PCI Report:

- Can you tell us what are the highlights of the PCI Report 2024?

- The PCI 2024 report marks 20 years of continuous monitoring and assessment of the provincial business environment in Vietnam.

One of the highlights this year is that the national average PCI score reached 67.67 points, a slight increase compared to 2023 and the eighth consecutive time exceeding the 60-point threshold, a positive sign that the business environment continues to improve.

Notably, the core PCI index - reflecting the quality of core economic management - reached 68.18 points, continuing the trend of continuous improvement since 2016.

In addition, 2024 is also the last year that PCI has enough data to rank 63 provinces and cities before the provincial administrative system is reorganized according to the Central Resolution. This makes this year's report a special summary, closing a cycle of provincial administrative reform and opening up expectations for a new development stage.

Deputy Secretary General and Head of VCCI Legal Department Dau Anh Tuan. Photo: NVCC

- How do you evaluate the top 10 and bottom 10 localities in the rankings?

- Leading the PCI 2024 rankings is Hai Phong city with 74.84 points, a very impressive achievement, affirming the locality's strong efforts to improve infrastructure, attract investment and reform administration.

The next positions belong to Quang Ninh (73.20 points), Long An (72.64 points) and Bac Giang (71.24 points). These are provinces that have maintained high rankings for many years thanks to their open investment environment, good management efficiency and strong support for the business community.

Other localities in the top 10 include Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Hue, Hau Giang, Phu Tho, Dong Thap and especially Hung Yen, which is in the leading group for the first time.

On the contrary, the 10 provinces and cities at the bottom of the list still show many shortcomings, such as complicated administrative procedures, high unofficial costs, or lack of transparency and dynamism of the local government apparatus.

These localities need strong, synchronous changes to catch up with the general reform trend of the whole country.

- Hanoi ranked 24th on the PCI 2024 rankings. What recommendations do you have for Hanoi to improve its ranking in the coming years, sir?

- Hanoi this year ranked 24th on the PCI rankings, up 4 places compared to the previous year, a good position, but personally I think it is not commensurate with its potential and role as the economic locomotive of the whole country.

It is an admitted fact that the largest economic centers in the country such as Hanoi always face greater challenges than other localities in terms of volume of activities, complexity of activities, plus the "pickiness" and higher expectations of businesses and people.

Hanoi is promoting administrative reform, increasing information transparency, and reducing informal costs. In particular, Hanoi is making efforts to promote its leading role in innovation, digital transformation, and creating a favorable, dynamic, and competitive investment environment.

One of the challenges that Hanoi must address in the coming period is the process of improving economic management capacity, which must be implemented synchronously at both department, sector and local levels to create substantial changes. These are all important orientations for Hanoi to further accelerate the improvement of the investment and business environment in the coming period.

Group of 30 provinces and cities with the best governance quality in 2024. Photo: Contributor

- Through the PCI Report 2024, can you give an overall assessment of the current investment and business environment?

- The PCI 2024 survey shows that the investment and business environment in Vietnam continues to have many positive changes. Enterprises recorded clear improvements in labor quality, information transparency, market entry procedures and legal institutions.

However, there are still many points that need to be overcome, such as difficult access to land, the tendency of informal costs to return, or the dynamism of local governments showing signs of slight decline.

The partnership between the government and businesses has made progress, but it still needs to be nurtured to create a transparent, fair and stable investment environment. Especially in the context of Vietnam aiming for rapid and sustainable economic growth, improving the business environment is an important foundation to achieve those goals.

- In your opinion, what role does the PCI Report play in policy making to achieve the goals by 2030 set out in Resolution No. 68-NQ/TU dated May 4, 2025 of the Politburo on private economic development?

- The PCI report is not only a tool to measure the quality of economic management at the provincial level, but also an important “policy radar” to help detect bottlenecks, thereby orienting appropriate reforms. In the context of the Politburo having just issued Resolution No. 68-NQ/TU on private economic development, the PCI will be a valuable source of practical data to support policy making, promote administrative reform, support businesses, and enhance national competitiveness.

In particular, with the goal of having 2 million enterprises by 2030, the private economic growth rate reaching 10-12%/year and contributing 55-58% of GDP, creating a favorable, transparent and effective business environment is a prerequisite.

PCI will continue to be a tool to objectively reflect and inspire strong reforms for all levels of government, contributing to realizing the goal of developing the private economy into the most important driving force of the Vietnamese economy.

Thank you very much.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/bao-cao-pci-giup-hoach-dinh-chinh-sach-phat-trien-kinh-te-tu-nhan-701572.html