To meet socio-economic development goals and address real-world challenges, Hải Phòng proposes piloting several special mechanisms and policies tailored for its growth.
Hải Phòng is the first—and so far only—locality in Vietnam to sustain double-digit growth for ten consecutive years. Notably, it attracted USD 4.7 billion in FDI, 2.35 times higher than planned. To further translate the Party’s timely directives into action and to overcome practical obstacles, Hải Phòng has proposed a pilot resolution introducing several special development mechanisms and policies.
Recently, the Ministry of Justice completed the appraisal of the draft National Assembly resolution on piloting these special mechanisms and policies for Hải Phòng’s development.
At the appraisal Council, Deputy Minister of Finance Nguyễn Đức Tâm reported that the draft resolution comprises 3 chapters and 12 articles, structured into six major policy groups: investment management; state finance and budgeting; planning, urban development, natural resources and environment; science, technology, and innovation; civil servant policies; and the establishment of a Hải Phòng Free Trade Zone.
The draft resolution builds on existing policies while revising and supplementing them with more specific and breakthrough measures in finance, investment, organizational structure, and human resources. It aims to promptly address institutional bottlenecks and create favorable conditions for the city to fulfill its tasks assigned by the Party Central Committee.
For investment management, the draft provides Hai Phong's People’s Committee authority to approve or adjust investment policies for port projects with an investment of VND 2.3 trillion or more. This decentralization aims to give the city greater autonomy, reduce processing time, and accelerate port investment.
Regarding finance and budget, the drafters propose five policies, including continuing to pilot local government bond issuance to source infrastructure funding. Additionally, the city may retain any central-budget revenue growth to bolster its finances, supporting socio-economic development per the spirit of Resolution No. 45 NQ/TW.
Crucially, the draft introduces a new mechanism to pilot financial instruments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon credit trading—supporting sustainable urban management, climate adaptation, and improving budget and revenue systems.
In planning, urban development, and environment, the city is authorized to sell public-service apartments built after 1994, manage national inland waterways and ports within its jurisdiction, and maintain related infrastructure.
Science, technology, and innovation policies include piloting tax incentives for startups, municipal budget support for R&D and innovation, and assistance for tech enterprises turning research into commercial products.
Additionally, the draft introduces a state-of-the-art Free Trade Zone in Hải Phòng. This FTZ will contain production, port and logistics, trade and service zones, and other functional areas. It will benefit from customs regulation as a non-tariff zone and be administered by the Hải Phòng Economic Zone Authority under a one-stop mechanism.
Deputy Minister of Justice Nguyễn Thanh Tú requested the drafting agency review the decentralization clauses, ensure consistent terminology, and align with current legal frameworks. In addition, the agency should craft mechanisms to select high-quality investors and contractors for local socio-economic development.
“Based on the Council’s feedback, we believe the draft resolution is ready to be submitted to the Government once final revisions are made in collaboration with Hải Phòng,” Deputy Minister Nguyễn Thanh Tú confirmed.