Surpassing Quang Ninh, Hai Phong tops PCI rankings

(Photo: Hai Phong Economic Zone Management Board)

On the morning of May 6, the Vietnam Federation of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) announced the Provincial Competitiveness Index PCI 2024.

In the PCI 2024 results, for the first time, Hai Phong City ranked first with 74.84 points. According to VCCI, this ranking of Hai Phong reflects the common efforts to improve the business and investment environment, simplify administrative procedures and promote investment...

According to the results, up to 7/10 areas of Hai Phong City's management have improved compared to 2023, such as market entry, land access, transparency, informal costs, fair competition, government dynamism and legal institutions and security and order.

Last year’s champion, Quang Ninh ranked second in the rankings, with 73.2 points. The locality maintained improvements in 5/10 governance areas measured by PCI, including: land access, transparency, fair competition, labor training, and legal institutions and security and order. Previously, Quang Ninh had led the PCI rankings for 7 consecutive years. And this is also the 12th year Quang Ninh has continuously ranked in the Group of 5 provinces and cities at the top of PCI.

The next three provinces in the group of 5 provinces and cities with the best governance quality in PCI 2024 are Long An, Bac Giang and Ba Ria - Vung Tau. The remaining five provinces and cities in the Group of 10 provinces and cities with the best governance quality in 2024 include Hue City, Hau Giang, Phu Tho, Dong Thap and Hung Yen.

Notably, this is the first year Hung Yen has entered the TOP 10, but the province was ranked 12th in PCI 2023 and 14th in PCI 2022.

According to the Report, centrally-run cities, including Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Hue, Da Nang and Can Tho, are all listed in the Group of 30 provinces and cities with the best governance quality in 2024 and the scores of these localities have all improved compared to PCI 2023, although the level of improvement is different.

Positive changes in efforts to improve the business environment

PCI 2024 marks the 20-year journey of this index's birth and publication in Vietnam, but is also the final Report with all 63 provinces and cities before the merger of localities was carried out according to Resolution 74 of the Government on promulgating the Plan to implement the arrangement of administrative units and build a 2-level local government organization model.

Previously, in Resolution No. 60, the 13th Party Central Committee approved a list of proposed names of provinces, cities and political-administrative centers of 34 provincial-level administrative units.

According to VCCI - the unit conducting the annual PCI Report research, the relatively large difference in PCI scores between some provinces expected to merge reflects the gap in governance quality between localities.

Resolving these differences will be crucial to ensuring a smooth transition, continuing efforts to improve the business investment environment, and maintaining economic stability and growth in the coming period.

Overall, the PCI 2024 shows positive changes in efforts to improve the business environment and promote the private economic sector - an important pillar for Vietnam's sustainable economic growth.

In the context of many economic challenges, the survey results of nearly 11,000 businesses show that the business community's trust in local authorities remains strong.

However, the PCI 2024 results also point out shortcomings that need to be overcome, especially land access, legal compliance costs and the decline in the dynamism of the local government apparatus.

To meet business expectations and development requirements in the new period, VCCI believes that authorities at all levels need to continue to promote institutional reforms, promote public-private dialogue and improve policy implementation efficiency.

In the context that Vietnam is entering a new development period with a GDP growth target of 8% in 2025 and double digits in the following years, VCCI believes that maintaining and improving the quality of economic management at the local level is an urgent and decisive task.

In particular, improving the business environment is not only a necessary condition but also a core driving force for Vietnam to achieve its aspiration of becoming strong and standing shoulder to shoulder with economies in the region and the world.

According to VTV.vn

Source: https://baoquangngai.vn/kinh-te/202505/vuot-quang-ninh-hai-phong-dung-dau-bang-xep-hang-pci-28f3408/