A solid foundation for Hai Phong's takeoff

According to Associate Prof. Dr. Bui Tat Thang, former Director of the Development Strategy Institute and Chairman of the project to make Hai Phong planning for the period 2021-2030 with a vision to 2050, Hai Phong has been the largest port city in the north.

Pham Hong Minh, Chairman of the Port of Hai Phong JSC, stated that the Hai Phong Port was established in 1874 during the colonial period, playing an important role in ensuring national defense and security and serving as the northern region's gateway to the sea.

The Hai Phong International Container Terminal in the Lach Huyen wharf area is the northernmost modern deep-water port. The port, which began operations on 13 May 2018, is also one of the top 20 largest deep-water ports in the world, with the ability to handle 132,900 DWT container vessels. It facilitates direct transportation between the northern region and the United States and Europe, thereby reducing logistics costs and boosting the export capacity of Vietnam, thereby motivating the development of a deep-water port system and logistics operations in the northern region.

Hai Phong city at night.

Chairman of the Tan Cang Hai Phong International Container Terminal Company Limited, Major Doan Tuan Hai, stated that the deep-water port, along with Cat Bi international airport and the Hanoi - Hai Phong highway, contributes to the completion of the trade infrastructure between Hai Phong and other provinces and cities in Vietnam and the world. This transport infrastructure system has also contributed to the promotion of import-export activities and the attraction of investment, particularly foreign direct investment (FDI), thereby creating a driving force for the port city's growth and boosting the socioeconomic development of all northern provinces.

In order to maximize its advantages, the city has focused on three economic pillars from 2021 to 2026: high-tech industry, seaport-logistics, and tourism-trade. In the past five years, Hai Phong has led the nation in attracting foreign direct investment. The city ranked first in the field by receiving 5.5 billion USD in the previous year. Director of the Hai Phong Economic Zone Management Board Le Trung Kien stated that the city has attracted more than 870 FDI projects from 42 countries and territories, totaling approximately 24 billion USD.

Cat Bi international airport.

 

In an effort to attract more investors, Chairman of the Hai Phong People's Committee Nguyen Van Tung led a delegation to a conference on investment promotion in the Republic of Korea at the end of August. Immediately following this, Tung briefed fifty members of the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) on cooperation and investment opportunities in the city.

Additionally, the number of international visitors to the city is increasing. Several major tourism companies, including Vingroup, Sungroup, Flamingo, and Glixemco, have been solicited for investment in Hai Phong, he said. Along with economic growth, Hai Phong's outlook has greatly improved. To date, the city has invested more than 1,2 trillion VND (50.84 million USD) in the construction of 278 rural works.

Hai Phong aims to designate all local districts as new-style rural areas by the end of this year, and to meet all criteria for model new-style rural areas in 22 communes, while continuing to construct 35 model new-style rural communes.

The city has also developed plans to attract investment for the development of logistics and aviation. The Government is also considering the construction of a coastal highway connecting the cities of Ninh Binh, Thai Binh, and Nam Dinh. According to Tran Luu Quang, secretary of the municipal Party Committee, the project's completion will provide significant opportunities for Hai Phong's growth.