Hoa Binh City: Economic Locomotive of Hoa Binh Province

On October 27, 2006, the Government issued Decree 126/2006/ND-CP setting up Hoa Binh city under Hoa Binh province. Hoa Binh City was founded on the former Hoa Binh town including natural area, population and administrative units. 73 km from Hanoi on national road 6, and connecting Lai Chau, Son La and Hoa Binh provinces with Hanoi capital, Hoa Binh city has an area of 13,276.05 hectares and a population of 95,589 people. The city has 14 administrative divisions including Phuong Lam, Dong Tien, Cham Mat, Thai Binh, Tan Thinh, Tan Hoa, Huu Nghi and Thinh Lang wards and Dan Chu, Su Ngoi, Thong Nhat, Hoa Binh, Yen Mong and Thai Thinh communes.

 

Earlier in 2005, the Prime Minister approved the plan to build the Lang-Hoa Lac expressway leading to Hoa Binh city. This life-line motorway not only narrowed the gap between the city and other economic regions in the country, but it also brought many economic contracts and good relations to the city. In addition, the infrastructure system (electricity, roads, schools, hospitals) has been improved, creating a sustainable foundation for local economic development.

 

Specifying industry and services as key economic sectors, Hoa Binh city has focused on developing industrial production and small-scale industry. Industry-craft products have been constantly improved in quality and innovated in designs to meet market demand. Currently, the city has 1,060 industry and craft production units with 3,248 workers and 19 private enterprises. In the first six months this year alone, industry-craft production value was estimated at VND68.96 billion, up 19.5 per cent on year.

 

Other sectors such as trade, tourism and services have also reported high growth rates. At present, the city has 2,815 individual businesses with 3,410 workers and 75 enterprises with 1,150 labourers. The local markets aim to rearrange product structure, raise infrastructure investment and improve environment sanitation and safety for workers. The city has raised capital in the public via selling shares to invest in building and managing new markets in the community. Hoa Binh city is now stepping up efficiency of markets in Phuong Lam, Tan Thinh, Thai Binh and Huu Nghi. Moreover, many services have appeared and developed to ensure order in business and protect the interests of consumers. Individual and state trading units continue reforming their management and operation models, focusing their attention on essentials and stabilizing the market; hence, they have met the demands of the renovation period.

 

Hoa Binh city is also home to many famous cultural heritages and tourism landscapes such as Hoa Binh cultural relics, Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant, Cham Mat ancient ironwood forest, Thac Man stream and Tien Phi cavern. Hoa Binh culture is the combination of many traditional customs, diverse and unique festivals of the ethnic minorities of Muong, Kinh, Dao and Thai. The city is also a convenient rest point for tourists before travelling to other tourism places in the province such as Kim Boi or Mai Chau.