Creating breakthroughs in trade development.

Việt Nam•16/10/2023

To maximize the potential and advantages of the locality, in recent years, Thai Nguyen province has focused on investing in trade development. The main objectives have been to attract investment in building trade infrastructure; to promote and advertise to traditional domestic markets as well as to seek and expand markets abroad…

Through the organization of trade fairs and exhibitions, the province has supported the development of branded products and goods that are distinctive and special to its localities.

Through the organization of fairs and exhibitions, localities in the province have been supported in developing branded products and goods that are distinctive and specialty.

With the goal of making trade a solid bridge between production and consumption, contributing to promoting socio -economic development, the Provincial People's Council issued Resolution No. 182/NQ-HĐND dated November 4, 2021, approving the Thai Nguyen Provincial Trade Development Program for the period 2021-2025 (hereinafter referred to as the Program) with 11 targets.

Accordingly, to achieve the program's objectives, the Department of Industry and Trade proactively advised the Provincial People's Committee to strengthen support for businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and organizations and individuals engaged in production and business activities in the province, in finding partners and promoting opportunities for buying and selling goods and providing services. Along with this, it directed localities to continue improving the synchronous commercial infrastructure, rationally distributing the network of markets, shopping centers, and convenience stores. In particular, urban commercial infrastructure was modernized, applying digital technology in operation and management.

In the context of Vietnam implementing new generation free trade agreements (FTAs), the Department of Industry and Trade has proactively coordinated with relevant departments, agencies, and units to advise the Provincial People's Committee on issuing implementation plans to take advantage of the benefits of FTAs and promote the advantages of the locality.

After more than two years of implementing the Program, overall, the commercial and service infrastructure in the province has been gradually invested in and developed. According to statistics, the total retail sales of goods and consumer service revenue in the province in 2022 reached over 56 trillion VND, an increase of 26.1% compared to the same period. The average growth rate of total retail sales of goods and consumer service revenue in the 2021-2022 period was 18.3% per year, higher than the general target of 5.3% per year for the 2021-2025 period.

Regarding export value in the province, the target set for the 2021-2025 period is an average annual increase of 7% or more, with local exports increasing by an average of 11% or more per year. In 2022 alone, the total value of goods exported from the province reached US$29.877 billion, of which local exports reached over US$699 million, an increase of 18.2% compared to the same period. With this result, Thai Nguyen still maintains its 4th position nationwide in terms of export value; the average export value for the 2021-2022 period increased by 10.56% per year, with local exports increasing by an average of 17.49% per year.

The newly constructed Lien Minh commune market (Vo Nhai district), built with a total investment of nearly 5 billion VND, is a Class III market and contributes to promoting trade in the area.

Rural market systems are gradually being upgraded and newly built to meet the needs of people's trade. In mid-October, Lien Minh commune (Vo Nhai district) received a market project with a total investment of nearly 5 billion VND. With an area of over 4,000 square meters, the Lien Minh commune market includes one market hall, four kiosks, two spacious yards, and complete sanitary facilities, meeting the standards of a level III market. Leading us on a tour of the newly handed-over market, the Chairman of the Lien Minh Commune People's Committee, Hoang Van Thuong, happily shared: "Before, without a market, people had to take their products to Trang Xa commune market to sell, or display them right on the roadside, causing traffic safety hazards."

Over the past two years, the entire province has seen seven markets newly built, upgraded, or renovated using central government funds from national target programs. Specifically, Dinh Hoa district has three markets in Bao Linh, Lam Vy, and Quy Ky communes; Vo Nhai district has two markets in Cuc Duong and Lien Minh communes; and Dai Tu district has two markets in Phu Thinh and Phuc Luong communes.

A key highlight in the province's trade development is the development of trade infrastructure. To date, the province has 140 markets, of which 107 have implemented the Market 4.0 model. During the 2021-2022 period, 125 communes met criterion number 7 on rural trade infrastructure in the new rural development program (accounting for 97.6% of the province's total communes). From 2021 to June 2023, 67 projects received investment approval, of which 13 projects were in the trade sector with a total investment of 4,675/41,669 billion VND.

In particular, the Department of Industry and Trade has coordinated with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Department of Science and Technology to support localities in developing distinctive branded products and specialties; and implemented programs to create, manage, and develop intellectual property assets. As a result, the quality and value of these products have been enhanced. In the last two years, the entire province has had 61 safe food supply chains certified; provided and supported over 1.7 million traceability labels; supported 3.8 million labels for identifying safe products along the supply chain; and designed and produced 1,500 OCOP Thai Nguyen badges to promote and honor entities with products meeting standards. Departments and agencies have also organized many training courses for OCOP entities on livestreaming, promoting, and selling products on digital platforms (Facebook, TikTok, etc.).

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