Immediately following the conclusion of the First Session of the 16th National Assembly, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, along with National Assembly delegates from Hai Phong City, held a meeting with local voters. This was an important occasion for the head of the Government to debut before Hai Phong voters as a National Assembly delegate and directly address "hot" socio-economic issues, as well as the development orientation for the country in general and the port city in particular in the new era.
Opening his speech, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung expressed his great honor in being trusted by Hai Phong voters to be elected as a delegate representing the will, aspirations, and mastery of the people in the National Assembly. The Prime Minister affirmed that he and the delegates of the City's National Assembly Delegation are always deeply aware of their responsibilities, taking the thoughts, feelings, and trust of the voters as motivation to strive to complete their assigned tasks well.
Assessing the First Session of the 16th National Assembly, the Prime Minister emphasized that this was a particularly important session, not only opening a term but also marking a turning point bringing the country into a new stage of development. The session successfully carried out personnel work with particularly high consensus and unity, based on a process of careful and transparent preparation from Party Congresses at all levels and the 14th National Party Congress. This creates political stability and a new spirit for the political system from the Central to local levels.
2. Macroeconomic Picture: Overcoming Global "Headwinds"
The Prime Minister spent time deeply analyzing the complex and unpredictable global context. With an economy as open as Vietnam's, every regional and world development directly and quickly impacts socio-economic development plans. However, under the close leadership of the Politburo and the Secretariat, and the drastic management of the Government, Vietnam has maintained macroeconomic stability and well-controlled major balances.
The "speaking" figures in the first quarter of 2026 have proven the resilience of the economy:
- GDP growth reached 7.83%; the average CPI index only increased by 3.51%.
- State budget revenue increased by 11.4% and realized FDI increased by 9.1%.
- Import-export turnover increased sharply by 23%.
- Processing and manufacturing industries increased by approximately 10%.
The Prime Minister affirmed that the Central Government issued Conclusion No. 18 to orient development for the 2026-2030 period with requirements for high growth while maintaining stability, shifting the focus from setting goals to emphasizing implementation results based on the foundation of institutions and technology.
3. Breakthrough in Administrative Reform and Removing Bottlenecks
One of the top priorities emphasized by the Prime Minister is the substantive reduction of administrative procedures to reduce costs for citizens and businesses. The Prime Minister stated that the Government has directed Ministries to complete plans to reduce time, procedures, and costs as early as April and early May 2026. The goal is to create a transparent and open business environment to promote double-digit growth in the coming time.
Regarding the issue of handling backlogged land projects, the Prime Minister shared that this is a complex issue spanning many periods, causing a huge waste of resources. The Government is urgently submitting to the National Assembly the promulgation of specific, breakthrough mechanisms and policies to remove these obstacles. The Prime Minister requested heads of localities to take responsibility for comprehensive reviews, ensuring no project is missed, and must have plans to bring these projects back into production and business activities to unleash "frozen" resources.
4. Flexible Policies to Support Citizens and Small Businesses
Faced with negative impacts from the global economy on households and small businesses, the Prime Minister stated that the Government has acted very quickly and flexibly. Specifically:
- Proposing to raise the income tax threshold for individual business households from 500 million VND/year to 1 billion VND/year.
- The revenue threshold for small and medium enterprises not subject to tax is also expected to be 1 billion VND.
- Applying special tax measures (bringing taxes on gasoline and oil to 0% in case of emergency) to control price levels and share difficulties with the economy despite reducing budget revenue.
The Prime Minister emphasized that these decisions aim to protect the lives of the people, especially those in difficulty, against shocks in energy and food prices from outside.
5. Hai Phong: A Pillar of Growth and a City of Innovation
For Hai Phong City, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung affirmed its strategic position and role as a driver and pillar of growth for the entire region and the country. The Prime Minister expressed his pleasure that Hai Phong consistently ranks among the leading groups in economic growth: Q1/2026 reached 11.2%, the industrial production index increased by approximately 15%, and exports reached over 12 billion USD.
Regarding voter recommendations related to specific mechanisms, the Prime Minister affirmed that the Central Government supports the policy of stronger decentralization for Hai Phong. He suggested that the city needs to summarize the implementation of Resolution 226 and make specific proposals regarding authority in planning, investor selection, and infrastructure management. The Prime Minister also announced good news about strategic connecting infrastructure:
- Following the visit of General Secretary and President To Lam to China, the two countries signed an agreement to implement a project supporting the planning of railway lines, including the Mong Cai - Ha Long - Hai Phong line. This is a key project for developing the port city's logistics services.
- Focusing on implementing Resolution 57 of the Politburo on breakthroughs in science and technology, innovation, and national digital transformation, taking this as the foundation for sustainable growth.
Looking toward the 2026-2030 period, the Prime Minister requested the entire political system to change their mindset and act more drastically. He emphasized the role of the heads of Party committees and authorities at all levels to increase responsibility, without evading or pushing off duties.
The Government will resolutely implement the following goals:
- Continue to cut regular expenditures by over 5% to reserve resources for development investment.
- Complete the legal system, ensuring consistency between laws and guiding documents to prevent legal gaps.
- Focus on core technology projects and strategic products through close links between the State - Enterprises - Schools.
- The year 2026 is identified as the year to improve the quality of grassroots officials, especially at the commune and ward levels - where growth factors are directly decided.
Concluding his speech, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung committed that as the head of the Government and a National Assembly delegate of Hai Phong, he will always accompany the City's Party Committee, government, and people to realize the aspiration for development, bringing Hai Phong to the level of a modern and civilized international city.