Son La province achieved impressive growth of over 8%.

Comrade Nguyen Dinh Viet, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, chaired the conference to implement the 5-year socio -economic development plan for 2026-2030 and the socio-economic development plan, state budget estimates, and public investment plan for 2026.

To concretize Resolution No. 25/NQ-CP dated February 5, 2025, of the Government on the national growth target of 8% or more in 2025, the Provincial People's Council issued Resolution No. 457/NQ-HĐND dated February 20, 2025, adjusting the GRDP growth target for 2025 to 8%. In implementation, on February 25, 2025, the Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 411/QĐ-UBND on adjusting some contents of Decision No. 2615/QĐ-UBND dated January 6, 2025, on assigning the socio-economic development plan for 2025, which assigns specific tasks to departments, agencies, and localities to organize implementation and strive to achieve the set 8% growth target. Following the Prime Minister 's Directive, the Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 1369/QD-UBND dated June 11, 2025, on the main tasks and solutions for implementing the socio-economic development plan and the state budget estimate, with the goal of achieving a growth rate of 8% or higher in 2025.

Mr. Nguyen Minh Tien, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, said: The Provincial People's Committee has directed departments, agencies, and localities to review resources, potential, and growth drivers; develop operational scenarios for each quarter, each sector, and each locality, proactively responding to fluctuations, promptly removing bottlenecks, and creating room for growth.

Recognizing agriculture as the backbone of its economy, Son La has shifted strongly from "agricultural production" to "agricultural economy." The program for developing fruit trees on sloping land continues to be effective, with over 85,000 hectares and an estimated production of 510,000 tons by 2025. Son La is also the largest Arabica coffee producing region in Vietnam, with over 24,300 hectares and a production of nearly 38,000 tons of coffee beans. Coffee continues to make its mark with high prices, reaching 35,000-37,000 VND/kg of fresh fruit at times, bringing significant income to growers. The value of goods participating in exports is estimated at 225 million USD, an increase of 13.4%, of which: The value of agricultural products participating in exports reached 218 million USD, an increase of 14.5% compared to 2024. Key agricultural products have conquered many markets, such as the EU, Japan, South Korea... The total product of the agriculture and fisheries sector, at comparable prices, is estimated at 9,145 billion VND, an increase of 6.76% compared to the same period, ranking first out of 34 provinces and cities.

Comrade Nguyen Minh Tien, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, inspected the planning of several projects in Chieng Sinh ward.

Analyzing the growth of the agricultural sector, Mr. Tran Dung Tien, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, stated: The merger of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment into the Department of Agriculture and Environment from March 1, 2025, helps to unify management from land, planning, and production organization, creating a transparent legal framework to attract investment. Along with this, the province is promoting digital transformation in traceability with 218 planting area codes, 262 safe agricultural supply chains, and 9 high-tech agricultural zones, contributing to increasing the value and competitiveness of agricultural products.

A bright spot in growth is the industrial and construction sector, with a total product at constant prices estimated at VND 11,289 billion, an increase of 11.93% compared to the same period last year, ranking 12th out of 34 provinces and cities. Many new projects have come into operation, notably the footwear manufacturing and processing plant of Yen Chau Footwear Joint Stock Company; the BHL Son La modified starch plant of BHL Food Processing Joint Stock Company, with a designed capacity of approximately 90,000 tons/year producing modified starch from cassava starch; and the nearly VND 100 billion food processing plant of VFI Production, Trade and Investment Joint Stock Company in Mai Son Industrial Park, expected to consume more than 8,000 tons of fresh agricultural products annually...

Processing Nature coffee at Sang Na Tre Cooperative, Muong Chanh commune.

Large hydropower plants such as Son La, Huoi Quang, and Nam Chien I, along with 57 smaller hydropower plants with a total capacity of 3,794 MW, operate stably, producing approximately 12-15 billion kWh of electricity annually, contributing 40-50% of the province's total budget revenue. Mr. Khuong The Anh, Director of the Son La Hydropower Plant, stated that the plant was assigned a production target of 8.54 billion kWh in 2025 and had essentially completed the plan by mid-December. In the future, research into expanding capacity and implementing pumped-storage hydropower projects will continue to supplement resources for the local budget.

Trade, services, and tourism continue to grow positively, especially the tourism sector. In 2025, the province is expected to welcome 5.3 million visitors, generating approximately 6,300 billion VND in tourism revenue, an 8.62% increase compared to 2024. Moc Chau National Tourist Area received the "World's Leading Nature Destination 2025" award for the third time, and was honored as the "Asia's Leading Nature Destination 2025" for the fourth consecutive time. The province also successfully co-organized the "Miss Ethnic Tourism Vietnam 2025" contest at Moc Chau Island Tourist Area, contributing to promoting Son La's image regionally and internationally.

Tourists experience making sticky rice in bamboo tubes at Happyland Moc Chau.

Public investment plays a leading role in activating social resources. Many key projects have been implemented, including the Hoa Binh – Moc Chau expressway and multi-level school projects in the border area. Estimated disbursement by early 2026 is over 7,100 billion VND, equivalent to 83.3% of the plan. Budget revenue in 2025 is projected to reach 5,600 billion VND, an increase of 35.3% compared to the central government's allocated budget, over 24.4% compared to the provincial People's Council's allocated budget, and over 35.4% compared to 2024. In 2025, the province approved 39 new investment project proposals with a total registered investment capital of 22,107 billion VND, 12.7 times higher than in 2024.

Several projects have received investment approval and begun implementation in the area, such as: the Son La Cascara Instant Coffee Factory project of Son La Cascara Coffee Joint Stock Company with a total capital of approximately 103 billion VND; according to the design, the factory will produce approximately 200 tons of Cascara tea, 500 tons of roasted and ground Cascara coffee, 3,000 tons of Cascara (dried coffee husks) and 300 tons of roasted and ground coffee annually. The Dream Plastic Mai Son Factory project of Dream Plastic Co., Ltd. (FDI project), with a total capital of approximately 181 billion VND, with a designed capacity of 20 million products/year, is planned to be operational in March 2026...

Affirming the province's determination to achieve its growth targets in the coming period, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Minh Tien emphasized: The growth results in 2025 are an important foundation for Son La to achieve the target of an average economic growth rate of over 8% in the 2026-2030 period. The province will continue to restructure the economy associated with innovating the growth model; taking science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, and green transformation as the main driving forces. It will accelerate the disbursement of public investment, complete regional transportation infrastructure, industrial park and cluster infrastructure, and tourism infrastructure; and at the same time, strongly reform administrative procedures and improve the investment and business environment.

With innovative thinking and a determination to act, Son La is poised to achieve a breakthrough in 2026. The aspiration for innovation and creativity is spreading strongly from Party committees and governments at all levels, the business community, to every citizen, creating a crucial impetus for Son La to move forward steadily in this new phase of development.

Source: https://baosonla.vn/kinh-te/son-la-tang-truong-an-tuong-tren-8-AwYQDxvvR.html