HÀ NỘI — Bắc Ninh Province granted investment certificates worth around US$7 billion at an investment promotion conference on Friday, underscoring strong business confidence in the northern province’s investment climate and potential.

Investment registration certificates were presented to nine foreign and seven domestic companies, along with approvals for capital increases by nine existing foreign investors, totalling US$5.848 billion from domestic projects and US$1.1 billion from FDI projects.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyễn Hoà Bình said that after its merger with Bắc Giang, Bắc Ninh holds significant potential to become a high-tech industrial and logistics hub in northern Việt Nam, thanks to its diversified transport infrastructure and more than 50 industrial parks, 20 of which are already operational.

Bắc Ninh is home to major global manufacturers such as Samsung, Foxconn, Amkor and Canon, and hosts over 2,800 investment projects with total registered capital of around US$45 billion.

“Bắc Ninh offers investors a strategic location in the northern key economic region, extensive industrial development and a business-friendly administration,” he stressed, urging swift implementation of newly approved projects.

The Deputy PM also called on Bắc Ninh to accelerate administrative reform and prioritise infrastructure development, particularly Gia Bình International Airport and the highway linking the airport with Hà Nội, to create new momentum for economic growth.

He urged the province to continue pursuing high-tech, green industries, semiconductors and renewable energy, while tackling urbanisation challenges such as land clearance, workforce training and environmental management.

At the conference, construction also began on a housing project for workers at Đình Trám Industrial Park, comprising five buildings with more than 1,000 apartments.

Bắc Ninh is tasked with completing at least 147,100 apartments in the 2022–30 period as part of the national goal to develop at least one million social housing units by 2030. Currently, 71 social housing projects with a total of 102,000 apartments are under construction in the province.

With a total area of over 4,700 sq.km and a population of more than 3.6 million, Bắc Ninh ranked fifth nationwide in GDP growth with 10.47 per cent in the first half of this year. Its exports reached US$48 billion, making it the country’s top exporter. — VNS