The ceremony was attended by Pham Gia Tuc, Politburo Member and Permanent Deputy Prime Minister, representatives of ministries and central agencies, leaders of the People’s Committees of 34 provinces and cities, as well as representatives of business associations, enterprises and international organizations. Representing Hai Phong, Vice Chairman of the Hai Phong People’s Committee Hoang Minh Cuong attended the ceremony and received the Certificate of Merit.

Hai Phong tops the 2025 FTA Index

According to the assessment results, the national average FTA Index score was 21.66 points, while Hai Phong ranked first with 35.62 out of 40 points.

Hai Phong ranked first in Component Index 1 – Access to Information, scoring 9.85 points, and Component Index 2 – Implementation of FTA-related Legal Regulations, scoring 9.4 points. The other two component indices were led by Lai Chau, with 7.59 points for Policies Supporting Enterprises in Taking Advantage of FTAs, and Ca Mau, with 9.29 points for Sustainable Development.

Speaking at the ceremony, Vice Chairman of the Hai Phong People’s Committee Hoang Minh Cuong said that despite facing fluctuations in international markets and the restructuring of the administrative apparatus, Hai Phong maintained strong economic growth in 2025.

The city’s GRDP grew by 11.81%, ranking second nationwide and first among centrally governed cities. Notably, Hai Phong was the only locality in the country to maintain double-digit growth for 11 consecutive years, with its economic scale reaching approximately VND 734.42 trillion, ranking third nationwide.

Strong growth in import and export activities

In 2025, Hai Phong’s total import-export turnover reached US$91.72 billion, including US$50.14 billion in exports, an increase of 8.5% compared with 2024.

The city’s administrative performance also continued to receive recognition, with Hai Phong ranking first nationwide in the PAR INDEX and SIPAS, while also being among the top five localities in the 2025 PCI.

Targeting the Top Three

In the coming period, Hai Phong will regard the FTA Index as a practical tool for governance and administrative reform, while setting a target of entering the top three localities with the highest FTA Index scores.

The city will continue to:

• Accelerate the digitalization of administrative procedures and implement electronic Certificates of Origin (C/O) under the “5-on-the-spot” model.
• Effectively leverage the potential of Lach Huyen deep-water port, economic zones, industrial parks and modern logistics infrastructure.
• Capitalize on the next-generation Free Trade Zone model to increase localization rates and the added value of exported products.
• Integrate FTA implementation with green and digital transformation.
• Support businesses in meeting increasingly stringent standards for sustainable development.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade stated that the 2025 FTA Index was developed based on a survey of 4,066 import-export enterprises across 34 provinces and cities, as of December 31, 2025. The results show that businesses’ awareness of FTAs continues to improve, with the proportion of enterprises unaware of new-generation FTAs falling to below 10%.