This information was released at a seminar on creating specific mechanisms for attracting more investment in the future.

According to the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the region’s GDP accounts for only 15-16 percent of the nation’s, much lower than 1993 figure of 23 percent.

Total foreign investment registered in the region from 1988-2009 reached US$8 billion, making up only 4 percent of the country’s FDI investment. In 2009, the region registered only 31 new projects with a total capital of US$55.6 million, down by 50 projects and US$ 3.5 billion compared to the previous year.

The fall in investment is attributed to the poor infrastructure and the poor-quality of local human resources.

The participants in the seminar called for more assistance from the State, especially in policies, to help the region attract more investment.

They asked the Government to approve the socio-economic development plan for the Mekong Delta region and for key economic zones with a focus on growing rice, breeding seafood, planting fruit-trees, and developing tourism services.

They also asked different economic sectors to invest more in infrastructure construction projects.