In the context where science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation have been identified as strategic breakthroughs to drive rapid and sustainable national development, the Central Government has issued a number of important guidelines and policies to establish a solid foundation and strong momentum for development in the new period. A notable example is Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW dated December 22, 2024, of the Politburo on accelerating the development of science, technology, innovation, and national digital transformation. Building on this orientation, the First Congress of the Hai Phong City Party Committee for the 2026–2030 term identified science and technology, innovation, and digital transformation as key pillars of the city’s growth model and as major drivers for its rapid and sustainable development in the new phase.
In line with these guidelines, the Hai Phong City Party Committee and the People’s Committee have issued and implemented a series of coordinated programs and action plans. These include Action Plan No. 12-KH/TU dated August 26, 2025, of the Standing Committee of the Hai Phong City Party Committee to implement Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW; Plan No. 238/KH-UBND dated September 13, 2025, of the Hai Phong People’s Committee to concretize the City Party Committee’s action plan; and the Program on Promoting Domestic and International Cooperation in Science and Technology of Hai Phong City for the 2021–2025 period.
On this basis, Hai Phong has clearly defined the strengthening of international cooperation in science and technology as a key solution to access advanced knowledge, promote innovation, enhance competitiveness, and realize the city’s sustainable development goals in the new period. The 2021–2025 period recorded many notable achievements, laying an important foundation for the city to enter a new development phase with a long-term vision toward 2030.
International Cooperation in Science and Technology: A Structured, Proactive, and In-Depth Approach
Implementing the Central Government’s and the City Party Committee’s resolutions on science and technology development, innovation, and digital transformation, Hai Phong has synchronously deployed various solutions to expand cooperation with international localities, organizations, and leading global technology corporations. Cooperation in science and technology has been closely integrated into external relations activities, working programs of city leaders with foreign partners, international conferences and forums, as well as investment promotion activities.
Through diversified cooperation channels, the city has gradually established a network of strategic partners in science and technology, focusing on high-impact fields such as environmental protection, waste treatment, renewable energy, eco-industrial development, smart cities, artificial intelligence, automation, and biotechnology.
Flagship Cooperation Projects Linking Science and Technology with Sustainable Development
One of the highlights of Hai Phong’s international cooperation in science and technology is its collaboration with Japanese localities, particularly Kitakyushu City and Shiga Prefecture. These projects not only involve technology transfer but also contribute to addressing practical challenges faced by a major industrial port city.
Notable examples include projects on household waste segregation and compost production at the Trang Cat Integrated Waste Treatment Complex; the treatment of high-BOD wastewater at Ngoc Hai fishing port using advanced biotechnology; and programs promoting the development of eco-industrial parks toward carbon neutrality. Drawing on Kitakyushu’s experience as a successful model for transforming from a “polluted city” into an “eco-city,” Hai Phong has gradually adopted solutions in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and waste-to-energy recycling, moving toward the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.
Wastewater treatment system – an outcome of the high-BOD wastewater treatment project at Ngoc Hai fishing port
At the same time, cooperation with Shiga Prefecture (Japan) through the Lake Biwa model has introduced new approaches to integrated marine area management and environmental conservation in the Cat Ba Archipelago, contributing to more effective protection of the World Natural Heritage site while supporting sustainable livelihoods for local communities.
Business Connectivity – Technology Transfer – High-Tech Investment Attraction
Hai Phong places strong emphasis on its role as a bridge between domestic enterprises and international partners in science and technology through technology supply–demand matching sessions, thematic workshops, and direct working programs with partners from Japan, the Republic of Korea, Europe, and many other countries and territories. These activities have facilitated the introduction, transfer, and application of advanced technologies in waste treatment, wastewater treatment, green energy, automation, recycling, and smart manufacturing, thereby enhancing the technological capacity and competitiveness of local enterprises.
Science and technology networking activities with international partners are regularly organized
On this basis, Hai Phong has gradually promoted concrete cooperation in urban technical infrastructure and environmental fields, notably through the signing of a cooperation agreement on drainage and wastewater treatment between city agencies and enterprises and the Korea Institute of Environmental Industry & Technology, opening opportunities to access modern, environmentally friendly technical solutions aligned with sustainable urban development requirements.
Alongside technology transfer activities, the city has strengthened engagement with international technology associations and organizations to attract investment and deploy high-tech application models. Cooperation with the Korea Energy Management Association (EMS) has helped open pathways for implementing smart city projects in Hai Phong, including smart street lighting systems, smart waste bins, smart ground traffic signals, intelligent surveillance cameras, technological solutions for wastewater treatment, digital transformation, smart and sustainable development of Cat Ba Island, and the application of technology in aquaculture.
In parallel, Hai Phong has intensified investment promotion efforts to attract high-tech corporations and enterprises from the Republic of Korea, Japan, the United States, Europe, Singapore, Norway, and Denmark to invest in and expand operations in the city. Priority sectors include clean energy, high-tech manufacturing, biomedical and biotechnology industries, smart logistics, and digital transformation. Through investment cooperation and technology transfer, the city is gradually forming an innovation ecosystem associated with green, smart, and sustainable development.
Expanding Strategic Cooperation and Embracing Emerging Technologies
The signing and implementation of cooperation agreements with reputable international research institutes and scientific organizations—most notably the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) - have marked a new stage in Hai Phong’s science and technology cooperation. Orientations toward establishing and operating research and technology centers, strengthening high-quality human resource training, promoting joint research, and advancing technology transfer have created significant opportunities for the city’s innovation-driven development in the coming period.
In addition, the city has gradually approached emerging technology fields such as artificial intelligence, smart cities, smart energy, and lighting technology through training programs, exchanges, and study visits to China and other developed countries, as well as participation in national and international innovation events.
A Key Driver for the 2026–2030 Development Phase
Overall, Hai Phong’s international cooperation in science and technology during the 2021–2025 period has been implemented in a coordinated manner, diversified across multiple partners, and progressively deepened. The cooperation projects and programs have not only delivered technological value but have also contributed to improving urban governance capacity, enhancing environmental quality, promoting green growth, and advancing sustainable development.
Building on the achieved results, Hai Phong is entering the 2026–2030 period with the goal of further expanding international cooperation in science and technology and digital transformation, closely linked to its socio-economic development strategy, high-quality investment attraction, and the vision of becoming a major industrial, logistics, and innovation hub of the Northern region and the country.
International cooperation in science and technology is no longer merely a supporting tool for development, but is increasingly becoming a core driving force enabling Hai Phong to realize its aspiration for rapid, sustainable development and deep international integration in the era of the knowledge economy and digital transformation.