Strengthening trade promotion, production linkage, supply and demand connection in the Central region

The conference is one of the activities of the Program "Connecting trade between suppliers and enterprises in the Central Highlands region with export enterprises and trade promotion organizations". Also attending the conference were Mr. Le Quang Nam - Vice Chairman of Da Nang City People's Committee, representatives of specialized units of the Ministry of Industry and Trade , leaders, representatives of embassies, consulates general, diplomatic agencies, international organizations, industry associations, local associations, distribution channels, domestic and international supermarket systems; and over 200 business delegates from provinces/cities.

Speaking at the Conference, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Phan Thi Thang said that the Central region (also known as the North Central and Central Coastal regions) is a particularly important strategic area in terms of politics , economy, culture, society, national defense, security and foreign affairs of the whole country; is the "gateway" to the sea, the "support" for the Central Highlands provinces, connecting the East-West economic corridor with international maritime and aviation routes, many large seaports and airports; has a strategic geographical position for North-South and East-West economic exchange, so it is of great significance for developing the marine economy and ensuring national defense, security, and maintaining the sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland.

In recent times, the North Central and Central Coast regions have always maintained a high growth rate and strong economic restructuring. The economic growth rate of the region in 2023 reached 5.51%, higher than the national average (the whole country increased by 5.05%). Notably, the economic scale reached more than 1,570 trillion VND (accounting for 15.06% of the country's GDP) and has tended to increase over the years; GRDP per capita increased by 8.7% compared to 2022 (reaching 75.62 million VND/person). In particular, some localities achieved high growth rates such as Khanh Hoa (10.35%), Ninh Thuan (9.4%), Phu Yen (9.16%), Binh Thuan (8.1%). The economic scale at current prices of the region reached more than 1,570 trillion VND, accounting for 15.06% of the country's GDP, this proportion has tended to increase over the years. In 2023, the import-export turnover of the whole region will reach more than 46.7 billion USD, a decrease of more than 2.4 billion USD compared to 2022 due to the general impact of the difficult global foreign trade context. Of which, the region's export turnover in 2023 will reach over 22 billion USD, equivalent to the value in 2022; import turnover will reach nearly 24.7 billion USD, a decrease of more than 2 billion USD compared to 2022. Thanh Hoa is the leading locality in the region in terms of import-export turnover, followed by Quang Ngai, Ha Tinh, Quang Nam, Khanh Hoa, etc.

The industrial and agricultural sectors with development advantages in the North Central and Central Coast regions include semiconductor industry, chip manufacturing and design, coastal industry, marine tourism, maritime economy; focusing on developing marine energy industry, especially renewable energy such as onshore wind and offshore wind. The commercial sector is promoted towards modernization, applying advanced technology to meet market requirements and international integration. Forming and developing modern logistics centers associated with seaports, airports, and border gates. At the same time, focusing on developing tourism to truly become a spearhead economic sector.

However, the region is facing problems that need to be solved such as: the economic growth of the region is still low compared to the set target. The marine economy has not been a breakthrough. The operational efficiency of coastal economic zones, industrial parks, and industrial clusters has not changed much, and has not been able to maximize the advantages of other economic infrastructures such as airports and seaports. Human resources have not been mobilized and used effectively, and the quality of human resources is not high. The income of people in the region is still low, and there are many difficulties.

On May 4, 2024, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh signed Decision No. 376/QD-TTg approving the Planning of the North Central and Central Coast regions for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050. Accordingly, the North Central and Central Coast regions will be regions with rapid and sustainable development, leading the country in marine economy; the infrastructure system will develop synchronously, modernly, greenly, and intelligently; the urban system will be linked into a synchronous network, with typical architecture, rich in identity, green, civilized, modern, intelligent, resilient and adaptable to climate change. By 2050, the North Central and Central Coast regions will strive to develop at least 2 urban areas and a number of large industrial, service, and international cooperation centers, on par with the Asian region in modern coastal economic zones; Developing civilized, modern, green rural areas rich in national cultural identity.

At today's conference, with the focus on promoting trade and developing import and export for the region, the Deputy Minister hopes that representatives of localities in the region, industry associations and related enterprises will focus on discussing difficulties and obstacles in regional connectivity, economic development, import and export of the region as well as discussing solutions to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of regional trade promotion activities, closely linked with regional and national trade promotion activities. In addition, the Deputy Minister requested that the functional units of the Ministry, based on their functions and tasks, discuss methods or directions to resolve problems that localities in the region are still facing in terms of linking import and export development, taking advantage of foreign market opportunities and trade promotion.

According to Mr. Le Quang Nam - Vice Chairman of Da Nang City People's Committee, in the face of many difficulties in the world economy, market demand has not yet recovered strongly, Vietnamese enterprises in general and import-export enterprises in particular still face many difficulties in production and business, finding partners and orders. Therefore, organizing trade connection activities between suppliers in the Central - Central Highlands region with export enterprises and trade promotion organizations in Da Nang is a very meaningful and practical activity.

With the attention and direction of the leaders of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the support of Vietnamese trade offices in other countries, foreign trade promotion organizations in Vietnam and agencies and units in provinces and cities in the Central Highlands - Central region, Mr. Le Quang Nam believes that this Conference, together with a series of trade connection activities held in Da Nang city, will contribute to actively supporting businesses in the Central Highlands - Central region in general, and businesses in Da Nang city in particular, to find opportunities for cooperation and promote the export of their products through foreign distribution systems, further promoting import and export activities of goods.

At the Conference, delegates representing localities, associations and enterprises also proposed feasible initiatives that can be quickly and effectively applied to trade promotion and import-export development in the region, supporting regional products and services to find suitable market directions, such as exchanging contents on developing marine economy, modernizing logistics activities, supporting the development of goods exports; promoting green economy, e-commerce; promoting trade through international distribution systems, etc.

According to information from the Organizing Committee, the Conference on Trade Promotion and Import-Export Development in the Central Region is an activity in the series of events of the program "Connecting Trade between Suppliers in the Central - Central Highlands region with export enterprises and trade promotion organizations" taking place from June 27 to 30 in Da Nang City.

On the afternoon of June 28, there will be direct trading activities between local enterprises in the Central region with export enterprises and trade promotion organizations, major distributors such as: Central Retail, Lotte, WinCommerce, AEON, SaiGon CO.OP…. Along with that, there will be an online trading program between local enterprises in the Central region with foreign distributors and trade promotion organizations, expected to trade with the Chinese, Japanese, and Dubai International Chamber of Commerce markets (scheduled to take place on June 29).

Within the framework of the program, there will also be an exhibition and introduction of typical products of 16 localities in the Central Highlands region with the participation of more than 200 suppliers, cooperatives, and enterprises including: Binh Dinh, Da Nang, Gia Lai, Ha Tinh, Khanh Hoa, Kon Tum, Lam Dong, Ninh Thuan, Nghe An, Phu Yen, Quang Binh, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Quang Tri, Thanh Hoa, Thua Thien Hue held in the East bank of Dragon Bridge from June 27 to June 30, 2026.

Some pictures of the Program's activities: