This policy was agreed upon by the Hai Phong City Party Committee's Standing Board during a meeting on 23/9.
According to the proposal from the City People's Committee's Party Committee, the Hai Phong free trade zone is proposed to cover an area of approximately 6,292 hectares, expected to be located within the southern Hai Phong coastal economic zone and the Dinh Vu - Cat Hai economic zone. This will be the first comprehensive free trade zone in northern Vietnam, expected to boost GRDP growth and restructure the industrial and logistics value chain in Hai Phong and the northern region.
The free trade zone will be distributed across three non-contiguous locations, focusing on industrial production, port and logistics, and trade and services.
The first location is in the southern coastal economic zone, within Chan Hung and Hung Thang communes, covering approximately 2,923 hectares. The second location is in the Nam Dinh Vu industrial and non-tariff zone (1,077 hectares), and the third location is on Cat Hai island, within the Dinh Vu - Cat Hai economic zone (2,292 hectares).
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Locations of the three areas for the free trade zone in Hai Phong. Photo: Xuan Hoa |
Locations of the three areas for the free trade zone in Hai Phong. Photo: Xuan Hoa
Hai Phong's free trade zone is divided into two main development phases. In the first phase, until 2030, the city will focus on building a legal framework, investing in infrastructure, piloting special mechanisms, and attracting strategic investors.
After the establishment of the Hai Phong free trade zone this year, the city will pilot preferential policies in the Dinh Vu - Cat Hai economic zone and initiate investment in the southern coastal area.
By 2028, the city will step up investment attraction, approve functional sub-zones, and complete key logistics infrastructure. Hai Phong will complete technical infrastructure and administrative-customs management models by 2030.
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A corner of Lach Huyen port, where the free trade zone will be formed in Hai Phong, 1/1/2025. Photo: Le Tan |
A corner of Lach Huyen port, where the free trade zone will be formed in Hai Phong, 1/1/2025. Photo: Le Tan
In phase two (2030-2035), the city will focus on comprehensively completing infrastructure, expanding scale, implementing extensive incentives, and promoting integration with the industrial and logistics ecosystem.
During this phase, Hai Phong aims to attract high-tech, financial, biotechnology, and research and development projects. The city will also promote the application of digital technology in seaport and logistics operations, creating a competitive edge for the region compared to similar models in the area.
Hai Phong City Party Committee Secretary Le Tien Chau said that the establishment of the free trade zone is a "strategic step" to create new growth potential, realizing the goal of making Hai Phong a modern seaport city, leading in industrialization, modernization, and digital transformation.
Mr. Chau requested the selection of a scope and boundaries that align with the overall planning, ensuring national defense and security, and harmonizing budget interests. At the same time, the management model needs to ensure a "one-stop shop" approach, applying digital transformation, promoting administrative procedure reform, and ensuring transparency in investment activities.
Hai Phong is a crucial coastal city and seaport, an economic, industrial, and cultural center of the northern coastal region. In the first half of this year, the city's GRDP is estimated to have increased by 11.2% compared to the same period last year, reaching nearly 210,000 billion dong. This growth is mainly due to the contribution of the industrial and construction sectors (up nearly 13%), services (approximately 10%), and agriculture, forestry, and fisheries (4.3%).
After merging with Hai Duong on 1/7, the new Hai Phong City has an area of over 3,194 km2, a population of over 4.6 million people, and ranks second in the country in terms of the number of seaports (51).
Le Tan
