Nam Dinh steadily breaks through development

Thien Truong Bridge connects Song Hao Street to Vu Huu Loi Street, Nam Dinh City. (Photo by Thanh Trung)

Tradition of resilience - courage to break through

With a long and glorious history and the depth of the land of culture, love of learning, patriotism and revolution, Nam Dinh possesses a rich heritage treasure with more than 1,330 historical and cultural relics, 90 traditional craft villages, more than 100 unique festivals. Located in a strategic position in the growth triangle of Hanoi - Hai Phong - Quang Ninh with a rich river system, 72km of coastline... has created a solid foundation for Nam Dinh to enter a period of comprehensive development.

From the tradition of steadfastness in combat and diligence in labor, Nam Dinh entered a period of innovation with the spirit of self-reliance and self-improvement. With the attention of the Central Government, the creativity and determination of the province to break through, the "bottlenecks" of infrastructure, limited resources, and weak inter-regional connections have been gradually overcome in recent terms. The economic structure has shifted positively, modernizing agriculture, developing industry and services, and constantly improving people's lives. Comrade Pham Dinh Nghi, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee affirmed: "Entering the 2020-2025 term, Nam Dinh sets the goal of becoming a fairly developed province by 2030 and an economic driving force in the Southern Red River Delta (RD). To realize that aspiration, the province focuses on building a clean and strong Party, promoting the strength of the entire people and implementing 3 strategic breakthroughs: synchronous infrastructure development; administrative reform, digital transformation, improving competitiveness; effectively exploiting the potential of the marine economy".

In the context of limited resources, Nam Dinh advocates focusing on key investments in strategic infrastructure projects, especially transportation. A series of key transportation projects such as coastal roads, development axis connecting the marine economic zone with Cau Gie - Ninh Binh expressway, new Nam Dinh - Lac Quan - Coastal road... contribute to shortening transportation time, reducing logistics costs and creating momentum for coastal industrial development. The Ha Nam - Nam Dinh expressway (CT.11) and Ninh Binh - Nam Dinh - Thai Binh - Hai Phong expressway (CT.08) are about to start construction and the landscape axis connecting Nam Dinh - Hoa Lu city is being studied and proposed for construction project... will bring Nam Dinh into the national expressway network, connecting East - West and North - South completely. In particular, the Day - Ninh Co canal, which came into operation in July 2023, has helped large-tonnage container ships pass safely, shortening the time for transporting goods by 5 hours, creating a "boost" for waterway transport and the regional maritime economy. Modern transport infrastructure is turning Nam Dinh into a regional connection hub, and at the same time becoming a focal point for attracting investment capital. Giao Thuy district, from a "weak" area in terms of transport, has risen strongly, attracting investment attention from large corporations such as VSIP, SunGroup, VinGroup, etc.

The province has proactively planned and actively attracted and promoted investment progress in developing the system of industrial parks (IPs) and industrial clusters (ICs) according to the Provincial Planning for the period 2021-2030 with a total of 16 IPs, total area of ​​2,546ha, 46 ICs with a total area of ​​2,603.7ha, concentrated along the main traffic axes, conveniently connected to Hanoi and Hai Phong to help optimize the industrial production supply chain. Typically, My Thuan IP (158.48ha), after a short time of construction, has attracted a series of "eagle" investors in the high-tech field such as Quanta Computer, JiaWei, Sunrise Material... to "nest". At the same time, actively support investors to prepare related conditions to start construction of 4 key industrial parks with a total area of ​​580 hectares in 2025, including: Trung Thanh (Y Yen), Hai Long (VSIP Nam Dinh) phase 1 (Giao Thuy), Xuan Kien phase 1 (Xuan Truong), Minh Chau phase 1 (Nghia Hung) in a modern, synchronous and sustainable direction. In addition, the province also focuses on promoting the construction of Ninh Co Economic Zone (EZ) to create space to attract businesses to invest, develop production and business. In particular, Ninh Co EZ (13,950 hectares) in Nghia Hung and Hai Hau districts has been approved by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 88/QD-TTg dated January 14, 2025 and will be a new multi-industry, multi-functional growth pole of the Southern Red River Delta region. Phase 1 (2024-2026) is being focused on by departments, branches and localities, preparing infrastructure, land funds, and policy mechanisms to welcome a large wave of investment.

Panorama of Quanta Factory, My Thuan Industrial Park. (Photo: Viet Du)

The driving force to attract FDI investment and shift economic structure

The period of 2020-2025 in general, especially the two years of 2023-2024, marked a breakthrough in Nam Dinh's investment attraction with a total of 54 newly licensed and increased capital FDI projects, a total newly registered and additional capital of 586 million USD. In the first quarter of 2025, 11 FDI projects with a total capital of 227 million USD continued to be newly licensed and adjusted. Many large high-tech and green technology projects from large-scale enterprises and global brands have been and are in operation, becoming the driving force for local economic development, helping the province's industry to shift strongly towards modernization, affirming a new position in the national and global value chain, such as: Computer and peripheral equipment factory project invested by Quanta Computer Inc., (Taiwan - China), an enterprise in the group of 500 largest corporations in the world ranked by Fortune Magazine, invested in My Thuan Industrial Park. This is one of the largest projects in the province's high-tech sector with a total investment of 120 million USD, rapidly increasing capacity, expected to create 9,000 jobs by the end of 2025 and expected to reach revenue of up to 9 billion USD/year by 2028. Toray Group (Japan) operates a high-tech fabric factory at Rang Dong Textile Industrial Park, with a capacity of up to 120 million meters of fabric/year, consolidating Nam Dinh's position as the leading textile and garment center in the North. Xuan Thien Group is actively implementing a complex of 3 green steel projects worth nearly 99 trillion VND in Nghia Hung, applying high technology, ensuring sustainable development. In addition to strategic investors, domestic enterprises are also making strong breakthroughs, with many key products such as medicinal herbs, oriental medicine, garments, wood processing, mechanical casting, food processing, etc. rising to the top of the region and maintaining their export position.

