Foreign affairs create new growth momentum

Expanding connections, increasing resources

For a city with a highly open economy like Hai Phong, foreign affairs are being implemented in a coordinated manner, linking political diplomacy with economic diplomacy and contributing to enhancing the city's position internationally.

According to Tran Thi Quynh Trang, Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Hai Phong currently maintains connections with more than 130 of 204 countries and territories. In the first seven months of 2026, the city received 199 international delegations, totaling 3,305 visitors, from 40 countries and territories.

Hai Phong has cooperation relations with 31 foreign localities and nearly 60 international organizations and foreign non-governmental organizations. This network is an important resource for the city to mobilize capital and technical resources and promote its image to the world.

Party General Secretary and President To Lam has led a high-level Vietnamese delegation, which included Hai Phong city leaders, on a working trip that opened up many new cooperation opportunities between Hai Phong and Singaporean partners. During the trip, Le Ngoc Chau, Secretary of the Hai Phong Party Committee, presented investment approval decisions for three projects to be implemented by VSIP in the city.

At the same time, investment promotion activities have been carried out more specifically through direct working programs with partners and investors in key markets. During a working trip to South Korea led by Chairman of the Hai Phong People’s Committee Do Thanh Trung, the city organized a cooperation forum and two investment promotion conferences, granted three investment registration certificates, and signed eight memoranda of understanding on cooperation.

The effectiveness of foreign affairs is gradually reflected in the results of resource attraction. In the first seven months of 2026, foreign investment attraction was estimated at USD 3.266 billion, while 82 projects with total registered capital of nearly VND 88.98 trillion were attracted.

Turning connections into development value

The target of average GRDP growth of 13% or higher annually, with a target of 14% set by the Central government, is not only a challenge but also requires Hai Phong to effectively leverage resources to create new growth momentum.

To concretize this target, the Department of Foreign Affairs has issued a plan to implement the emulation campaign "Determined to successfully achieve the goal of sustainable double-digit growth for 2026 – 2030."

According to Tran Thi Quynh Trang, Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs, the plan aims to concretize directions from the Government and the City People's Committee while promoting the role of foreign affairs in mobilizing international resources for Hai Phong's socio-economic development.

According to Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee Hoang Minh Cuong, Hai Phong is shifting from establishing relations to generating concrete results, and from signing cooperation agreements to implementing projects and attracting investment in practice.

Before each foreign affairs activity, the Department of Foreign Affairs coordinates with the City Economic Zone Authority to research and identify appropriate sectors, locations, and investors. As a result, overseas working trips by city leaders are carefully prepared and focused, aiming to sign memoranda of understanding, promote projects, and attract investors to Hai Phong.

At the same time, the city is shifting from attracting investment through incentives alone to building a comprehensive investment ecosystem, including infrastructure, development space, economic zones, industrial parks, a free trade zone, and appropriate incentive mechanisms. Hai Phong is also accelerating administrative reform, digital transformation, and green transformation to enhance its attractiveness to investors.

From expanding relations and attracting resources to implementing cooperation commitments, the overarching goal of foreign affairs is to turn connectivity advantages into concrete development value. This is also an important solution for Hai Phong to effectively leverage external resources, contributing to the goal of double-digit growth and laying the foundation for rapid and sustainable development in the 2026 – 2030 period.

BUI HANH