Institutional reform fuels private sector's growth in Phu Tho province

The private sector is increasingly emerging as a key growth engine of the economy. To unleash its potential and ensure sustainable development, the northern province of Phu Tho is stepping up institutional and administrative reforms to cut costs, shorten procedures, and build a more transparent, business-friendly investment climate.

Thanks to digital transformation among local officials, Tam Dao commune of Phu Tho province has achieved an almost 100% on-time rate for processing administrative applications, helping improve public services for residents. (Photo: VNA)
Thanks to digital transformation among local officials, Tam Dao commune of Phu Tho province has achieved an almost 100% on-time rate for processing administrative applications, helping improve public services for residents. (Photo: VNA)

Phu Tho (VNA) – The private sector is increasingly emerging as a key growth engine of the economy. To unleash its potential and ensure sustainable development, the northern province of Phu Tho is stepping up institutional and administrative reforms to cut costs, shorten procedures, and build a more transparent, business-friendly investment climate.

These efforts are helping unlock social resources, improve the investment environment, and create fresh momentum for the private sector's growth in line with the Political Bureau's Resolution No. 68-NQ/TW.

The impact of administrative reform is evident in the progress of major projects that had been stalled or delayed for years.

In Luong Son commune, site clearance for the Queen Valley Resort and Entertainment Complex, invested in by Legacy Riverside Co., Ltd., has reached 130.9 hectares out of 141.7 hectares, or nearly 92%. More than 93% of the site for the Dong Truong Son high-end eco-resort urban area has also been cleared.

Some obstacles remain, including land-origin verification, administrative boundary adjustments, and compensation. Local authorities, however, are working with relevant agencies to tackle each issue and keep projects on track.

Chairman of the Luong Son Commune People's Committee Chu Van Thang said that in the first half of 2026, the commune carried out site clearance for 57 projects, involving more than 815 hectares of land. More than 55% of the area has been cleared.

The locality issued 780 land recovery notices and 80 land recovery decisions for eligible cases, while drawing up detailed schedules for each project and prioritising areas where clearance could be completed quickly to create clean land for investors.

Authorities have also stepped up land-origin verification, public disclosure of dossiers, and resolution of legal issues, while maintaining dialogue and mobilising residents to support compensation plans. The delays have been managed in full compliance with the applicable regulations.

Such coordinated measures have helped shorten processing time, improve inter-agency coordination, and strengthen businesses' confidence in project implementation.

Across Phu Tho, provincial authorities have made support for major projects a priority, directing agencies to work together on investment, land, site clearance, resettlement, and land-price procedures.

Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Tran Duy Dong has called for clear deadlines and accountability for each agency and unit, the establishment of task forces to tackle bottlenecks in major projects, and "green lane" mechanisms for key projects. Performance results will also be linked to assessments of organisations and individuals.

Another highlight is the 45-day campaign to clear overdue administrative dossiers. Almost all backlogged files have now been resolved, improving services for residents and businesses.

The digitisation of administrative procedures, meanwhile, has streamlined land-related processes by connecting cadastral databases, tax authorities, and the electronic one-stop-shop system, reducing paperwork and increasing transparency.

In the first six months of 2026, Phu Tho processed more than 612,000 administrative dossiers, with nearly 96% handled online. More than 2,100 administrative procedures have been standardised, while QR codes offer easier access to information.

Administrative reform is being accompanied by efforts to improve the institutional framework and create a stable, transparent environment for businesses.Phu Tho has actively contributed to draft laws, decrees, and circulars on investment, land, enterprises, science and technology, and digital transformation. The province has also reviewed outdated and overlapping regulations, proposing reforms that reduce pre-inspections while strengthening post-inspections.

The province has rolled out major initiatives, including a 2026-2030 scheme to improve the investment environment and provincial competitiveness, a list of projects calling for investment, and investment and tourism promotion programmes.

The "Business Coffee" model has become a regular dialogue channel between provincial leaders and the business community. Problems arising in investment, production, and business operations are brought directly to the table, with authorities directing solutions at the grassroots level.

Since April 1, 2026, Phu Tho has piloted the "24-hour Green Lane" and "50% Green Lane" mechanisms for administrative procedures involving key projects.Under the "24-hour Green Lane", 279 of 284 dossiers have been processed on or ahead of schedule, achieving 98.23%. The remaining five are being processed. All 12 dossiers under the "50% Green Lane" mechanism have been completed on or ahead of schedule.

The mechanisms have significantly shortened processing time, lowered compliance costs, and helped projects move more quickly into implementation.

Digital transformation is also reshaping public administration. Phu Tho has synchronised 100% of its land data with the National Database and connected cadastral data with tax authorities and the administrative procedure system.

The province is studying a smart land administration system using artificial intelligence and big data to improve governance and turn data into a resource for the digital economy.

The reforms are already reflected in the province's investment climate. In 2025, Phu Tho ranked among the country's top five localities for provincial economic governance quality and was placed in the "Good" group in the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI). It ranked second nationwide in the Access to Resources sub-index and posted strong results in transparency, proactive governance, legal institutions, informal costs, fair competition, and business support.

