Factories are developing at the Đà Nẵng IT Park. The city has been calling for investment from India to build the first pharmaceutical production centre in Đà Nẵng. —Photo courtesy of Anh Huy 

ĐÀ NẴNG — A group of 30 pharmaceutical production companies from India plans to build the first Pharma Park in Việt Nam, and Đà Nẵng city’s Hi-tech Park has been suggested as a prime location.

The Indian business group, which accounts for a 30 per cent share of Indian exports, expects to build a pharmaceutical production centre and fill the shortage of material and medicines supplying Việt Nam’s pharmaceutical production chains.

Vice-chairman of the city’s people’s committee, Hồ Kỳ Minh said the city’s 1,184ha hi-tech park infrastructure has been flagged as a potential site for the first Pharma Park in Việt Nam.

He said the park would be a magnet for Indian pharma firms and producers as it offers flexible land rent, land clearance, and favourable income tax and import tax policies including land rent exemption for the first three years of operation.

Under the Prime Minister’s decision signed in 2018, investors in traffic, technical infrastructure and public works, or special investment projects will enjoy a land-rent exemption for the entire duration of their investment period in the park.

Investors will be given incentives as they benefit from a 10 per cent tax rate for 15 years, a four-year tax exemption and a 50 per cent cut in income tax for the following nine years, he said.

He added that projects valued at more than US$133 million will get a 10 per cent tax rate for 30 years, while businesses will have to pay no import tax on materials and equipment that are not available in Việt Nam for the first five years of operation.

Minh said the city’s education system with 106 universities, colleges and vocational centres supplies 25,000 students each year, while nearly 10,000 doctors, nurses and medical staff are working at 22 hospitals.

The New Golden Hills urban area in the western region of Đà Nẵng offers accommodation and an entertainment centre for Đà Nẵng's Hi-tech and IT Park. — Photo courtesy of Trung Nam Group

The Indian pharma producers group has its own manufacturing centre in Visakhapatnam, and a series of companies including Hospira healthcare, Hetero pharmaceutical company, Shasun pharmaceuticals, Natco Pharma and Eisai Pharmaceuticals.

Đà Nẵng Hi-tech Park, which was designed as a ‘green’ hub in central Việt Nam, offers a number of benefits to manufacturers.

This includes Liên Chiểu seaport, Kim Liên railway station and logistics centre, an airport and national highway all within a radius of 20km.

It also smoothly connects with the Chân Mây Economic Zone in Thừa Thiên-Huế, the Chu Lai Economic Open Zone in Quảng Nam and Dung Quất Economic Zone in Quảng Ngãi Province, Minh said.

The park’s authorities have granted an investment licence to the local Danapha Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company for developing the first nano-technology and biotech project with an investment capital of VNĐ1.5 trillion ($67 million).

Up-to-date, Đà Nẵng has attracted 905 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects worth $3.85 billion, with the hi-tech park alone a destination for 24 of those projects with a total of $815 million. — VNS