More than 500 investors and representatives from big domestic corporations, industries and international financial institutions are expected to attend the event, said Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) Vu Tien Loc.

Loc said the conference aims to discuss ways to prepare to catch the new wave of investment by investors both inside and outside the country during the post-crisis period.

The conference will serve as a forum for Nam Dinh and Thai Binh provinces to highlight their potential, strengths, and investment incentives as well as information about major projects, he said. It will also help speed up socio-economic development in the whole northern coastal region, which is expected to become a key economic region for the country, Loc stressed.

Nam Dinh province is planning to call for more than 2.2 billion USD for 34 projects, focusing on industrial production, agriculture, healthcare, tourism, sports, transport and urban infrastructure. Meanwhile, its neighbour, Thai Binh, wishes to seek investors for 35 projects with an estimated capital of 1.7 billion USD, mainly in coal mining, hi-tech products, steel and building materials production, transport infrastructure, agricultural product processing and sea tourism.

Both Nam Dinh and Thai Binh are considered provinces boasting great potential as they have successfully applied simplified administrative procedures and comprehensively developed infrastructure facilities and human resources. However, the influx of investment into the two provinces remained modest compared with other localities in the region. By the end of 2008, Nam Dinh had attracted only 20 foreign-invested projects with a combined registered capital of 200 million USD, while Thai Binh has no foreign-owned projects.