Hanoi (VNA) - Hanoi’s authorities have devised two growth scenariosfor the remaining six months of the year.
In the first and also the most optimisticone, the capital city could achieve a growth rate of 5.9 percent, 1.3 timeshigher than the nation’s optimistic growth scenario from 4.4 – 5.2 percent, ifgrowth rates in the third and fourth quarters reach 7.8 percent and 8.4percent, respectively.
In a second Hanoi’s gross regional domesticproduct (GRDP) would expand 5.4 percent, 1.3 times higher than the nation’sneutral growth scenario of 3.6 – 4.4 percent, if the city’s economy expands 6.9percent and 7.4 percent in the third and fourth quarters, respectively.
Speaking at a teleconference on June 29,Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung stressed that inthe time ahead, Hanoi will strengthen management and address shortcomings inplanning, land, construction order, urban order, environmental protection,education, clean water, and employment.
He highlighted the importance of steppingup the administrative reform, and creating all favourable conditions forinvestors.
Despite severe economic impact of theCOVID-19 pandemic, Hanoi’s GRDP is estimated to have expanded 3.39 percent inthe first half of 2020, the slowest 6-month growth in many years, according toNguyen Manh Quyen, director of the municipal Department of Planning andInvestment.
The growth rate, however, remains among thehighest nationwide and is significantly higher than the national growth averageof 1.81 percent during the period.
Also during the period, Hanoi’s Index ofIndustrial Production (IIP) grew 3.5 percent year-on-year, significantly lowerthan a rise of 7.4 percent recorded in the same period last year.
As tourism is one of the hardest-hit groupsby the pandemic, the total number of the tourists to Hanoi plunged 65.4 percentyear-on-year to 4.93 million in the January – June period, including a declineof 68.8 percent in foreign tourists and a contraction of 61.5 percent inrevenue from tourism activities./.
VNA