From pure agricultural land to the growth pole of North Central Vietnam

Nghi Son seaport is bustling with ships transporting domestic and international goods.

More than two decades ago, the southernmost part of Thanh Hoa - Tinh Gia district, now part of Nghi Son Economic Zone (KKTNS) - was still a poor land, where people lived on agriculture, fishing and wild mangrove and mangrove forests along the coast. That poor, acidified land was once mentioned with memories of "striped fish offshore, sweet potatoes on the shore", when the economic structure of agriculture - forestry - fishery accounted for 54%, while industry and services were only 18%.

The milestone of 1997 - when the Government approved the planning orientation for the construction of the Nam Thanh - Bac Nghe region, then paved the way for the establishment of the NSZ, a spectacular journey of "transformation" began.

Since the first FDI-funded factory - Nghi Son Cement - was built in 1997, the coastal area of Nghi Son has been "awakening" with the sound of construction and industrial machinery echoing between the sand and wind. An industrial ecosystem has gradually taken shape, with seaports, petrochemical refineries, thermal power plants and hundreds of domestic and foreign projects continuously coming.

Here, Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical Plant - the "industrial heart" of Thanh Hoa province - holds a strategic position for national energy security when it undertakes the responsibility of supplying 40% of the country's petroleum demand, contributing more than 40% of Thanh Hoa province's budget.

According to Mr. Kazutaka Yamato, General Director of Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical LLC, despite facing many challenges, in the first 6 months of 2025, the plant operated safely and stably with an average capacity reaching nearly 117% of the design, far exceeding the set plan. The enterprise is proactively optimizing the production plan, ensuring input crude oil sources, while seeking opportunities to diversify raw materials for stable operation, maintaining high-quality output, and ensuring fuel supply for the domestic market.

Bim Son - the land once famous for the largest cement factory in the North, a place that bears the mark of Soviet-style industrialization, now continues to transform into a modern, dynamic industrial city. From a "cement town" associated with stone dust, construction sites and long clinker trains, Bim Son now has a new look, when traffic connects the North - Central region via national highways, expressways, and railways; industrial parks expand, logistics develops; urban services and housing flourish.

In particular, the new “vitality” comes from the strategic shift - when Bim Son not only relies on heavy industry and construction materials industry but has succeeded in attracting supporting industries, processing, electronics and value-added services.

A typical example of the new investment “wave” in Bim Son is DS HI-TECH VINA Co., Ltd. - a Korean enterprise operating in the field of auto parts manufacturing. Officially operating since September 2020 in Bim Son Industrial Park, after nearly 5 years, this enterprise has recorded a revenue of 30 million USD, contributing more than 600 billion VND to the budget - numbers that speak volumes about the investment efficiency and attractiveness of the business environment here.

Not stopping there, the company has plans to expand the factory, with construction expected to start later this year and be completed by mid-2026. “The new facility will not only expand the current production line, but also develop more auto parts product lines for export, opening up a more sustainable, long-term direction,” said Mr. Lee Jae Taeg, Director of the Company.

Going west to Lam Son - Sao Vang, which was once known as the "sugar capital" of Thanh Hoa. For many years, the economy of this region depended mainly on sugarcane cultivation, agricultural processing and small-scale livestock farming. But recently, the appearance of this place has changed rapidly as high technology and green economic thinking have crept into every field and factory. In particular, according to the vision of the Provincial Party Standing Committee to 2030, with a vision to 2045, Lam Son - Sao Vang will accelerate on the basis of 3 pillars: industry, large-scale agriculture, high technology and aviation services.

From pure agricultural land to the growth pole of North Central Vietnam

Bim Son Industrial Park has successfully attracted supporting industries, processing, electronics and high value-added services (in photo: Workers of DS HI-TECH VINA Co., Ltd. produce auto components for export).

Here - in the middle of the hot summer of Lam Son, the green sugarcane fields are not only a crop but also become "living data units" - where farmers record their farming diaries and comply with environmentally friendly techniques. Not only is it a clean raw material area for dozens of beverage product lines that are following Lam Son Sugarcane Joint Stock Company (Lasuco) to compete in dozens of European and American countries, the Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Farming Project, a cooperation between Lasuco and Japanese partners (Idemitsu Kosan, Sagri) has officially promoted the registration of international carbon credits. After the initial trial phase on 500 hectares, the project aims to expand to 8,000 hectares. When carbon credits are certified, this will be a new source of sustainable income for farmers - a typical testament to the ability of Vietnamese agriculture to integrate into the global green development flow.

Lam Son - Sao Vang Industrial Park is also promoting infrastructure completion and attracting investment, with the orientation of projects with high technology content such as electronic component production; medical equipment and supplies production; supporting industries, clean technology projects, environmentally friendly... with high added value.

To date, the Economic Zone and industrial parks in the province have successfully attracted 734 investment projects, including 657 domestic projects with a total registered capital of over VND 190,600 billion, and 77 FDI projects with a total capital of nearly USD 14 billion. Notably, the amount of FDI disbursed reached USD 13.44 billion, equivalent to 96% of registered capital, demonstrating the high feasibility and real efficiency of foreign capital flows.

Many large-scale factories have emerged, creating a clear driving force for development. In the 2020-2025 period alone, enterprises have generated a total production value of more than VND 1,229,121 billion, with export turnover reaching about USD 18 billion. In particular, thanks to the momentum from the "economic locomotives", the province's state budget revenue has reached nearly VND 126,000 billion, bringing Thanh Hoa officially into the "50,000 billion Club" of the whole country...

With an average GRDP growth rate of about 10.24%/year in the period 2020-2025, Thanh Hoa's GRDP scale in 2025 is estimated to reach nearly 358,000 billion VND - nearly double that of 2020. This impressive achievement has brought Thanh Hoa to the top of the entire North Central and Central Coast regions. GRDP per capita is expected to reach 3,750 USD, reflecting a clear improvement in both growth quality and people's living standards.

A new era awaits Thanh Hoa, with the strong resilience of a multi-pillar economy. With a modern industrial foundation, high-quality services and sustainable agriculture, Thanh Hoa not only creates its own development but is also becoming a fulcrum, spreading motivation for the entire North Central region on the journey towards a prosperous future!

Article and photos: Minh Hang

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/tu-vung-dat-thuan-nong-nbsp-den-cuc-tang-truong-bac-trung-bo-256327.htm