Nov 7, 2011

Vietnam - Infrastructure development’s big price tag



A fresh infrastructure development approach is imperative.

Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) statistics show that Vietnam needs $295-305 billion based on 2010 prices and $385-395 billion based on actual prices, to pump into planned infrastructure projects up to 2020.

However, the country is reportedly in a position to raise around $210-215 billion for infrastructure development in the next decade, more than a half of the proposed figure.

For 2011-2015, Vietnam will need $106.2-111 billion to service infrastructure needs with $53.1-55.5 billion spent on transport infrastructure development, $20.6 billion on power sector infrastructure, $10.6 billion on urban and rural infrastructure and $4.8 billion on information communications technology infrastructure.

The country’s largest challenge in developing infrastructure was addressing the capital mobilisation dilemma, according to MPI’s Development Strategy Institute deputy head Nguyen Ba An.

In the ‘Developing local synchronised infrastructure system serving industrialisation and modernisation cause from 2010-2020’ plan developed by the MPI, the MPI voiced its proposals to help boost infrastructure development up to 2020.

Accordingly, the MPI recommended shifting the state’s role from direct investment into profit and risk sharing with private equity investors. This means, the state will mostly engage in site clearance, giving commercial support to infrastructure development and executing works that are not willingly handled by non-state investors.

Besides, the MPI proposes the government soon give birth to a legal framework on risk-sharing between the state and private equity investors, ensuring healthy competition among private performers in infrastructure services provision via public private partnership, build-transfer or build-operate-transfer models.

The MPI also urges the government to soon introduce policies to help turn land resources into a wealth to benefit infrastructure development.

Supportive of this idea, Ministry of Transport’s key transport infrastructure project steering committee former administrative chief Nguyen Ngoc Long said infrastructure development targets in the next decade could not be achieved unless there were breakthroughs in policies to offset capital shortfalls.

Industry experts said a lack of risk-sharing schemes between the state and private investors and mechanisms to turn land into development resources and inappropriate fee collections were major hindrances scaring away investors.

Total capital for infrastructure development in the past decade was around $80 billion, equal to 9 per cent of the country’s GDP and one-fourth of total investment development capital during the period, a fairly high level compared to China with 20-22 per cent of GDP, Indonesia 19-20 per cent and the Philippines 18-19 per cent.

Anh Minh | vir.com.vn



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