Hai Phong to establish free trade zone in 2025
Hai Phong’s free trade zone is expected to cover an area of about 6,292 ha within the Southern Coastal Economic Zone and the Dinh Vu - Cat Hai Economic Zone.
Secretary of the Hai Phong Party Committee Le Tien Chau presided over a meeting of the committee’s Standing Board on September 23 to hear reports and provide opinions on the establishment of the city’s free trade zone (FTZ).
As proposed by the Party Committee of the city People’s Committee, the FTZ, designed as a comprehensive one, will cover about 6,292 ha in the Southern Coastal Economic Zone (EZ) and the Dinh Vu - Cat Hai EZ.
The FTZ will be distributed across three non-contiguous sites with functional areas including production, ports and port logistics, trade - services and other functional zones in accordance with the law.
Specifically, site 1 is proposed within the Southern Coastal EZ, in the communes of Chan Hung and Hung Thang, covering about 2,923 ha. Site 2 lies within the Dinh Vu - Cat Hai EZ, including Nam Dinh Vu industrial park (zone 2) and the non-tariff area and Nam Dinh Vu industrial park (zone 1), covering about 1,077 ha. Site 3 is located within the Dinh Vu - Cat Hai EZ on Cat Hai island of Cat Hai special zone, covering about 2,292 ha.
Regarding the roadmap, the FTZ will be built in phases. The legal framework, infrastructure, and pilot implementation will be carried out in phase 1 (2025 – 2030).
From 2026 to 2028, the city will continue to comprehensively apply all pilot mechanisms and policies at the FTZ in the Dinh Vu - Cat Hai EZ.
From 2028 to 2030, the pilot mechanisms and policies will be fully enforced in the Dinh Vu - Cat Hai EZ; at the same time, basic technical infrastructure will be completed and mechanisms and pilot policies will be strongly applied in the Southern Coastal EZ.
Phase 2 (2030 - 2035) will further promote the effectiveness and synchronization of pilot mechanisms and policies, while fully completing the infrastructure of the FTZ.
Comprehensive incentives will be implemented, functional areas expanded in scale and size, and port and urban projects already planned will be carried out.
The city will attract investment projects in higher value-added sectors such as green industries and biotechnology. High-quality supporting services such as R&D, consulting, and financial technology will be developed to serve enterprises in the area. Digital technology will be increasingly applied in seaport management and logistics operations to optimize efficiency and reduce costs.
Concluding the meeting, Secretary of the city Party Committee Le Tien Chau emphasized that the FTZ establishment aims to create new development space, realize the goal of building and developing Hai Phong into a major seaport city, leading the nation in industrialization, modernization, and digital transformation; serving as a driving force for the northern region and the whole country; and contributing to raising Hai Phong’s GRDP growth in the 2025 - 2030 period to 13 - 14%.
The Standing Board of the city Party Committee agreed on the policy, approving submission to the city Party Committee’s Executive Board for opinions on the establishment of the FTZ. On that basis, the Party Committee of the city People’s Committee will direct the completion of the dossier to be submitted to the Executive Board in accordance with regulations, aiming for the official establishment of the FTZ in 2025.
LE HIEP - DUY THINH