The results underline tangible improvements in local governance, boosting business confidence and investment appeal.

The implementation of central and provincial policies in Resolution No. 68-NQ/TW is a key focus. Priorities include improving institutions, removing overlapping regulations, cutting administrative procedures and compliance costs, and making the "24-hour Green Lane" and "50% Green Lane" mechanisms more effective.

The province will focus on boosting its PCI, PAR Index, PAPI, and SIPAS rankings, while strengthening administrative discipline and curbing actions that cause harassment or place unnecessary burdens on residents and businesses./.

See more

Hoa Phat Wharf inside the Dung Quat Economic Zone (Photo: VNA)

Dung Quat EZ, Quang Ngai IPs draw nearly 19.4 bln USD

The Dung Quat Economic Zone and Quang Ngai industrial parks have so far attracted 441 projects worth around 19.4 billion USD, according to the Dung Quat Economic Zone and Quang Ngai Industrial Parks Authority (DEZA).

The Kim Long Motor Hue factory (Photo: VNA)

Hue courts capital to turn industrial zones into growth engine

The economic and industrial zones in Hue city host more than 200 active investment projects worth over 152 trillion VND (5.84 billion USD), with 139 already operational. Since the start of 2026, they have generated about 32 trillion VND, contributed 4.2 trillion VND to the state budget and brought in 730 million USD in exports, while employing more than 46,000 workers.

Processing cashew nuts for export at Nguyen Thong Co., Ltd. in Dak Lak province. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam’s exports to New Zealand post strong growth

According to the Customs Department, two-way trade reached 844 million USD in the first half of 2026, of which Vietnam’s exports to New Zealand totaled 399.7 million USD, up 18.8% year-on-year, while imports stood at 444 million USD.

Starting from September 2026, agricultural products from the Mekong Delta are expected to be transported directly from Cai Cui Port to Guangxi, China. (Photo: VNA)

Investing in logistics to boost agricultural production and exports

Logistics is increasingly becoming a major bottleneck for exports as transport costs rise and requirements for data management, low emissions and supply chain transparency become more stringent, requiring coordinated investment in logistics infrastructure, data infrastructure and transport capacity.

Harvesting rice in the Mekong Delta (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam seen as gateway for Canadian farm produce to ASEAN

As Canada steps up trade diversification and seeks to reduce its dependence on the North American market, Vietnam could serve both as a market for Canadian goods and a base for Canadian businesses to build production capacity and expand operations in the region.

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

Turkish cooperatives open sourcing channel for Vietnamese businesses

The Vietnam Trade Office recommended that Vietnamese businesses in agriculture and food actively study cooperative networks in different localities in Türkiye and consider them an additional channel for accessing raw materials, processing partners, and distribution networks.

Delegates at the signing ceremony (Photo: VNA)

VPI, Beicip-Franlab Asia deepen oil, gas cooperation

Under the MoU, VPI and Beicip-Franlab Asia will undertake advanced studies in geology, geophysics, and reservoir engineering to support exploration, field development, and oil and gas resource assessment.

A visitor explores Vietnamese coffee at the expo. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam pushes coffee, farm produce at Hong Kong food expo

After nearly 200 years, especially since the Doi Moi (renewal) began in 1986, Vietnamese coffee is now exported to more than 100 countries and territories and supports about 2.6 million jobs. Vietnam remains the world’s second largest coffee exporter, holding roughly 19-21% of the global market, and is the top producer of Robusta coffee.

Delegates at the event (Photo: VNA)

Da Nang hosts 2026 International Logistics Forum

Co-hosted by the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Da Nang People’s Committee, the forum put modern logistics, strategic infrastructure, digital transformation, green growth and international connectivity at the centre of discussions.

Prime Minister Le Minh Hung speaks at the working session. (Photo: VNA)

Monetary policy must ensure macro stability, support growth: PM

The SBV was required to keep policy interest rates steady and add liquidity so lenders can access cheaper funding. It must manage the exchange rate in line with market developments, coordinate monetary tools, and intervene to stabilise the foreign exchange market, while maintaining close oversight of gold. Lenders must continue cutting costs, stabilising lending rates, and delivering substantive reductions.

People buy petrol at a station in Hanoi (Photo: VNA)

Petrol prices cut from 15:00 on August 13

The price of E5 RON92 petrol is capped at 21,235 VND (0.81 USD) per litre, down 493 VND, while E10 RON95-III is priced at no more than 22,119 VND per litre, down 205 VND.

Domestic and foreign businesses engage in trade networking at the event series held at Ho Chi Minh's Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre (SECC) on August 13, 2026. (Photo: VNA)

Int'l sports exhibitions, export trade fair open in Ho Chi Minh City

A series of events opened at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre (SECC) in Ho Chi Minh City on August 13, including the Vietnam Sport Show 2026, Vietnam Cycle Expo 2026 and the 14th Zhejiang Export (Vietnam) Fair 2026. They feature 520 booths operated by 400 businesses from 15 countries and territories.