Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam's industrial sector experienced positive growth in the January-May period, with 55 out of 63 provinces and centrally-run cities nationwide reporting annual increases in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).
The GSO identified manufacturing, processing, and electricity production and distribution as the primary drivers of the growth. Provinces recording high growth included Phu Tho (31.2%), Bac Giang (24.9%), and Binh Phuoc (14.8%). However, some other provinces like Ha Tinh, Quang Ngai and Ca Mau saw respective declines of 9%, 8.25% and 2.5% in their indexes.
Overall, the national IIP in May continued its upward trajectory, rising 3.9% month-on-month and 8.9% year-on-year. The five-month period saw an yearly increase of 6.8%.
A deeper analysis revealed the processing and manufacturing industries as the key contributor to the growth, boasting a 7.3% rise and adding 6.4 percentage points to the overall increase. The electricity production and distribution sector also performed strongly, with 12.7% growth, contributing 1.1 percentage points. Additionally, the water supply, waste, and wastewater management sector went up 6.3%, adding 0.1 percentage point. However, the mining sector experienced a decline of 5.2%, resulting in a reduction of 0.8 percentage point in the overall growth.
Specific product categories within the processing and manufacturing sectors posted impressive growth. Production of rubber and plastic products surged by 27.4%, while electrical equipment saw a 24% increase. Production of chemicals and chemical products grew by 20.1%, followed by beds, cabinets, tables, and chairs (19.6%) and metal products (13.2%).
In light of these findings, the GSO proposed a series of recommendations to further bolster Vietnam's industrial development. It urged the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) to prioritise a structural shift toward increasing the proportion of processing and manufacturing industries within the overall industrial sector, while simultaneously reducing reliance on the assembly and processing of imported products; enhance enterprise competitiveness and incentivise the use of domestically produced goods via technical barriers for certain imports.
Additionally, the GSO recommended that the MoIT refine key institutions such as the Key Industrial Law and the Law on Chemicals. Expediting the disbursement of public investment capital and hastening crucial projects in the fields of electricity, oil and gas, manufacturing, processing, and mining are also highlighted as crucial steps.
Head of the GSO’s Industrial and Construction Statistics Department Phi Thi Huong Nga suggested that localities should launch more stimulus and promotion schemes to increase purchasing power while helping industrial firms find partners and expand markets through trade exhibitions./.
