THE MINISTER OF PLANNING AND INVESTMENT

Pursuant to the November 12, 1996 Law on Foreign Investment in Vietnam and the 2000 Law Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of the Law on Foreign Investment in Vietnam;

Pursuant to the Government's Decree No. 24/2000/ND-CP of July 31, 2000 detailing the implementation of the Law on Foreign Investment in Vietnam and Decree No. 27/2003/ND-CP of March 19, 2003 amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Government's Decree No. 24/2000/ND-CP;

Pursuant to the Regulation on Industrial Parks, Export-Processing Zones and Hi-Tech Parks, promulgated together with the Government's Decree No. 36/CP of April 24, 1997;

Pursuant to the Government's Decree No. 61/2003/ND-CP of June 6, 2003 defining the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Ministry of Planning and Investment;

Pursuant to the Prime Minister's Decision No. 233/1998/QD-TTg of December 1, 1998 on decentralized and authorized licensing of foreign direct investment projects;

Pursuant to the Prime Minister's Decision No. 238/2003/QD-TTg of November 13, 2003 establishing Nam Dinh province's Industrial Parks Management Board;

At the proposal of the People's Committee of Nam Dinh province in Official Dispatch No. 40/2004/UB-VP5 of February 14, 2004,

DECIDES:

1. Nam Dinh province's Industrial Parks Management Board (hereinafter called the Management Board) shall act as a main body in guiding foreign investors in industrial parks and export-processing zones, which operate under the Regulation on Industrial Parks, Export-Processing Zones and Hi-Tech Parks, promulgated together with the Government's Decree No. 36/CP of April 24, 1997, in Nam Dinh province.

Investment projects' dossiers shall be compiled under the Planning and Investment Ministry's guidance.

2. To authorize the Management Board to receive and evaluate project dossiers; grant, adjust and withdraw investment licenses, and manage activities of foreign investment projects in industrial parks and export-processing zones prescribed in this Decision.

Article 2.- To be licensed by the authorized Management Board, investment projects must meet the following conditions:

1. Being compatible with the approved Industrial Park or Export-Processing Zone Planning, Charter and Operation Regulation, approved by competent authorities.

2. Being industrial or industrial-service projects with investment capital of up to USD 40 million each, excluding group-A projects, which were prescribed in Article 114 of the Government's Decree No. 24/2000/ND-CP of July 31, 2000 and supplemented and amended in Clause 26, Article 1 of the Government's Decree No. 27/2003/ND-CP of March 19, 2003.

3. With equipment, machinery and technologies satisfying the current prescribed requirements; in case of non-satisfaction, they must be approved by competent State agencies managing relevant econo-technical branches.

4. Meeting the requirements on environmental protection, labor safety as well as fire and explosion prevention and fighting.

Article 3.- The investment licensing according to the process of registration for investment licensing or the process of investment licensing evaluation shall be considered by the Management Board in close coordination with the provincial/municipal Services of Planning and Investment and local functional agencies according to the provisions of Articles 104, 105, 106, 107 and 108 of Decree No. 24/2000/ND-CP of July 31, 2000, which were supplemented and amended in Clauses 22 and 23, Article 1 of Decree No. 27/2003/ND-CP of March 19, 2003.

The Management Board shall have to elaborate a Regulation on working coordination with local functional agencies, submit it to the People's Committee of Nam Dinh province for approval, and notify the Ministry of Planning and Investment thereof.

1. The Management Board shall evaluate, and decide by itself, the licensing of the following investment projects:

- Export-processing enterprises with investment capital of up to USD 40 million each;

- Industrial production or industrialervice enterprises with investment capital of up to USD 5 million each and meeting the conditions prescribed in Article 2 of this Decision.

2. The time limit for the Management Board to evaluate and license an investment project is 15 working days after receiving the project dossiers, excluding the time for investors to amend or supplement their dossiers of application for investment licenses at the Management Board's requests.

All requests of the Management Board to investors for amendment and/or supplementation of the dossiers of application for investment licenses or adjusted licenses shall be made within 7 working days after the project dossiers are received.

3. For investment projects not defined in Clause 1 of this Article, before making decisions, the Management Board shall have to send the projects' summaries to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, and consult concerned ministries and branches on issues falling under their respective competence.

The ministries and branches which are consulted on the projects, including on adjustment of investment licenses, shall have to give their written replies within 7 working days after receiving the project dossiers; if past the above-said time limit, they fail to give their written opinions, they shall be deemed to approve the projects.

Article 5.- Investment licenses shall be compiled according to a form set by the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

Within 7 working days after granting investment licenses or adjusted licenses, the Management Board shall send such investment licenses or adjusted licenses to the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the People's Committee of Nam Dinh province (the originals), as well as the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Trade, ministries managing econo-technical branches and relevant State management agencies (copies).

Article 6.- For investment projects which the Management Board is not authorized to license, after receiving the project dossiers, the Management Board shall keep one dossier set (copies) and transfer all other documents, enclosed with its comments on the projects, to the Ministry of Planning and Investment for evaluation and licensing according to the provisions of Articles 109 and 114 of the Government's Decree No. 24/2000/ND-CP of July 31, 2000, and Decree No. 27/2003/ND-CP of March 19, 2003.

1. The Management Board shall guide investors in executing the projects and perform the State management over activities in industrial parks and export-processing zones according to the provisions of the Regulation on Industrial Parks, Export-Processing Zones and Hi-Tech Parks, issued together with the Government's Decree No. 36/CP of April 24, 1997.

2. The Management Board shall adjust investment licenses for investment projects under its licensing competence within the authorized investment capital limit.

3. The following cases may be decided by the Management Board after consulting the Ministry of Planning and Investment:

- The investment capital amount exceeds the authorized limit due to adjustment of investment licenses; the objectives of the projects on the list of those subject to conditional investment are changed or added.

- Vietnamese partners' legal capital contributions are reduced in joint ventures, or joint ventures are transformed into enterprises with 100% foreign capital.

- Foreign-invested enterprises are dissolved or cooperation business contracts terminate ahead of time.

4. The Management Board shall decide on the dissolution of enterprises and withdraw investment licenses according to the current regulations.

Article 8.- Quarterly, biannually and annually, the Management Board shall sum up the granting and adjustment of investment licenses as well as activities of enterprises in the industrial parks and export-processing zones under its management and send reports thereon to the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the People's Committee of Nam Dinh province.

Article 9.- The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall create all favorable conditions and examine the performance of authorized tasks by the Management Board strictly according to regulations, and be answerable to law and the Government for the authorization prescribed in this Decision.

Article 10.- This Decision takes implementation effect 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette.

Minister of Planning and Investment
VO HONG PHUC