Hai Phong City: Impressive Breakthroughs

In 2019, Hai Phong City has made great efforts to boost socioeconomic development, resulting in the highest-ever GRDP growth of 16.68%. Mr. Nguyen Van Tung, Chairman of Hai Phong City People’s Committee, shared about the city’s impressive results in 2019 as well as objectives and tasks for socioeconomic development in 2020. Ngo Khuyen reports.

Under the 2019 working theme “Enhancing the discipline of budget revenue and expenditure - Promoting improvement of business investment environment”, Hai Phong City took many innovative solutions in leadership and administration. Could you please tell outstanding results from these efforts?

With clear and drastic direction of the City Party Committee, the City People’s Council and the City People’s Committee, the innovation, creativity, determination and high consensus of all levels of government, branches and localities, Hai Phong City continued to achieve outstanding and comprehensive results in all economic and social aspects in 2019. Most major economic indicators completed and exceeded their initial targets, with some surpassing their targets set for the 5-year period ended in 2020.

Gross regional domestic product (GRDP) was estimated to reach the record high of 16.68% in the year, higher than the target of 15.5% upwards, 2.4 times higher than the national growth of 6.8%. This reflects the vigorous strength of the local economy. In terms of absolute value, with an average annual growth of 10.5% as set in the Resolution of the 15th City Party Congress, the GRDP will reach about VND170 trillion (US$7.4 billion) by 2020. With the realized growth of 16.5% in 2019, the GRDP was estimated at VND179,846 billion (US$7.8 billion) in 2019, surpassing the goal set for 2020, fulfilling the goal one year ahead of schedule.

The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) was projected to expand by 24.2%, higher than the target of 22%. The export value was forecast at US$15.77 billion, rising by 92.51%, higher than the target of 23%. The social investment capital totaled VND152,960.5 billion, 39.69% higher than a year ago and 41.3% more than the plan of VND108,250 billion. The cargo throughput was estimated at 129.2 million tons, up 18.51% from a year earlier and exactly equal to the plan. Tourist arrivals were projected at 9.08 million, up 16.39% from 2018 and equal to the full-year plan.

The fiscal revenue was estimated at VND89,617.8 billion in 2019, rising 20.2% year over year and equaling 129.3% of the estimate made by the City People’s Council. Of the sum, import and export activities accounted for VND60,000 billion, 27.55% more than a year ago and 48.9% higher than the forecast. Local budget revenue was VND29,617.8 billion, rising 7.63% year on year and 2.1% higher than the yearly estimate, including the domestic revenue of VND27,000 billion, 8.97% higher than a year ago and 2.4% higher than the target assigned by the City People’s Council (VND26,365 billion).

Could you please tell us the city’s main goals and key tasks in 2020?

2020 is a very significant year, the last year to carry out the 5-year socioeconomic development plan in 2016-2020 and the Resolution of the 15th City Party Congress. This year, Party congresses at all levels will also be held, especially the 16th City Party Congress, heading for the 13th National Party Congress.

The city’s overall objective of socioeconomic development in 2020 approved by the City Party Committee, the City People’s Council and the City People’s Committee is: Maintaining growth momentum together with effectively and substantively carrying out strategic breakthroughs, restructuring the economy, changing the growth model, improving productivity, quality, efficiency and competitiveness of the city’s economy; further improving the open and enabling investment and business environment; mobilizing all resources, increasing budget revenue, and drastically implementing key projects. Economic development is coupled with developing education, training and high-quality human resources; applying scientific and technological advances, fostering innovation, creativity and startup; comprehensively and consistently developing cultural and social fields, raising the material and spiritual life of the people; strengthening resource management, environmental protection, natural disaster prevention, and climate change response.

To achieve the above goals, Hai Phong City will continue to select the action theme for 2020 as “Strengthening the discipline of budget revenue and expenditure - Promoting improvement of business investment environment”, focus investment on 17 key projects, introduce 18 major socioeconomic indicators, with the GRDP growth of 16.5%, 2.4 times higher than the national average of 6.8% for 2020 as ratified by the lawmaking National Assembly.

Hai Phong City focus on directing and administering a number of key tasks as follows:

One, maintaining growth momentum together with restructuring the economy, changing the growth model, improving productivity, quality, efficiency and competitiveness of the city’s economy.

Two, further improving the business investment environment, creating favorable conditions for investors to mobilize local investment resources; and increasing budget revenue, firmly implementing key projects.

Three, fostering social progress and justice and ensuring social security; taking care and protecting public health; developing education and training, science and technology, culture, physical fitness, and sports.

Four, focusing on urban development, natural resource management, environmental protection, natural disaster prevention and response to climate change.

Five, stepping up administrative reform and judicial reform; inspecting public reception, settling complaints and denunciations; preventing and fighting against corruption, practicing thrift and preventing wastefulness.

Six, strengthening defense capabilities, ensuring security and order, improving foreign affairs and regional connectivity.

Carrying out Resolution 45-NQ/TW of the Politburo, which programs and solutions did the Party Committee and government take?

The general goals of Resolution 45-NQ/TW are “Building and developing Hai Phong City into a leading locomotive of the country in the course of industrialization and modernization and into a growth engine of the northern region and the whole country; having modern, smart and sustainable industries; having synchronous and modern transport infrastructure conveniently connected with domestic and international roads, railways, seaways and airways; focusing on logistics services; becoming an international center for education, training, research, application and development of science and technology and marine economy; constantly raising material and spiritual life of the people on a par with typical Asian cities; ensuring social order and security, national defense and security."

Immediately after Resolution 45-NQ/TW was issued, Hai Phong City propagated, grasped and executed it in a timely, practical and effective manner; focusing on building Action Program 76-CTr/TU of the Standing Board of the City Party Committee to realize the Resolution.

To execute Resolution 45-NQ/TW of the Politburo and the Action Program 76-CTr/TU of the Standing Board of the City Party Committee, the city will focus on carrying out key tasks and solutions below in the coming time:

One, promoting economic growth, mobilizing and utilizing resources effectively, increasing budget revenue to build and develop Hai Phong into a driving force of development of the northern region and the whole country.

Two, developing infrastructure of strategic significance, especially synchronous and modern transport infrastructure

Three, developing a modern, intelligent and sustainable industry.

Four, developing services, with a focus on ports, logistics and tourism.

Five, restructuring agriculture and fisheries, improving the quality of new rural construction.

Six, developing modern and smart urban areas.

Seven, strengthening the protection of environmental resources, proactively responding to climate change, sea level rise to ensure sustainable development.

Eight, strongly developing all economic sectors to make socioeconomic development breakthroughs; diversifying and developing comprehensive economic sectors, with special emphasis placed on developing the private economy, facilitating the private sector to lead socioeconomic development breakthroughs.

Nine, developing education, training and high-quality human resources to meet development requirements, with the goal of becoming a higher education center of the northern coastal region by 2025 and becoming an international education and training center by 2030.

Ten, building Hai Phong city into a key national hub of marine scientific and technological development.

Eleven, aligning economic development with social progress; continuously improving the material and spiritual life of the people, implementing and completing the policy in which investment in social security and welfare goes one step ahead of economic development. The city will effectively carry out regimes and policies for people with meritorious services and policy beneficiaries.

Twelve, combining socioeconomic development with consolidation of national defense and security, strengthening national sovereignty; ensuring political security, social order and safety.

Above all, in 2020, Hai Phong City will focus on coordinating with central authorities to formulate a draft resolution which will be submitted to the National Assembly, allowing Hai Phong City to pilot some disruptive, feasible special mechanisms and policies, placed in a reasonable correlation with other major cities across the country.

Thank you very much!