Conference to answer recommendations, reflect and remove difficulties for Lao Cai enterprises in 2021

Creating a favorable and equal environment

After 10 years of implementing Resolution No. 09-NQ/TW dated December 9, 2011, of the Politburo on building and promoting the role of Vietnamese entrepreneurs in the period of accelerating industrialization, modernization, and international integration, Lao Cai has effectively implemented the Government's resolutions on improving business investment environment, enhancing national competitiveness; supporting and developing businesses in the spirit of the Government accompanying businesses.

In recent years, in order to effectively implement solutions to improve the business investment environment, create an equal and favorable business environment for enterprises, Lao Cai province has publicly and transparently made the Master Plan socio-economic development of Lao Cai province to 2020, vision to 2030; planning the development of industries and fields to ensure investment interests and reduce business risks for entrepreneurs when participating in local business investment activities.

In particular, the province has been directed to accelerate the reform of administrative procedures, in which the focus is on cutting down the time to resolve administrative procedures, minimizing transaction time, saving costs and time for businesses, especially in the field of business registration, tax, customs, environmental resources, transportation - construction... Reducing 30% of administrative processing time for 731/1,995 administrative procedures, creating favorable conditions, saving time and costs for people and businesses in participating in the settlement of administrative procedures.

Lao Cai also established the Business Support Team in Lao Cai province led by the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; thereby receiving feedbacks, problems, and recommendations of individuals, organizations, and businesses on issues related to investment, production, and business in the province to advise the Provincial People's Committee to direct the relevant departments, branches, and localities to solve it completely and promptly. Every year, leaders of Lao Cai province hold conferences to discuss, contact, and meet with businesses and workers in the province; in the meetings, many opinions, recommendations, and questions of enterprises and employees have been answered by provincial leaders and departments, branches, and localities; at the same time, through that, businesses and employees also make proposals and plans to improve the operational efficiency of the business community and entrepreneurs.

Positive changes

In fact, after 10 years of implementing Resolution No. 09-NQ/TW, the perception of the whole political system about the role of businessmen has changed markedly and positively. Party committees and authorities at all levels are often interested in the development of businesses and entrepreneurs, directing the activities of businesses and entrepreneurs to the province's socio-economic development goals.

If in 2015, the whole province had 1,826 enterprises, so far there have been over 3,300 enterprises, hundreds of cooperatives and farms registered to do business under the Enterprise Law with thousands of entrepreneurs actively working and dedicating themselves with the motto "Business thrives, Lao Cai develops". Contribution of the business and enterprise sector (private economy) accounts for an average of about 28% of the province's GRDP, which is the largest proportion of the three non-state sectors (private, collective, individual). The private sector's contribution to the total social development investment capital continued to increase in proportion, from 15.8% in 2011 to 42.7% in 2019 (reduced to 27.2% in 2020) due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2011 with over 42.26 thousand employees working in enterprises, by 2020 this has increased to nearly 80,000 employees, an average increase of 9%/year; The average salary in state-owned enterprises is about 8.8 million VND/person/month, private enterprises are 6.2 million VND/person/month, and foreign-invested enterprises are 6 million VND/person/month;... contribute to creating jobs for workers and solving problems of social security, hunger eradication, and poverty alleviation in the province.

It can be seen that, from 2011 to now, enterprises in the province have increased rapidly in quantity, scale, and quality; many enterprises have clearly shown their creative spirit, vision, and competed with domestic and foreign enterprises.

The work of building and developing party organizations and party members in enterprises outside the state sector has always been concerned by the province. With the motto "where there are workers, there are Party organizations", the province has proposed many concrete and breakthrough solutions to accelerate the development of party organizations and party members in enterprises. From 2012 up to now, the whole province has organized 21 training classes for admission to the Party for more than 500 elite masses of enterprises; established 16 grassroots branches, admitted 288 party members in enterprises outside the state sector, including 18 business owners; thereby, contributing to meeting the needs of the Party, socio-political activities of employees, affirming the leadership role of the Party in the process of building a socialist-oriented and integrated market economy international.

