Upgrading Competitiveness to Achieve Breakthrough Development

According to the 2025 Vietnam Private Sector and Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) Report published by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), Phu Tho outstandingly entered the “Good” group—the highest tier nationwide—joining top-performing localities such as Bac Ninh, Da Nang, Hai Phong, and Quang Ninh. This milestone mirrors the premium quality of the province’s economic governance as well as the mounting faith of the business community in the investment and business climate of the Ancestral Land.

Piaggio Phu Tho Factory at Binh Xuyen Industrial Park (Binh Nguyen Commune) specializes in manufacturing and assembling motorcycles, actively contributing to job creation and driving the province’s industrial growth.

Grounded upon survey results from 3,546 domestic private enterprises, 586 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) firms, and over 1,000 business households across 34 provinces and cities, Phu Tho carved out a prominent highlight in its capacity to unlock resources for businesses. The province ranked 2nd nationwide in the “Access to Resources” sub-index with 6.64 points, sitting just 0.05 points below the frontrunner, Hanoi. Concurrently, the province ranked 5th across the country in the “Facilitating Government” sub-index and entered the top 10 leading localities for “Business Support Policies” and “Informal Charges” control.

The score architecture indicates that Phu Tho’s standout advantage rests upon a harmonious combination between the capacity to clear input bottlenecks for production and business, and a proactive executive framework that constantly accompanies enterprises. The province’s economic governance quality stood 4.31 points above the national median and 4.37 points higher than the median of the Northern Mid-land and Mountainous region.

These positive outcomes are closely intertwined with the province’s vibrant economic growth portrait in 2025. Phu Tho’s Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) surged by 10.52%, while the number of newly established private enterprises reached 1.32 firms per 1,000 citizens. Significantly, up to 35.45% of surveyed enterprises plan to expand their production footprints over the next two years, and 48.62% express confidence that their business operations will yield profits right within the fiscal year.

To lock in these milestones, the province has deployed a synchronized suite of administrative reforms, improving the investment climate and upgrading service delivery for citizens and businesses. Administrative procedures have been comprehensively reviewed and streamlined toward greater public disclosure, transparency, and convenience.

Accelerating the provision of high-level online public services has created favorable conditions for enterprises to execute procedures rapidly, thereby cutting down overhead costs. Concurrently, the sense of accountability and service mindset of civil servants have witnessed highly positive transformations under the motto of "taking citizens and enterprises as the center of service."

Operating from July 1, 2025, the province officially ran a two-tier local government model with a Provincial Public Administrative Service Center and 148 commune-level hubs, guaranteeing seamless operations. In 2025, the digitalization rate of administrative dossiers and results reached 87.03%, while the quality appraisal score for administrative procedure resolution hit 90.06 points, ranking 16th out of 34 provinces and cities.

In parallel with administrative streamlining, business support policies were executed methodically and efficiently. The province consistently identifies enterprises as a vital driving force to spur economic growth, generate employment, and uplift people’s livelihoods. Imbued with a spirit of partnership and service, the province has intensively concentrated on upgrading the investment climate, untangling difficulties for corporations, and cultivating favorable conditions to allow businesses to feel secure in investing and expanding production.

Annually, the province hosts numerous dialogue conferences with the business community to swiftly resolve bottlenecks regarding land access, site clearance, investment pipelines, and capital access. Investment promotion workflows have continuously been innovated toward a proactive and flexible manner, prioritizing high-tech, clean, and eco-friendly projects.

According to Mr. Duong Trong Khang from the Legal Department of the Provincial Business Association, the local corporate community highly appreciates the drastic guidance from the Provincial Party Committee, the People’s Council, and the People’s Committee, alongside the active involvement of departments and local authorities in building a friendly, transparent, and efficient government. Numerous timely support mechanisms have been rolled out, actively contributing to cutting costs, saving time, and elevating investor confidence.

Concurrently, the Provincial Business Association has clearly defined its accountability in partnering with the government to upgrade the PCI. The association has aggressively propagated, connected, and supported enterprises to execute digital transformation, upgrade corporate governance capacity, innovate technology, develop human resources, and construct a transparent, responsible corporate culture.

Furthermore, industrial park and cluster infrastructures have received synchronized investments; digital infrastructure, logistics, and connecting transport systems have continuously been upgraded to sharpen competitive edge in the new era. The province also drives the application of information technology in executive management, promoting the construction of a digital government, digital economy, and digital society, viewing this as a critical solution to enhance transparency and reduce time costs for businesses.

Deeply conscious that the PCI is not merely a conventional ranking scorecard but a fundamental barometer of corporate satisfaction toward the investment climate, the province considers upgrading the PCI a regular, continuous task tied directly to the accountability of individual agencies and units. Holding a top 5 position is not an ultimate “destination” but a powerful catalyst for Phu Tho to deploy its Investment Climate Improvement Scheme for the 2026–2030 period under the motto of "clear people, clear tasks, clear accountability, and clear progress."

The province aims to expand its “24-Hour Green Lane” mechanism, striving to slash at least 50% of processing times for procedures tied to investment, land, construction, and taxation. Concurrently, it will maintain regular corporate dialogues via the “Entrepreneur Coffee” model, hotlines for grievances, and upgrade the efficiency of task forces supporting businesses under a proactive guideline: "not waiting for businesses to come, but actively partnering with them from the earliest stages."

Le Oanh