On 8th October 2014 in Ha Long city, Quang Ninh province, the training course for Northern Investment Promotion Officials was organized by Foreign Investment Agency, Ministry of Planning and Investment with the attendance of 120 officials coming from Department of Planning and Investment, Management Board of export processing zones and industrial parks and Investment Promotion Centers of 29 cities and provinces in the North.

Mr Dang Xuan Quang, Deputy General Director of Foreign Investment Agency – Ministry of Planning and Investment delivered a speech and updated the statistics of foreign direct investment in the first 9 months of 2014. Accordingly, in first 9 months of 2014, the disbursed FDI volume was 8.9 billion USD, an increase of 3.2% comparing to the same period of 2013; the export of foreign direct investment sector (include crude oil) in the first 9 months of 2014 reached 72.99 billion USD, an increase of 14.1% comparing to the same period of 2013 and accounting for 66.6% of total export-import value. 

Also in the first 9 months of 2014, the foreign investors registered 11.18 billion USD, inclusive new and increasing capital projects, equivalent to 74.5% comparing to the same period of 2013. It pointed out that FDI has positive spillovers and recovery evidences in the last few months of 2014.

In order to promote the disbursement investment and attract more FDI, Mr Dang Xuan Quang provided the governmental orientation of attracting FDI by sectors, areas, partners and provinces; especially calling FDI in infrastructure, supporting industry, projects using high technology,… 

Mr Dang Xuan Quang also proposed some recommendations to central and provincial authorities of investment promotion with aims to call more FDI: (i) implementing the Decision No.03/2014 of the Prime Minister on regulation on state on state management for investment promotion activities, which took effects on March, 1st 2014; (ii) implementing supporting activities for investors in order to promote the disbursed FDI; (iii) focusing on improving the capacity of investment promotion officials; and other solutions proposed in the training course.