Together we overcome challenges and seize opportunities for breakthroughs.

Amidst economic uncertainties and increasing competitive pressure, the business community in Thai Binh province continues to strive to maintain its growth momentum. At a recent dialogue between provincial leaders and businesses, many candid insights were shared, reflecting both real-world difficulties and offering positive directions, demonstrating the strong commitment of all levels of government to supporting business development.

Timely removal of obstacles is crucial for businesses to unlock investment resources for development. In the photo: Production at the DragonTextiles 2 high-tech yarn factory (Thang Long Import-Export Investment Joint Stock Company).

Difficulties and challenges surround us.

Thai Binh currently has over 11,000 active businesses. Entering 2025, many businesses in the province have started operations early, with a vibrant production atmosphere from the beginning of the year in key sectors such as textiles, footwear, electronics, and construction materials. Positive signs include the return of orders and a relatively full workforce. However, according to the Provincial Business Association, new "bottlenecks" are also beginning to emerge: high input costs, fluctuating exchange rates, harsh US import tariff policies, a shortage of skilled labor, a lack of clean land, and overlapping administrative procedures directly affecting production, business, investment, and the competitiveness of enterprises. Mr. Vu Huy Dong, Chairman of the Board and General Director of Damsan Joint Stock Company, and Vice Chairman of the Provincial Business Association, shared: "Current difficulties stem not only from the market but also from the institutional framework and investment environment." Every sector of production and business faces its own set of challenges. If the government doesn't intervene strongly, businesses will struggle to recover quickly.

In reality, many small and medium-sized enterprises (which constitute the majority of the province's business community) lack the capacity to expand production or participate deeply in the supply chain. Meanwhile, rising input costs and shrinking consumer markets are causing many businesses to face difficulties and risk having to scale down production. Some specific difficulties raised by businesses at the dialogue include: inadequate procedures for adjusting clean water prices, a lack of land for investing in water reservoirs to serve production, unresolved environmental pollution in craft villages, and the failure to train high-quality labor to meet practical requirements. These difficulties are hindering businesses in investment, production, and business operations, causing them to miss golden opportunities for recovery, development, and integration.

In just one year, the garment factory project of Thai Ha Garment Enterprise (Garment Corporation 10) became operational thanks to the active support of departments, agencies, and localities regarding investment procedures.

Towards a green economy and a digital economy.

Besides highlighting difficulties and obstacles that need to be addressed, the provincial business community also sets out a long-term vision, focusing on promoting digital transformation, adapting to technology, and building a green and sustainable growth model. In reality, pioneering the implementation of a zero-carbon program—from switching to environmentally friendly materials, increasing recycling rates, using green energy, and investing heavily in technological innovation and automation—will help businesses improve production capacity, increase competitiveness, gain market share, secure more production and export orders, and achieve strong revenue growth. However, the majority of businesses in the province are small and micro-sized, limiting their capacity to invest in transformation and preventing them from turning challenges into opportunities for development, unlike medium and large-sized enterprises.

Mr. Do Van Ve, Chairman of the Provincial Business Association, believes that the province should have policies to support digital transformation for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) because this group is easily "left behind" due to limited resources. At the same time, strengthening the training of high-quality human resources, supporting the opening of more bus routes to serve workers, and planning clean land for relocation and production expansion projects are also foundations for the sustainable development of businesses in the future. In particular, digital transformation is no longer a trend but a necessity. However, for successful transformation, businesses urgently need the support of state management agencies in providing data platforms, advising on solutions suitable to their scale, and assisting in accessing bank credit.

Thanks to a cleared site and support with investment procedures, Greenworks Vietnam Co., Ltd. (Lien Ha Thai Industrial Park) quickly commenced production and business operations.

Standing alongside businesses to seize new opportunities.

Despite the difficulties, the business community in Thai Binh province has clearly demonstrated a proactive, flexible spirit and a strong desire to thrive. Many businesses have boldly invested in technological innovation, expanded export markets, and sought new directions to adapt to economic fluctuations. From another perspective, reality shows that the crisis is also an opportunity to filter and restructure the economy. For the province's business community, what is most valuable is the spirit of not surrendering to difficulties, but choosing to adapt, adjust strategies, and cooperate to overcome the challenges.

The fact that the provincial government leader promptly organized a dialogue to address difficulties faced by the business community demonstrates a strong determination and commitment to supporting, sharing, and creating a favorable environment for businesses to develop effectively. Comrade Nguyen Manh Hung, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, affirmed: "Our motto is 'no saying no, no saying it's difficult, no saying yes without doing it.' Any obstacles raised by businesses will be considered and handled publicly, transparently, and within the specified timeframe."

To untangle the "bottlenecks" hindering businesses, the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee directed and assigned specific tasks to each department, sector, and locality to definitively address several prominent issues. The Department of Finance was tasked with reviewing investment procedures for projects outside the budget, researching and, if found to be inadequate, advising the Provincial People's Committee on adjustments and amendments to suit the current implementation situation. The Department of Education and Training was instructed to urgently research and review mechanisms and policies on vocational education, and promptly advise on and amend policies to ensure effectiveness and contribute to resolving the labor shortage, especially of highly skilled labor, in businesses and production and trading establishments. The Department of Construction is researching and advising the Provincial People's Committee on a plan to continue organizing and implementing public passenger transport services by bus, with a focus on developing green, environmentally friendly bus routes to help reduce traffic congestion, emissions, and protect the environment. The Department of Agriculture and Environment is guiding water supply businesses to adjust retail prices reasonably; strengthening inspections and handling environmental violations in craft villages... In addition, the head of the Provincial People's Committee also directed the establishment of a focal point to receive and process suggestions from businesses, reporting the results to the Provincial People's Committee monthly. Issues that cannot be resolved immediately will be compiled and reported to the competent authorities.

The provincial Party Committee and government have identified 2025 as a breakthrough year in achieving socio-economic development goals, striving for double-digit GRDP growth. To achieve this, businesses and the government need to work together, acting decisively and effectively. When trust is strengthened, administrative procedures are improved, and resources are boosted, any difficulty will be transformed into an opportunity. This is also the best investment ecosystem to propel Thai Binh to become an attractive investment destination and a fertile ground for sustainable business development.

Khac Duan

Source: https://baothaibinh.com.vn/tin-tuc/4/223180/cung-nhau-vuot-kho-don-co-hoi-but-pha