Enhanced Industrial and Trade Development fueling robust expansion in Ca Mau

Enhanced Industrial and Trade Development fueling robust expansion in Ca Mau

In the newly unified Ca Mau province of Vietnam, the focus for economic growth and development in 2025 is centred around boosting industrial and trade sectors, infrastructure development, social welfare, and enhancing local and international promotion efforts.

Key priorities include:

1. Ambitious Economic Growth: Aiming for at least 8.5% economic growth in 2025, surpassing the national target, is driven by industry and trade reforms, strong support for local businesses, and the acceleration of key projects such as maximizing electricity output from gas resources and boosting production of gas, LPG, electricity, and fertiliser.
2. Infrastructure Development: Ongoing projects in roads, waterways, aviation, and expressways linking Ca Mau to major regional hubs are aimed at eliminating bottlenecks, improving connectivity, and supporting industrial growth.
3. Social Housing Programs: Completion of social housing programs will improve living conditions for low-income, revolutionary contributor families, and ethnic minorities, supporting stable social development alongside economic progress.
4. Promotion of Ca Mau’s Image: Through innovative communication strategies, Ca Mau's cultural, historical, and natural image will be promoted domestically and internationally to attract investment and tourism, thereby supporting economic diversification beyond traditional sectors.
5. Government Integration and Acceleration: Efforts are being made to integrate and accelerate two-tier local government operations to ensure effective administration and delivery of development programs.

In addition, efforts are underway to bring Ca Mau wind power plants 1A and 1B into commercial operation, and the construction on Phase 3 of the 141MW Bac Lieu wind power plant is being expedited, with 99MW expected to be operational within 2025. The Ca Mau Department of Industry and Trade is also working on a proposal to recommend that the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) increase the dispatch capability of operational wind power plants to ensure that over 90 per cent of their generating capacity is delivered to the national grid.

Moreover, the department is tracking delayed power projects in the southern region and preparing to submit a proposal to include these projects as investment priorities in the amended Power Development Plan VIII. Regarding the 3,200MW Bac Lieu liquefied natural gas power plant, the department is urgently working with the Department of Finance and relevant investor to identify implementation challenges and report to the provincial government.

The Ca Mau People's Committee is also pushing for the allocation of the maximum possible electricity output in the second half of 2025 based on gas supply capacity for the Ca Mau 1 and 2 power plants, with a target for completion in August. In the first half of 2025, Ca Mau produced 898 million cubic metres of commercial gas, equal to half of the full-year plan.

The department is also working on a comprehensive plan to secure a long-term, reliable gas source for the complex, proposing collaboration with the Ministry of Industry and Trade and relevant agencies. The Ca Mau People's Committee has set an economic growth target of 8.5% for 2025, half a percentage point higher than the national target.

Total retail sales of goods and consumer services in Ca Mau approximated $4.16 billion, equal to half of the annual plan and showing a 15.5% increase year-on-year. Electricity production in Ca Mau reached 4.1 billion kWh, equal to half of the full-year plan.

In the seafood sector, the department will strengthen inspections of substandard pre-processing facilities to ensure fair competition and monitor production levels at seafood processing plants throughout the unified province. In the first half of 2025, seafood exports from Ca Mau reached $1.15 billion, up 7.2% year-on-year.

Notable among the ongoing projects is the planned expansion of Ca Mau thermal power plants 1 and 2, with a combined additional capacity of 1,500MW. The department also aims to lead and coordinate with relevant units to advise on industrial development policies, with a focus on supporting a gas-power-fertiliser complex.

Liquid petroleum gas (LPG) and condensate output in Ca Mau reached over 74,400 tonnes, accounting for 53% of the full-year plan. Fertiliser output in Ca Mau totalled nearly 697,450 tonnes, completing 61% of the plan and showing a 7.3% increase year-on-year.

The department also aims to maintain stable production at seafood processing facilities and encourage businesses from the former Bac Lieu area to join the Ca Mau Seafood Processing and Export Association.

Collectively, these priorities align with a comprehensive approach emphasizing economic expansion through industry, improved infrastructure, social welfare, and enhanced provincial branding aimed at sustainable, high-quality growth for 2025 and beyond in the unified Ca Mau province.

1. As the Ca Mau People's Committee aims for an economic growth target of 8.5% in 2025, they are also focusing on boosting production in sectors like gas, LPG, electricity, and fertiliser, which are key to achieving this ambitious goal.
2. To attract investment and tourism, and support economic diversification, the Ca Mau Department of Industry and Trade is working on promoting the cultural, historical, and natural image of Ca Mau domestically and internationally.

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