French ambassador to Laos visits Savannakhet Special Economic Zone C – Savan Park, Savannakhet Dry Port
 
The Savannakhet Special Economic Zone C – Savan Park, Savannakhet Dry Port has attracted more investors, with a total of 76 companies now registered at the site.
The figure was reported during a visit by the Ambassador of France to Laos, Mrs Siv-Leng Chhuor, and her delegation to the site on June 29.

A group photo is taken at Savannakhet Dry Port in recognition of the visit by the Ambassador of France to Laos, Mrs Siv-Leng Chhuor and her delegation.

The visit was arranged to inform and encourage investors from around the world to set up business at Savan Park, especially now that the Covid-19 pandemic has subsided.
The delegation was warmly welcomed by the Chief Executive Director of the Special Economic Zone, Mr Phanomkone Dararasmy, and Chief Executive Officer of the Savannakhet Dry Port, Mr Jean Pierre Grzelczyk, and workers at the Savannakhet Special Economic Zone.
A few years ago, when the previous French Ambassador to Laos visited Savan Park, there were only 65 companies registered at the site, but this has now increased to 76 investors from Asia and Europe.
Ambassador Siv-Leng Chhuor said she placed great importance on the visit and was pleased to hear about comparisons in the value of imports and exports before and after the Covid pandemic.
The delegation visited a French company that manufacturers ophthalmic lenses at the Essilor Factory.
The General Manager of Essilor, Mr Kittiphong Tongtatop, told the delegation that the company chose to invest in the Savannakhet Special Economic Zone because he could communicate in Lao, while he needed translators when he had been in other countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam.
“Essilor launched the CRS project for over eight years in order to support good vision in Laos. The project provides free service for eye care and free lenses for the public annually in October,” he said.
The Savannakhet Dry Port is a fundamental component of the government’s strategy to convert Laos from being landlocked to a land link country. The site earns considerable tax revenue for the government and helps to improve living standards for the local community, as well as boost exports. 
Savannakhet Special Economic (Savan Park Zone C) is strategically located along the East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC) and was developed on 234 hectares of wasteland into an industrial, commercial and logistics hub.
Through the strategic location setup of the EWEC by JICA, Savan Park SEZ realised the potential to develop this area into a free trade industrial zone.
Savannakhet Special Economic Zone is the first SEZ in Laos. The Savannakhet Dry Port was the first approved dry port to be acknowledged by UNESCAP.
Former President Bounnhang Vorachit signed a ratification of the Savannakhet Dry Port to comply with UNESCAP requirements on October 16, 2019.
It is located on the East-West Economic Corridor at a distance of 1,450km from Vietnam, passing through Savannakhet province in Laos to Thailand and ending in Mawlamyine, Myanmar, linking the Andaman Sea with the South China Sea. 
The Savannakhet Special Economic Zone is part of the Greater Mekong Sub-Region (GMS) development programme.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, a significant increase of 42 percent in the logistics value was added, enabling the reduction of vessel frequency, and allowing the usual operation of road freight services.
The total value of imports in 2020 was recorded at over US$214,360,513.35 while the value of exports rose to over US$245,640,544.16.
The record for imports in 2021 was over US$204,005,109.02, with exports rising to US$246,437,926.71.
The value of transit cargo at Savannakhet Dry Port in 2020 was US$6,855,500,323, rising to US$9,445,539,694 last year.
Savan Park is fully protected by Prime Minister’s Decree 177, which is dedicated to investment in Savannakhet Special Economic Zone and was approved in 2003. As of today, the zone is still complying with this decree and investors are confident in it. 
Savan Park was established in 2008 and was the first SEZ in Laos. Laos was able to develop the SEZ as the Savannakhet Special Economic Zone Authority (SEZA), providing a one stop-service (OSS) to all investors in the zone.

Ambassador Siv-Leng Chhuor (centre) hears about the port’s operations.	CEO of Savan Logistics and Founder of Savannakhet Dry Port, Mr Jean Pierre Grzelczyk (first right), and Ambassador of France to Laos, Mrs Siv-Leng Chhuor (second right) and officials gather for a group photo at Savan Park on Wednesday.

By Advertorial Desk
 (Latest Update July 1, 2022)