Belgium, Vietnam mark 20-year collaboration on IZ

Swamp into industrial zone

DVIZ has set a goal of becoming a Vietnamese and regional transport hub. With a prime location in the city of Hai Phong, DVIZ has become a modern industrial zone with total infrastructure including electricity, water, wastewater treatment and fire alarm systems.

The industrial zone has attracted investments worth US$3 billion from Japan, Germany, the US, Singapore and the Republic of Korea, with the presence of many big investors such as Bridgestone, JX Nippon Oil & Energy, Idemitsu, Shin-etsu, Chevron, IHI, Nippon Express, Yusen, Knauf, C. Steinweg and Flat Group.

DVIZ has created over 10,000 and 50,000 direct and indirect jobs, contributing to accelerating the industrialization process of the city and the country. There are three other industrial zones next to the existing DVIZ, creating the Deep C Industrial Cluster with a total area of 3,000ha.

Le Van Thanh, the secretary of the Hai Phong Party Committee and chairman of the Hai Phong People’s Council, said DVIZ is a joint venture between the city and the Belgian government that has contributed to promoting foreign direct investment (FDI) and strengthening socio-economic development.

“Infrastructure in the industrial zone has been well-built and is able to provide utilities for investors. DVIZ has become an attractive destination in the eyes of domestic and international investors,” Le Van Thanh said, speaking at an April 7 ceremony to mark the 20th anniversary of the Dinh Vu Industrial Zone.

The chief of Cabinet, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and European Affairs of the Kingdom of Belgium, Rudy Huygelen, said at the ceremony that DVIZ is the largest portfolio of the Belgian government in Vietnam. The two governments welcome the expansion of other similar projects, as well as green energy projects, to further tighten the relationship between the two sides.

Toward green development

With the sustainable development orientation of Hai Phong City and the country, DVIZ is expected to become a green industrial zone. In early April, the Hai Phong People’s Committee and Belgium’s Rent-A-Port Group signed a memorandum of understanding on green development projects. Accordingly, the Rent-A-Port Group will research and develop a typical industrial zone for green development in the city, and focus on high-tech and environmentally-friendly projects.

Hai Phong City will create favorable conditions for the Rent-A-Port Group to establish facilities to produce and supply wind energy, solar energy and energy from waste, as well as clean water. In addition, the two sides will carry out a project to produce electricity from waste at the Dinh Vu and Trang Cat rubbish dumps, and clean water from seawater, using wind energy, on Cat Hai Island. Initial capacity is about 400cu.m a day, which will meet the water demand of about 4,000 residents on the island. The parties will ask the Belgian government to provide US$4.8 million for the project’s implementation.

Rudy Huygelen also endorsed these green development projects. “The Rent-A-Port Group has proved its competence as a pioneer in developing and exploiting renewable energy in Europe, in general, and in Belgium in particular. Therefore, we are confident that the parties have found their right partners and this cooperation will contribute to raising the relationship between the two countries to new heights,” he said.

Le Van Thanh said he hoped DVIZ would bring into play its achievements in the last 20 years and continue to be the bridge of investment between Vietnam and Belgium in order to create the basis for further cooperation.