Strategic location creates strong growth momentum for Thanh Hoa

With its special strategic location, rich potential and correct development orientation, Thanh Hoa is striving to become one of the dynamic economic centers of the North Central region and the whole country.

Strategic location "bridge" North - Central - South

Thanh Hoa is located at the gateway to the North Central region, the intersection point between the two key economic regions of the North and North Central regions. With a natural area of ​​11,115 km2, Thanh Hoa possesses a diverse terrain from plains, midlands, mountains to a 102 km long coastline. This is an advantage that helps the province have the potential for comprehensive economic development in the fields of agriculture, industry, services and tourism.

North-South Expressway, one of the strategic locations helping Thanh Hoa develop. Photo: Le Duong

In terms of transportation, Thanh Hoa is located on national arterial routes such as the North-South railway, the North-South expressway, National Highway 1A, Ho Chi Minh Road, along with the Nghi Son deep-water seaport system, Tho Xuan airport and many inter-regional connecting routes. This important transit location helps Thanh Hoa become an attractive destination for domestic and foreign investors.

Not only is Thanh Hoa the “gateway” of the North Central region, it is also a strategic “bridge” between the key economic region of the North and the Central and Central Highlands regions, creating favorable conditions for the exchange of goods, attracting investment and developing logistics.

Thanks to effectively exploiting geo-economic advantages and open investment attraction policies, Thanh Hoa achieved an average GRDP growth rate of about 10.24%/year in the 2021 - 2025 period, 1.6 times higher than the national average and ranked fourth in the country. The economic structure has clearly shifted towards industry - services - agriculture; in which, the target set for 2030 is that industry and construction account for 57%.

Nghi Son Economic Zone, one of eight key coastal economic zones in the country. Photo: Le Duong

The province's most prominent growth driver is Nghi Son Economic Zone, one of the eight key coastal economic zones of the country, a large-scale heavy industry and energy center of the Central region, with the presence of many key economic projects and works, typically: Nghi Son Petrochemical Complex (total investment of over 9 billion USD), Nghi Son II Thermal Power Plant (2.8 billion USD), Dai Duong Cement (7,721.7 billion VND), Duc Giang - Nghi Son Chemical Complex (2,400 billion VND) and large factories such as Nghi Son Cement, Cong Thanh Cement, Nghi Son 1 Steel Rolling Mill... This Economic Zone alone has contributed more than 50% of the province's industrial production value and budget revenue.

Impressive industrial development speed has helped Thanh Hoa not only stand in the leading group of the North Central region, but also affirm its position as the "new growth center" of the whole country.

Budget revenue is among the top 10 provinces in the country.

Along with GRDP growth, Thanh Hoa's state budget revenue has continuously increased strongly, maintaining its position in the group of 10 provinces and cities with the highest revenue in the country. The province's total budget revenue as of October 2025 reached nearly VND 49,000 billion, equal to 107.3% of the estimate and increased by 1.6% over the same period, of which domestic revenue accounts for a large proportion, reflecting the province's increasingly positive production and business capacity.

Mr. Nguyen Hoai Anh, Chairman of Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee, shared about the province's socio-economic development. Photo: Le Duong

According to Mr. Nguyen Hoai Anh, alternate member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Committee of Thanh Hoa province, to achieve the above results, the province has done a good job of managing and operating the state budget, proactively restructuring revenue sources in a sustainable direction, including increasing revenue from the private economic sector and services.

Authorities at all levels also promote administrative reform, create an open investment environment, improve the competitiveness index (PCI), the administrative reform index (PAR INDEX) and the public administration performance index (PAPI), thereby strengthening the trust of the business community and people. Digital transformation is focused on implementation in all three areas: digital government, digital economy and digital society.

According to Mr. Anh, infrastructure is an important factor contributing to the growth of Thanh Hoa. In recent years, the province has mobilized many resources to synchronously invest in transport infrastructure, urban areas and industrial parks. The North-South Expressway section through Thanh Hoa, the coastal route, National Highway 217 connecting to Laos, Nghi Son Port and Tho Xuan Airport have been expanded, forming a convenient regional connection network.

By 2030, Thanh Hoa strives to be among the leading provinces in the country, and by 2045 to become a rich, beautiful, and civilized province. Photo: Le Duong

Besides industry, tourism - services are emerging as a new growth spearhead. Thanh Hoa owns many famous relics and landscapes such as Ho Dynasty Citadel (World Cultural Heritage), Lam Kinh (Special National Monument), Sam Son beach, Cam Luong sacred fish stream, Pu Luong, Bat cave - Kho Muong..., along with a rich culture - history of more than 995 years called Thanh Hoa, creating great potential for sustainable tourism development.

“In recent years, the province has invested heavily in tourism infrastructure, attracted large corporations, and developed many high-end resorts and entertainment areas. In 2024, Thanh Hoa welcomed over 15.3 million visitors with tourism revenue reaching tens of thousands of billions of VND; in the first 10 months of 2025, it continued to welcome over 15.5 million visitors, affirming its position as an attractive destination in the Central region and the whole country. Thanh Hoa continues to remove bottlenecks, unblock resources, promote potential and advantages to boost socio-economic development. Striving to be among the leading provinces in the country by 2030, and to become a rich, beautiful and civilized province by 2045,” said Chairman of Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Hoai Anh.

Le Duong

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/vi-tri-chien-luoc-tao-nen-suc-bat-tang-truong-manh-me-cho-thanh-hoa-2463004.html