The Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre attracted significant investment at its 2024 Investment Promotion Conference held on October 3.

Six projects and 23 cooperation agreements were signed, totaling over VND310 trillion ($12 billion) in committed capital.

Six projects were granted investment licenses with a total capital of nearly VND8 trillion (roughly $323 million), focusing on urban development, coconut processing, and wastewater treatment.

At the conference, Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Tran Ngoc Tam announced the province's finalized 2021-2030 development plan with a vision to 2050, which was approved by the Prime Minister under Decision No 1399/QĐ-TTg dated November 17, 2023.

This plan prioritizes strong development towards the east, highlighted by the Western Region coastal highway. This highway is crucial for seamless traffic connectivity from Ho Chi Minh City to the southernmost province of Ca Mau.

The "highlight" reflecting Ben Tre's development aspiration is the sea encroachment project, covering approximately 50,000 ha. This project aims to expand development space and strongly develop the marine economy, focusing on breakthroughs in industry, renewable energy, clean energy, high-tech aquaculture, maritime economy, services, tourism, and green urban areas.

Ben Tre has continuously improved its investment and business environment, attracting foreign enterprises. In 2023, its Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) ranked 7th out of the 63 provinces and cities nationwide and 3rd in the Mekong Delta region. Its Provincial Green Index (PGI) ranked 19th nationwide.

As of September 2024, Ben Tre has 262 projects with a total registered capital of nearly VND59.6 trillion ($2.4 billion). There are 68 active FDI projects with a total registered capital of over $1.659 billion. The province has 6,384 enterprises with registered capital of over VND77 trillion ($3.1 billion), of which more than 4,000 enterprises are operating with registered capital from VND59 trillion (nearly $2.4 billion) or more. There are also 198 cooperatives with a total charter capital of VND336.63 billion ($13.6 million).