Dong Thap asserts key status as Mekong Delta gateway

Dong Thap asserts key status as Mekong Delta gateway

Dong Thap is driving economic transformation after merging with Tien Giang province, aiming to become the Mekong Delta’s strategic gateway through infrastructure upgrades, investment growth, and decisive government reform.

Chairman of Dong Thap People’s Committee Tran Tri Quang (second from left) checking progress of Cao Lanh-An Huu Expressway Photo: baodongthap.vn

Leveraging post-merger advantages and expansive development space, Dong Thap province has been expediting the streamlined operation of its two-tier government system, focusing on proximity to both citizens and businesses.

This is part of the province’s broader vision to gradually realise the ambition of becoming the strategic gateway of the entire Mekong Delta region.

In the first eight months of 2025, the province’s economic outlook showed inspiring results. Its industrial production index rose by 12.9 per cent on-year; total retail sales of goods and consumer services approximated $6.57 billion, up 9.6 per cent; and total export value surpassed $6.1 billion, equal to 67 per cent of the full-year target.

On the fiscal side, Dong Thap recorded budget revenue exceeding $656 million, reaching nearly 80 per cent of the annual estimate and up 11 per cent compared to the same period last year.

The province attracted 49 new projects with a combined registered capital of over $840 million, an increase of 31 projects and an additional $348 million over the same period in 2024.

Notably, nearly 1,800 new businesses were established in the first eight months – 98 per cent of the full-year target and showing 176 per cent jump on-year. These figures demonstrate the province’s increasingly appealing business and investment environment, providing strong momentum for sustainable development.

Amid limited private capital resources, Dong Thap has identified public investment disbursement as a critical lever for growth. To date, the province has disbursed $272 million, accounting for around half of the set target. The goal is to fully disburse the assigned public investment capital by the end of the year, ensuring progress on key infrastructure projects and generating spillover effects throughout the economy.

Local departments and authorities are expediting land clearance, compensation, and resettlement to keep projects on schedule.

In parallel, Dong Thap’s tourism sector has also witnessed impressive results. In the first eight months of 2025, the province welcomed nearly 4.7 million visitors, reaching 64.3 per cent of full-year target, generating tourism revenue of approximately $120 million, equivalent to 72.6 per cent of the annual plan.

Ambitious development goals have been set, with targets including total export value exceeding $9.2 billion, budget revenue above $827 million, and total mobilised social investment capital reaching at least $3.42 billion by the end of the year.

According to experts, while these targets present challenges, they also serve as vital drivers for Dong Thap to accelerate and achieve a growth rate of at least 8.8 per cent in the second half of the year.

Chairman of Dong Thap People’s Committee Tran Tri Quang told VIR that for the two-tier government system to operate effectively, every level and sector must act decisively and creatively, avoiding delays.

“Local authorities must stand alongside businesses and citizens, addressing obstacles so that every resource is fully leveraged for growth,” Quang noted.

In detailed directives, Quang has tasked Dong Thap Department of Finance with closely monitoring disbursement progress; the Department of Industry and Trade with supporting businesses and accelerating industrial projects; the Department of Agriculture and Environment with developing erosion response scenarios; the Department of Construction with resolving challenges in social housing projects; and the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism with preparations for various festivals.

In recent years, Dong Thap has been expediting major infrastructure projects. National-level projects such as the Trung Luong–My Thuan expressway, My Thuan 2 Bridge, first-phase My Thuan–Can Tho expressway, Rach Mieu 2 Bridge, and second-phase Cho Gao Canal have all been put into operation.

Dong Thap is setting its sights on becoming the region’s centre for services, logistics, and the digital economy by the end of this decade. According to its leadership, the 2025–2030 provincial Party Congress on September 30 and October 1 has set the development agenda on fast-tracking industrialisation, building a modern, eco-friendly agricultural sector, while improving quality of life, and ensuring national defence and security.

Covering nearly 6,000 square kilometres and home to more than 4.2 million people, the province sits at the headwaters of the Tien River, extending to the East Sea and sharing a border with Cambodia.

VIR