RoK investors hail Long An province’s potential for smart city

Long An (VNA) - With its excellent geographical location for trade and economic development and the potential to become the country’s leading agricultural hub, the Mekong Delta province of Long An is ideal for developing a smart urban area, according to experts.

Le Thanh, director of the Institute of Organic Agricultural Economics, said as a gateway connecting Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta and with its excellent transport system, Long An has everything required to become an agricultural - industrial smart urban area.

Speaking at the “Long An authorities exchange experience with experts and South Korean investors towards developing a smart agricultural – industrial urban area” seminar in early September, he said with sea levels rising in the Mekong Delta area, Long An would see a wave of migration in the future.Therefore, developing smart cities is suitable, he added.

Lee Gyeong Taek, CEO of Lavi E&C JSC, said Republic of Korea’s investors have set their sights on 10,000ha of land near the Vam Co River.

They plan to develop a self-sufficient urban area with smart farms, hi-tech agricultural processing plants, universities to train human resources, smart flower gardens, and smart cattle breeding areas, he said.

They also plan to build the largest lake in the country in the project in the smart urban area to make it an attractive destination for local and international visitors, he revealed.

Explaining why the Korean investors chose this area, he said they could take advantage of the river water to irrigate agricultural land in summer when there is often a shortage of water.

The convergence of overland and waterway transport networks enables the area to trade with leading provinces and cities in the Southern Key Economic Region and surrounding areas, he pointed out.

He said building a smart city would bring benefits to the province such as helping it develop clean and green agriculture, and produce and process agricultural products right in urban areas.

As for selling the products, he said they would be supplied in the domestic market but also exported to Hong Kong, mainland China, Japan, and Singapore.

Other RoK investors said the province should focus more on transport infrastructure, human resource training and building hi-tech logistics infrastructure.

Pham Van Ranh, secretary of the Long An Party Committee and chairman of its People's Council, said, new models in line with global integration trends are needed to develop the province quickly and sustainably.

The ideas proposed to develop smart agricultural - industrial urban areas promise bright prospects for the province's development, he said.

The province wants to find investors who are enthusiastic about the project and could complete in the shortest time, he said, promising to create the most favourable conditions for investors. /.