Hai Phong reinforces its position

Sustaining growth momentum
In recent years, Hai Phong has maintained impressive development, becoming one of the most dynamic and fast-growing localities nationwide. In 2025, the city’s GRDP grew by 11.81%, marking 11 consecutive years of double-digit growth, with its economic scale reaching nearly USD 30 billion—ranking third in the country.

The city’s development space has also expanded significantly following administrative consolidation, covering more than 3,194 km² with a population of around 4.6 million. This provides substantial room to restructure development toward a multi-centered model, integrating urban, industrial, service, and marine economic sectors. New development zones, including a specialized economic zone of about 5,300 hectares and a free trade zone of over 6,200 hectares, are gradually taking shape, opening opportunities to attract large-scale, high-tech projects.

Alongside economic growth, social sectors continue to receive attention. The city has completed more than 10,700 social housing units and implemented major social welfare policies, contributing to improved living standards for its people.

These results show that Hai Phong is not only expanding in scale but also gradually shaping a more structured development model, laying the foundation for the next phase. However, amid increasingly fierce competition, the challenge is no longer just maintaining growth rates, but improving the quality and depth of development.

Traditional growth drivers such as land, labor, and production costs are gradually losing their advantages. Meanwhile, competition to attract investment—especially in high-tech sectors—is intensifying among both domestic and regional localities. Without timely transformation, the risk of slowing growth and limited quality becomes apparent.

Therefore, renewing development approaches and enhancing growth quality is no longer optional but an inevitable requirement.

Speaking upon assuming office as Secretary of the Hai Phong Party Committee, Le Ngoc Chau, Member of the Party Central Committee, emphasized that entering the 2025–2030 term, the city faces new opportunities alongside significant challenges. He stressed the need to build on past achievements while strongly innovating leadership thinking, governance methods, and implementation practices to ensure that every policy is carried out effectively and thoroughly.

He outlined a guiding principle: “Say it, do it; act immediately; do it right; act decisively; follow through; and deliver results,” while emphasizing unity within the Party, collective intelligence, accountability of leaders, and strengthened administrative discipline.

A key priority is building a streamlined, effective political system and a cadre of capable officials with innovative thinking, courage, and accountability—considered crucial for meeting development demands in the new phase.

Reshaping the development model for breakthroughs
After a prolonged period of high growth, the limitations of the current development model have become more apparent. The challenge now is not only to sustain growth but to restructure it toward greater depth and sustainability.

Geographical advantages, seaports, and infrastructure remain important but are no longer sufficient to create a competitive edge. To achieve breakthroughs, the city must shift toward a growth model driven by science and technology, innovation, and high-quality human resources.

This means upgrading industry toward high-tech levels and deeper integration into global value chains; transforming logistics into a core economic infrastructure; and developing the marine economy in a modern, sustainable, and internationally integrated manner. At the same time, development thinking must shift from quantity-based investment attraction to quality-focused selection, and from single-sector growth to integrated development.

At a recent working session with the Hai Phong Party Committee, General Secretary and President To Lam acknowledged and highly appreciated the city’s achievements, particularly its sustained high growth, improved investment environment, and development of strategic infrastructure.

He outlined clear directions for the next phase: focusing on modern industrial development, with high-tech, processing, manufacturing, and supporting industries with high added value as the foundation; selectively revitalizing traditional strengths such as mechanical engineering, shipbuilding, transport, and port services through advanced technologies and environmental standards.

At the same time, building a modern seaport, logistics system, and marine economy is identified as a strategic development axis, linked with multimodal transport and e-commerce, aiming toward green and smart ports, and gradually forming a regional logistics and trade hub.

Importantly, completing the city’s master plan with a long-term vision is essential to clearly define its role in the national and regional development structure, aiming to become a globally competitive coastal megacity and a logistics and marine economic center of East Asia.

Ultimately, the challenge for Hai Phong is not only setting goals but effectively implementing these strategic orientations. In today’s context, advantage belongs not to those who start first, but to those who act decisively, consistently, and effectively.

Over 51 years since national reunification, Vietnam has steadily strengthened its international standing. Hai Phong, with its dynamic transformation, continues to demonstrate its role as a leading locality—one that not only grows rapidly but also enhances the quality and stature of its development within the national and regional economic landscape.

With clear direction, growing development space, sustained economic momentum, and strong determination in action, Hai Phong is well-positioned to continue affirming its role as a national growth engine and steadily rise to regional prominence in the years ahead.

Le Hiep