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Jan 29, 2018 / 12:17

HCMC: science and technology park to be focused

Ho Chi Minh City will focus on five sectors at the city’s second science and technology park, which is scheduled to open in 2019.

The overview of Saigon Hi-Tech Park
The overview of Saigon Hi-Tech Park
The sectors are information technology, renewable energy, biotechnology, semiconductor circuits and applied space technology.

The city will offer low-interest and long-term loans for enterprises investing in the sectors.

Le Hoai Quoc, head of Saigon Hi-Tech Park Management Board, said the aim is to attract big foreign companies to the park. Local enterprises will also have more opportunities for investment in the hi-tech park.
 
Saigon Hi-Tech Park
Saigon Hi-Tech Park
However, local companies face more difficulty accessing capital and have less capital than foreign firms.

A representative of one enterprise said that land rent, which was much higher than surrounding provinces, was the biggest barrier for local enterprises.

Local enterprises also lack high-quality human resources because most of them are working for foreign-invested enterprises.

The 200ha second science and technology park will be built in District 9 near the Saigon Hi-Tech Park.

Quang Trung Software City (QTSC) in District 12 was the first science park to be set in the city and is the biggest in the country covering an area of 430,000sq.m.

Established in 2001, it houses around 140 information and communication technology companies, with foreign firms accounting for nearly half, with a total of more than 20,000 workers and researchers.

It targets becoming one of Asia’s top 10 software parks in human resources and value-added services by 2020.