In attendance were Mr. Ono Masuo – Consul General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City; Mr. Nguyen Loc Ha - Member of the Provincial Standing Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee (PPC); representatives of the Japanese Business Association of Ho Chi Minh City (JCCH), provincial departments and agencies, and over 80 Japanese enterprises currently investing in Binh Duong.

Attracting Foreign investment achieves positive results

At the meeting, Mr. Trinh Hoang Tuan Anh – Deputy Director of the Planning and Investment Department informed that despite the complex and unpredictable geopolitical tensions affecting many countries worldwide, Binh Duong's socio-economic development in the first 9 months of 2024 has seen a relatively positive recovery. The Industrial Production Index (IIP) is estimated to have increased by 6.31% compared to the same period in 2023 (increased by 4.2% in the same period); export turnover is estimated at 26 billion USD, increased by 15.4% compared to the same period last year; and import turnover is estimated at 18.4 billion USD, increased by 14.5% to the same period last.

With its transparent and attractive investment environment, Binh Duong has always been one of the leading provinces in Viet Nam in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI). Since January 1, 2024, Binh Duong has been attracted over 1.675 billion USD IN FDI, including 179 new projects, 141 projects to increase capital, and 108 projects to contribute capital to buy shares. As of November 15, 2024, the province has 4,372 investment projects with a total registered capital of 42.113 billion USD.

Overview the meeting 

Among the 65 countries and territories investing in Binh Duong, Japan ranks second with 357 projects and a total investment of 5.978 billion USD, accounting for 8% of the projects and 14% of the total capital. The typical projects such as the project of Becamex Tokyu Co., Ltd., which primarily focuses on the construction and development of high-quality urban infrastructure; Wonderful Saigon Electrics Co., Ltd.; and Sun Steel Joint Stock Company, which concentrate on the manufacturing and processing industry. Especially, the Aeon Mall Binh Duong Canary and the Aeon Binh Duong New City, with a total registered capital of over 150 million USD. These two large shopping centers provide a diverse range of shopping, dining, and entertainment services, meeting the needs of local residents and neighboring areas.

Regarding Binh Duong's development orientation and investment attraction, Mr. Trinh Hoang Tuan Anh shared that on August 3, 2024, the Prime Minister signed Decision No. 790/QĐ-TTg approving the Binh Duong Provincial Master Plan for the period of 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050. Accordingly, Binh Duong aims to become a centrally-controlled city by 2030 and be one of the dynamic and comprehensive development centers in Southeast Asia; leading in science, technology, and innovation, and a modern industrial and service center. The province will build a complete intra-regional and inter-regional transportation system, facilitating industrial development and planning new urban areas. Binh Duong will continue to complete nearly 200 kilometers of ring roads and expressways to connect the region. At the same time, the province will form an industrial belt with an area of over 20,000 hectares.

Mr. Trinh Hoang Tuan Anh – Deputy Director of the Planning and Investment Department introduced the socio-economic of Binh Duong Province in the first 9 months of 2024 at the meeting

Focus on addressing the challenges of businesses

At the meeting, the provincial leaders and relevant departments engaged in direct dialogue, attentively listening to The Japanese Business Association of Ho Chi Minh City as they presented their encountered challenges and obstacles, and suggested directions for the province's future development.

According to feedback from representatives of Japanese enterprises, loan sharks have been exploiting the personal information of employees, such as their job positions and titles, to directly contact companies through various channels, thereby disrupting business operations. Some people have even been subjected to threats and harassment via text messages or personal calls.

A representative from the Binh Duong Provincial Police said that the majority of these cases involve borrowing money through mobile applications and social networks. These applications often require borrowers to grant full access to their phone data, enabling the collection of contact lists, messages, and images for debt collection purposes.

The root cause of this issue lies in the financial difficulties faced by a portion of the workforce, preventing them from accessing legitimate loans and forcing them to resort to loan sharks. The prevalence of unidentified SIM cards and anonymous social network accounts further complicates the harassment situation.