To meet the requirements in the context of international economic integration and market opening, the province has focused on training and fostering entrepreneurs in business start-ups, corporate governance, and equipping entrepreneurs with knowledge and skills, necessary knowledge about business, law, and social responsibility…; step by step approach international legal standards in business administration and corporate governance training. In the period 2012 - 2020, the province has organized more than 20 training courses on entrepreneurship with nearly 1,400 students and 07 courses on Business Administration with 480 students who are entrepreneurs and business managers in the area. From 2011 to now, vocational education institutions in the province have organized training for nearly 150 thousand employees, of which have organized joint training for more than 300 units, meeting the demand for laborers of the enterprises.

Along with that, Lao Cai province also facilitates and supports businesses and entrepreneurs to expand their scale; improve operational efficiency, competitiveness, and international economic integration; encourage the development of entrepreneurs in rural areas through promoting information and promotion on fields and industries to attract investment, credit support, tax support, and business guidance implement the registration of quality standards, product brands and apply the legal system on intellectual property rights …

Many entrepreneurs and businesses have actively participated in social work, hunger eradication, poverty reduction, gratitude, community service, new rural construction, etc… demonstrating their pioneering and exemplary feature in carrying out social responsibility, contribute to strengthening the great unity bloc of the whole nation. After 10 years of campaigning for contributions, the Fund for the Poor at all levels in Lao Cai province has mobilized the support of businessmen and the business community in the province with over 100 billion VND to help build houses for the poor households with housing difficulties together with many contributions together with the province to effectively implement socio-economic development, create jobs for workers and solve problems of social security, hunger eradication, and poverty alleviation in the province area.

More solutions

Entering the period of 2021-2025, Lao Cai province sets the goal of "Building a strong team of Lao Cai entrepreneurs, with a national spirit, political enlightenment, business culture, and high social responsibility; compliance with the law; having the capacity and qualifications to lead and manage businesses that operate with quality and efficiency, applying science and technology and implementing a digital transformation, having high competitiveness, close links, and participating in digital transformation actively participating in domestic and global production networks and value chains”.

Accordingly, all levels, branches, and localities in the province continue to raise awareness about the position, role, and importance of the business team for the development of the province and the locality. In which, promoting propaganda and intellectual mobilization of the business team to actively implement the Resolution of the Party congresses at all levels for the 2020-2025 term; especially implementing 15 economic, cultural and social development projects for the period 2020-2025 of the Lao Cai Provincial Party Committee. To step up the Party development work among businessmen, especially in businesses and industries that hold important positions in the economy.

Continuing to create an equal and favorable business and production environment, respecting the law; supporting entrepreneurs and enterprises to develop production and business, improve the operational efficiency of enterprises. Directing relevant agencies and units to drastically implement solutions to support and accompany businesses and entrepreneurs to promptly remove difficulties in the complicated situation of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Continuing to effectively implement policies to support small and medium-sized enterprises according to Decree No. 39/2018/ND-CP dated March 11, 2018, of the Government (especially policies on tax, land, credit applications, science, and technology,...); interested in supporting individual business households to develop into enterprises. Encouraging and supporting entrepreneurs to invest in technological innovation in the direction of "green technology", implementing digital transformation in business management and operation to meet the requirements of the industrial revolution 4.0; innovating products and services, building product brands associated with enterprises; focusing on building, honoring, promoting and affirming the value of local goods and brands.

The Provincial Business Association needs to pay attention to play the role of "bridge" in synthesizing information and feedback from businesses in order to help the Party committees and authorities firmly grasp the situation, have timely solutions to solve problems for businesses. Through the Business Association, other business associations and organizations gather the opinions, aspirations, and initiatives of entrepreneurs, thereby advising the province in formulating and implementing socio-economic development policies. The association ensures the interests of businesses, entrepreneurs, employees interests, and the community's interests./.