In the agricultural sector, Nam Dinh has made a strong breakthrough from agricultural restructuring, applying high technology and developing sustainable value chains, gradually integrating deeply with the international market. In which, large raw material production areas have been formed, applying VietGAP, GlobalGAP standards, Japanese technology and implementing 459 "Large Field" models on an area of ​​over 21 thousand hectares. Organic rice and microbial rice products have a value 1.5-5 times higher than traditional products, conquering demanding markets such as the EU and Japan. Along with cultivation, Nam Dinh promotes biosafety livestock farming with an increasing number of establishments meeting disease safety standards, with meat output reaching 142 thousand tons/year. Aquaculture has also made its mark with an output of 220 thousand tons/year, building the world's first clam farming area to receive ASC certification. A series of typical enterprises such as Toan Xuan Co., Ltd. (Y Yen), Minh Duong Co., Ltd. (Nam Dinh city), Lenger Vietnam Co., Ltd. are pioneering in production, deep processing and export, bringing Nam Dinh agricultural products to the global map. The increasingly close linkage model between enterprises, cooperatives and farmers, along with the promotion of e-commerce, has expanded the market, enhanced the value and competitiveness of local agricultural products. The province has actively applied a harmonious development strategy between preserving traditions and modernizing tourism products, gradually affirming its new position in the "smokeless industry" of the Red River Delta. The historical and cultural relics of Tran Temple, Phu Day Palace... and traditional festivals have become destinations attracting a large number of domestic and international tourists. In addition, the province promotes the development of new tourism products: Countryside experience tourism; Traditional craft village tourism, community tourism in Giao Thuy, Hai Hau, new rural tourism (NTM) are opening up attractive journeys to explore local life and culture. Xuan Thuy National Park - the first Ramsar site in Vietnam - has also become an ideal destination for tourists who love nature and biological research. Nam Dinh city is built into a center connecting key tourist areas such as the Northwest (historical - cultural tourism) and the Southeast (sea and ecological tourism). Along with modern infrastructure investment, the resort system and entertainment areas in Thinh Long, Quat Lam, Rang Dong have been upgraded, creating a diverse and sustainable tourism ecosystem.

Outstanding efforts have brought Nam Dinh's economy to continuous high growth in the past term. 2024 is the second consecutive year that Nam Dinh's GRDP growth rate has reached double digits at 10.01%, ranking among the leading provinces in the country (ranked 9th in the country and 4th in the Red River Delta). In the first quarter of 2025, the province's GRDP at 2010 comparative prices is estimated at 14,632 billion VND, an increase of 11.86% over the same period in 2024, this is the highest growth rate in the first quarter ever; ranked 1st in the Red River Delta and 3rd in the country.

The lives of Nam Dinh people, especially in rural areas, have been increasingly improved through the movement to build advanced and exemplary new rural areas. By choosing the right breakthrough, listening to the people, and mobilizing the people's strength, the people have become the subjects who both contribute and enjoy the results. Thanks to that, Nam Dinh has maintained its leading position in the country in building new rural areas, with 3 districts (Giao Thuy, Xuan Truong, Truc Ninh) meeting advanced new rural standards; 143 communes meeting advanced new rural standards (97.95%) and 54 communes meeting exemplary new rural standards (37%), many communes are outstanding in the fields of education, digital transformation, culture, health, production, etc. Achievements in the top of the country in the quality of general education, especially affirming that it is the cradle of training high-quality human resources for the whole country.

The quality of public service provision, business environment, learning and working environment has been continuously improved. Nam Dinh has made significant progress in digital transformation, with breakthrough results in the component index of Building e-Government, Digital Government in the Public Administration Reform Index (PAR Index) in 2024 recently announced by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Nam Dinh province leads the country in the Building e-Government, Digital Government Index in 2024 with an index score of 95.99%, 5.24% higher, up 6 places compared to 2023. In terms of assessment, measurement and comparison of people's experiences and feelings about the effectiveness, quality of policy implementation and provision of public services by local governments, the province's PAPI index score in 2024 reached 44.35 points, ranked 20th nationwide, in the high average group of the country. Nam Dinh is also the first locality in the country to complete the arrangement of administrative units at district and commune levels in the 2023-2025 period, maintaining stability and solidarity, creating a foundation for long-term development.

Half a century of peace and unity, the country has focused on building, constructing and developing. Nam Dinh, together with the whole country, with the strength forged from the heroic revolutionary historical tradition and the aspiration to rise up, has steadily broken through, making worthy contributions to the cause of building and protecting the rich and powerful Fatherland of Vietnam.

Thanh Thuy

Source: https://baonamdinh.vn/kinh-te/202504/nam-dinh-vung-vang-but-pha-phat-trien-c615ca7/