Representatives of Japanese businesses express their opinions at the meeting

Since 2022, the Binh Duong Provincial Police have handled 37 complaints related to cyber harassment, but in most cases, the perpetrators could not be identified due to high anonymity. Additionally, 10 individuals involved in both traditional and online loan sharking were arrested. Besides that, in collaboration with the Ho Chi Minh City Police, 43 individuals involved in online loan sharking were apprehended.

Given this situation, the Binh Duong Provincial Police advise citizens against borrowing money through online applications due to high costs and the risk of personal information leakage. Businesses or individuals experiencing harassment can file complaints through the provincial police's direct hotline or the Police Department of Cybersecurity. Moreover, they can report harassing phone numbers to the 156 hotline for the Ministry of Information and Communications to facilitate prompt handling.

A Representative of Binh Duong Provincial Police answer businesses' concerns

The Binh Duong Provincial Police have committed to continuing to collaborate with relevant agencies to tighten telecommunications management, unidentified SIM cards, and combat online harassment. They have also called on businesses and the public to provide data to support investigations and eradicate loan shark organizations.

In addition to loan sharks, Japanese businesses have raised some challenges regarding policies and labor in Binh Duong. Many businesses have reported that despite connecting with employment centers, young workers nowadays tend to work abroad, making recruitment difficult and putting significant pressure on production activities.

Furthermore, the process of issuing work permits for foreign workers is still time-consuming, affecting recruitment plans and the development of international human resources. Businesses expect the Provincial People's Committee to improve the process and provide more effective support.

Regarding infrastructure, businesses have proposed developing highways connecting seaports and airports with Binh Duong, and encouraging the use of public transportation such as buses to address the increasing number of private vehicles.

In response to the issues raised by businesses, representatives from relevant departments and agencies have provided specific information and answers.

A Representative of the Labour, War invalids and Social Affairs Department addressed queries from businesses regarding the issuance of work permits for foreign workers

In response to inquiries regarding work permit issuance for foreign workers, a representative from the Department of Labor, War invalids and Social Affairs stated that since 2022, the Department has implemented various solutions, including increasing staff, applying information technology, revising processing procedures, and issuing numerous guidance documents, to definitively address delays in processing work permit applications for foreign workers. During the process of handling administrative procedures related to foreign workers, if enterprises request expedited consideration and processing of work permit applications, the Department will facilitate, support the review, and process them sooner than the prescribed time if the dossiers comply with legal regulations. Additionally, for any difficulties or obstacles encountered by enterprises, the Department will pay close attention, and provide support, and guidance to ensure enterprises are aware of and comply with the regulations.

In 2024, the situation of delays in processing work permit applications at the Department of Labor, War invalids and Social Affairs has been addressed and ensured to comply with regulations.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Thuan – Deputy Director of the Transport Department informed the province's expressway projects

Regarding the development of expressways in Binh Duong, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Thuan, Deputy Director of the Department of Transport, informed that the province is currently implementing several expressway projects: Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3, Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 4, and the Ho Chi Minh City - Thu Dau Mot - Chon Thanh Expressway. These are national key transport projects that are of paramount importance in promoting the socio-economic development of Binh Duong province in particular and the country in general. These projects will create a regional logistics corridor between the Southeast and Southwest regions, connecting seaports and inland ports, strengthening regional connectivity, and creating new development space for the Southern key economic zone.

Mr. Nguyen Loc Ha - Vice Chairman of the PPC speak at the meeting

Speaking at the meeting, the Vice Chairman of the PPC, Mr. Nguyen Loc Ha said that the province highly rates the potential of Japanese investors and hopes that Japanese enterprises will continue to expand their investments in Binh Duong province. The provincial leadership pledges to always accompany and facilitate businesses in their production and business activities in Binh Duong, as the success of businesses is also the success of the province.