Dong Nai and Singapore Have Much Room for Economic Cooperation and Development

​(News Portal – Dong Nai) - On the morning of July 18, Member of the Party Central Committee and Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Hong Linh received Mr. Pang Te Cheng, Consul General of Singapore in Ho Chi Minh City. The reception was attended by Acting Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Vo Tan Duc, leaders from the Provincial Party Committee's Office, and various departments and sectors of the province.

Provincial Party Secretary presenting a souvenir to the Singaporean Consul General. 

During his conversation with the Provincial Party Secretary, Singaporean Consul General Pang Te Cheng emphasized the long-standing cooperative relationship between Singapore and Vietnam. He also introduced the potential and strengths of Singapore in various fields such as education, information technology, and aviation. For Dong Nai Province, Consul General Pang Te Cheng expressed interest in several areas including semiconductor manufacturing, digital economy, artificial intelligence, green economy, and food processing. He noted that both Dong Nai and Singapore have ample room for development and expressed a desire for increased economic cooperation and development across these fields.

Mr. Pang Te Cheng mentioned that although Singapore is a small market, its standards are extremely stringent, ranking among the highest in the world. Therefore, if Vietnamese products can enter the Singaporean market, it would affirm their brand and provide opportunities to expand into other countries. Currently, some provinces in the Mekong Delta are requesting Singapore to issue certificates for market entry. Consequently, Mr. Pang Te Cheng believes that the leadership of Dong Nai, as well as its enterprises, should pay attention to this issue, hoping that many Dong Nai businesses will achieve Singaporean certification.

Sharing information with the Singaporean Consul General, Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Hong Linh stated that Dong Nai has substantial economic development potential in various sectors such as industry, agriculture, and trade. Along with advantages in transportation and seaports, the province is well-positioned for economic growth. 

View of the meeting.

Dong Nai is a province in the Southern Key Economic Region, covering more than 5,863 km², accounting for 1.9% of the country's area, with a population of over 3 million, representing about 3.2% of the national population. The province is approximately 30 km from the center of Ho Chi Minh City and 40 km from the Thi Vai - Cai Mep port cluster in Ba Ria - Vung Tau, offering numerous future development advantages. By early 2026, when phase 1 of Long Thanh International Airport is completed and operational, it will drive development not only for the local area but also for the entire Southern Key Economic Region. In the future, with Long Thanh International Airport in operation, Dong Nai will have all five transportation modalities: road, air, rail, inland waterway, and maritime, creating conditions for strong local economic development.

For many years, Dong Nai has been known as a key industrial development province in the southern region, with consistently high and stable economic growth rates, averaging 8% annually. Dong Nai is one of the leading provinces in the country in industrial development, attracting investment from 46 countries and territories with a total of 1,641 projects and registered capital of $34.34 billion. Among these, Singaporean enterprises have invested in 111 projects with a total investment of over $3.97 billion, ranking fourth in foreign investment in Dong Nai. Particularly, in the first six months of 2024, Singapore led in investment capital in Dong Nai with 9 projects totaling $231.73 million. 

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The Singaporean Consul General with Dong Nai provincial leaders and sector representatives

Currently, the province prioritizes attracting high-tech, high-intelligence, clean technology projects with high added value, significant spillover effects, and connections to global production and supply chains, in line with the development and operation of Long Thanh International Airport. Besides industrial development, agriculture will continue to be a strength for Dong Nai in the coming period, especially in fruit cultivation, livestock, and poultry meat and egg processing, areas of interest to the Singaporean Consul General.​

Based on the achievements so far, the Provincial Party Secretary hopes that in the future, Dong Nai and Singapore will continue to cooperate and develop in green economy, circular economy, digital economy, and other economic sectors.