High-tech project in border district
The high-tech electric wire and cable factory project in Tan Hong village, Ban Qua commune (Bat Xat district, Lao Cai) was started in March 2022 with a total investment of VND 1,900 billion, construction scale of 15.7 hectares, invested by Nexus Technologies and Cable Co., Ltd. (Korean investor).
This is the largest FDI project of Korea in Lao Cai in developing high-tech industry. The project is divided into 2 phases. Phase I is expected to be completed in 2024 and Phase II in 2026. Phase I will produce civil electric wires, Phase II will produce high-voltage electric cables. The entire project's technological line is manufactured in Europe, with the factory's design capacity of 60,000 tons of products/year.
Present at the factory construction site in Ban Qua commune in early October 2024, according to the reporter's records, after more than 2 years of implementation, the nearly 2,000 billion VND project is still just an empty land. Currently, no construction items have been implemented. Many areas of the project land are left vacant, overgrown with weeds, making people feel regretful.
According to schedule, the project will complete phase I in 2024 with the expectation of creating jobs for thousands of local workers. But until now, after more than 2 years, the project is still in a state of inactivity and the completion date is unknown.
Real estate after 2 years of construction
Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim (residing in Ban Qua commune) shared: “When hearing the news that the commune was about to start building a large factory, everyone was excited because when completed, it would create more stable jobs. But from 2022 until now, nothing has been seen. The project has been planned, and the people's land is also subject to recovery and compensation. If we leave it like this, it would be a waste.”
According to local people, no construction has been done yet, the total area of 15.7 hectares is still an empty lot, with trees and weeds growing wildly.
According to information from the Department of Industry and Trade of Lao Cai province, the unit has coordinated with the parties to remove difficulties and obstacles, creating favorable conditions for the company to invest in the project, so the unit needs to speed up the progress of factory construction. Along with that, the company needs to establish a project management office in Lao Cai and commit to the project implementation progress with a specific timeline.
Mr. Vu Ba Duy - Chairman of Ban Qua Commune People's Committee - said: "The project to build a high-tech electric wire and cable factory in the commune has not been able to start construction yet. The project site was cleared in 2010-2011, the unit only needs to carry out construction."
According to Chairman of Ban Qua Commune People's Committee Vu Ba Duy, people in the commune mainly produce agriculture. Therefore, people also hope to have a factory to create more jobs and have a stable source of income. "The project is only located in the commune, the province has allocated land for the units to implement. As for the reason why it has not been built yet, we have absolutely no idea" - Mr. Vu Ba Duy said.
On October 6, speaking with Lao Dong, Vice Chairman of Bat Xat District People's Committee To Van Thanh said: "Our district, together with the province, is creating the best conditions for foreign enterprises to invest and build factories. All documents and procedures for implementation have been approved and there are no more problems."
“The main reason why the project started construction in 2022, but the factory has not been built yet, is because the investor has not been able to raise capital for implementation. Lao Cai province has assigned the project to the Border Gate Economic Zone Management Board to manage and supervise its implementation,” added To Van Thanh, Chairman of Bat Xat District People's Committee.
