The year 2025 marked a particularly significant period as the final stage of the 2021–2025 socio-economic development plan. Despite global volatility, including the pressure of the Global Minimum Tax policy and fierce competition for investment, Hai Phong proactively asserted its position as the "locomotive" of Northern Vietnam.
Breakthrough Achievements in Reform and Competition
- Top Ranking Position: For the first time after seven years in the Top 10, Hai Phong rose to 1st place in the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) with 74.84 points.
- Administrative Excellence: The city simultaneously led the country in the Public Administration Reform (PAR) Index and the Satisfaction Index of Public Administration Services (SIPAS), affirming business confidence in the local government.
FDI Efficiency and Digital Pioneering
- Impression FDI Figures: In 2025, the city attracted $2.89 billion in FDI. Industrial Zones (IZs) and Economic Zones (EZs) acted as the primary "magnets," accounting for 87.8% of this total.
- Record Cumulative Capital: By the end of 2025, Hai Phong reached a record cumulative registered investment of $51.078 billion.
- Digital Transformation: The city made a leap in supporting investors by deploying multilingual AI virtual assistants (English - Vietnamese) on portals such as heza.gov.vnand sotc.haiphong.gov.vn to provide 24/7 support. Additionally, VR360 digital maps were developed for new urban areas and IZs, allowing investors to conduct virtual site surveys easily from afar.
- Multilateral Diplomacy: The successful hosting of the 2025 Investment Promotion Conference within the ABAC III framework, which attracted 1,300 international delegates, demonstrated global-scale organizational capacity. At this event, 32 projects received certificates and Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) totaling $15.6 billion.
Limitations and Internal Bottlenecks
Despite these achievements, the sources identify several internal challenges:
- Investment Quality: Most projects remain medium-scale, lacking "leading" projects with breakthroughs in source technology or innovation from strategic markets like Europe and the United States.
- Fragmented Data: The lack of unified evaluation criteria and a shared database limits the ability to forecast global capital flow trends.
- Human Resource Gaps: There is a shortage of specialized investment promotion officers, leading to multitasking; furthermore, language skills and professional expertise have not yet kept pace with high-tech industry development.
- Budget Constraints: Financial resources for promotion activities do not yet match practical requirements, reducing the appeal of international-scale local marketing campaigns.
General Evaluation and Future Direction
Overall, Hai Phong's investment promotion in 2025 was implemented effectively, adhering closely to set goals. The city completed the establishment of a Free Trade Zone and expanded its development space with 12 new IZs and 05 industrial clusters following eco-friendly and high-tech models.
Strategic Recommendations for the New Phase: To reach the target of attracting $4–5 billion per year, Hai Phong intends to:
- Proactively approach multinationals from the EU and the US to shift capital into green and digital economic sectors.
- Accelerate high-quality human resource training, focusing on highly skilled labor and professional investment promotion officers.
- Enhance coordination with the Ministry of Finance and central agencies to integrate local activities into national promotion programs, especially following administrative boundary consolidations.
With the investment environment prepared for its leading PCI position, Hai Phong is determined to improve investment quality to truly become a modern regional technology and logistics hub.