekong Delta, the southwestern region, and Cambodia.

Long An’s tourism, despite developing late, has made breakthroughs over the past few years.

The province has grown into an attractive destination with various tourism models, such as eco-tourism, agricultural tourism, rural tourism, peri-urban tourism, and entertainment tourism, besides cultural and historical features, capable of cementing its name on the region’s tourism map.

The province has implemented high-tech solutions in the production of agro-forestry-fishery products, with a particular focus on four key crops: rice, vegetables, dragon fruit, and lemon. These farming areas have successfully established and strengthened their brand identities.

Accompanying enterprises on win-win basis

Truong Van Liep, director of the provincial Department of Planning and Investment, stated that provincial leaders frequently hold dialogues with investors, both domestic and foreign, to swiftly address their challenges and obstacles.

One of Long An’s key strengths is its support for legal procedures related to investment and business operations, particularly in reducing the time required to issue investment certificates for projects.

Investors in major projects with strong spillover effects, high added value, modern machinery and technologies, and minimal environmental impact within industrial parks have received their investment certificates within a day.

Local authorities have worked with investors in all stages, from surveying the locations for projects, completing investment procedures to executing the projects.

“All enterprises investing in Long An receive support in legal procedures. The investment promotion and support center has dispatched employees to the provincial center for public administrative services to provide free consultancy, guidance on administrative procedures for investment, business registration, and the online submission of dossiers via the online public service portal and the national business registration portal," Liep said.

Liep added that the province also provides information on its planning and socio-economic development strategies, introduces potential investment destinations, and accompanies investors on site surveys of these locations.

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