Hung Yen: Creating Impressions, Keeping Growth Momentum

Implementing the resolution of the 19th Provincial Party Congress for half of the current term (2020-2025), Hung Yen province has achieved many impressive results in promoting economic growth, attracting investment and improving administration at all levels of government. According to Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Tran Quoc Van, to maintain and further promote these results, improving the quality of sustainable growth and enhancing the effect and depth of competition is a key task of the administration in the coming years.

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and the Central Committee’s delegation attended the groundbreaking ceremony of Industrial Park No.5, March 14, 2023

Remarkable imprints

Despite numerous difficulties and challenges, Hung Yen obtained a good outcome in 2021. In 2022, the province prominently achieved a GRDP growth of 13.41%, ranked 5th out of 63 provinces and cities; the total retail revenue of consumer goods and services of VND60,941 billion, up 61.1%; the export value of US$6.3 billion, up 21.9%; and the budget revenue of VND51,222 billion, ranked 5th in the country and 3 times higher than in 2021. The province licensed 77 new projects with a total registered capital of US$212 million and VND21,395 billion and cleared a record 1,000 ha of land for new investment projects. While many localities witnessed a negative growth in the first quarter of 2023, Hung Yen managed to maintain high growth momentum. The gross regional domestic product (GRDP) expanded by 8.14%, ranking 12th out of 63 provinces and cities in the country and 5th out of 11 localities in the Red River Delta. Only in the first quarter of 2023, three industrial zone infrastructure projects were started on a total area of 447.8ha of land.

Not only achieving outstanding economic development, Hung Yen also really made breakthroughs in improving administration indicators. In 2022, the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) climbed 25 places to reach No. 14 out of 63 provinces and cities, the highest standing to date. Other performance indicators announced by central agencies were also impressive. The Public Administration Reform Index (PAR Index) ranked No. 12, as high as in 2021. The Satisfaction Index of Public Administrative Services (SIPAS) ranked No. 6. The Vietnam Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI) stood at No. 11th. Especially, among public administration reform sub-indices, administration score climbed 8.12% from 2021. Building and improving the quality of the contingent of public employees gained 6.65 percentage points and reforming administrative procedures climbed 5.95 percentage points.

These achievements proved the ongoing effort of the entire political system that always accompanied local enterprises and removed difficulties for them, thus shaping the most favorable investment and business environment. Furthermore, companies also played an important role in these achievements amid ongoing global and domestic economic slowdown.

A journey of effort

Mr. Trinh Van Dien, director of Hung Yen Department of Planning and Investment, said that the province always appreciates and carries out solutions to improve administration and attract more investors. In the 2016-2020 period, the Provincial People's Committee launched the "Project of executing administrative reform, creating a favorable investment environment, improving the provincial competitiveness index in the 2016-2020 period” (Decision 2382/QD-UBND dated October 28, 2016), directed relevant bodies and localities to accelerate the project implementation, and achieved initial results. The score looked up slightly while other provinces and cities accelerated faster, thus causing Hung Yen to slide towards the bottom of the PCI rankings. Among 10 PCI subindices, some went up slightly, some were not stable while some plunged deeply to lead the overall index far behind.

Even so, provincial leaders did not feel disheartened. They sought, analyzed and pointed out causes and bottlenecks to have best solutions to overcome. The Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee continued to direct, request, appeal and encourage the whole political system to beat up the sound of the “PCI Drum”. Typical actions include the Project on enhancing investment inflows and enhancing competitiveness in 2021 - 2025 and to 2030 (PCI Project, Decision 2136/QD-UBND dated September 7, 2021 of the Provincial People's Committee) and Directive 12/CT-CTUBND dated September 23, 2021 of the Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee on effective solutions to raise the sense of responsibility, spirit, attitude and work quality of public employees to enhance the PCI Index.

The key to unlock the opening door to enhance provincial competitiveness is to engage the entire political system to act together and the core is the human factor and personnel arrangement. The Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee thoroughly grasped, drastically implemented and brought this content into key tasks and performance criteria at all levels of government, requested public employees, particularly agency leaders, to raise the sense of responsibility and the sense of self-discipline in performing official duties, and clearly defining individual duties and collective responsibilities.

With its aspirations, resolve, effort, consensus and perseverance, Hung Yen made a breakthrough progress in improving administration, with results even beyond expectations. VCCI President Pham Tan Cong said that this progress shows that businesses increasingly trust in the local business environment, hopping that Hung Yen will continue to build a more enabling environment for businesses to see Hung Yen as an attractive destination.

Mr. Satoru Wachi, Director of Thang Long II Industrial Park Company, said: In 2022, his company received a decision on expansion of Thang Long II Industrial Park (third phase) to bring its total area to 525ha. Although the site clearance involved more than 1,500 households and there were a lot of problems arising out of this work, provincial leaders promptly resolved all to enable the project to be started quickly in early 2023.

A long journey ahead

Tran Quoc Van, Chairman of Hung Yen Provincial People's Committee, said: The province’s achievements, particularly the PCI Index, are just the first steps. To make Hung Yen one of growth engines of the greater Hanoi region, a lot of work remains to be done. First of all, it is necessary to continue to implement directions of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong during his working visit on the occasion of the 190th founding anniversary of Hung Yen, the 80th founding anniversary of the Party, and the 25th re-establishing anniversary of the province: “Never be subjective and complacent about what has been achieved” and “Focusing prioritized investment for construction and development of social and economic infrastructure system, especially the synchronous modern transport system to be well connected with other provinces in the region and the country; ensuring focused, balanced and rationalized development among localities and between urban areas with rural areas; developing industry in line with trade, service and urban development.”

The province also accelerated effective implementation of the PCI Project and Directive 12/CT-CTUBND; continued to direct relevant agencies and localities to drastically carry out action plans and programs to improve the quality of administrative and public services. To create a new impetus for this long-distance journey, on May 15, 2023, the Provincial People's Committee issued Decision 1076/QD-UBND approving the Project on the District and Department Competitiveness Index (DDCI) in Hung Yen province in the 2023 - 2025 period. Chairman Tran Quoc Van hoped that DCCI will be an effective and consistent solution to improve the quality of economic administration of the province, helping Hung Yen make a breakthrough progress of PCI rankings in the following years.

By Ngo Khuyen, Vietnam Business Forum