Phu Tho gradually asserts its new position: Economic development linked with improved growth quality
WVR - With four strategic breakthroughs, Phu Tho has emerged as a highly attractive destination for both domestic and international investors, confidently stepping into a new development phase to become a desirable, safe, and prosperous place to live.
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| Urban infrastructure and industrial zones in Phú Thọ are increasingly invested in a modern, green, clean, and beautiful direction. (Photo: An Vi) |
Recently, Phu Tho has continuously strived to develop the economy linked with improved growth quality by implementing four strategic breakthroughs. These include breakthroughs in planning; focusing on improving the investment environment and administrative reform to attract investment; breakthroughs in infrastructure, especially transportation infrastructure; and focusing on developing high-quality human resources.
Focusing on four strategic breakthroughs
First, breakthroughs in planning. The breakthroughs in planning in Phu Tho are evident in the construction of the Provincial Planning for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, characterized by breakthrough thinking, long-term vision, and effective exploitation of the province's unique potential, opportunities, and competitive advantages.
The newly announced plan outlines that by 2030, Phu Tho will be a leading province in the northern midland and mountainous region, with a comprehensive socio-economic infrastructure system. It aims to form a regional linkage chain in the Bac Giang – Thai Nguyen – Phu Tho belt and gradually establish development centers for tourism, healthcare, education and training, commerce, and logistics in the Northwest sub-region.
Additionally, Phu Tho will develop science, technology, innovation, and enhance the quality of human resources; creating a sustainable living environment and a good quality of life for its residents.
By 2050, Phu Tho aims to be a developed province in the northern region, part of the group of developed provinces nationwide; one of the leading centers for industry, services, and tourism in the northern midland and mountainous region; a desirable, safe, and prosperous place to live.
Following the merger, a new door has opened for Phu Tho not only in terms of area and population but more importantly, it is an opportunity to reshape regional development thinking. Three initial sub-regional axes are proposed: the eastern economic axis (stretching from Vinh Yen through Viet Tri to the old Hoa Binh city); the western ecological-cultural region; and the northern high-tech agriculture-forestry region. By leveraging advantages and reasonable connections, these will become lifelines nurturing a healthy and sustainably developing administrative and economic body.
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| Highways connecting Hoa Lac – Hoa Binh with Viet Tri, Ring Road 5 through the province, along with numerous new bridges over the Hong, Da, and Lo rivers, are being expedited. (Photo: Quan Do) |
Second, focusing on improving the investment environment and administrative reform to attract investment. The merger not only expands industrial development space but also creates a breakthrough opportunity in attracting investment and economic restructuring. With a sound strategy, synchronized efforts, and flexible policies, Phú Thọ aspires to become an attractive destination for both domestic and international investors in the new development phase.
The new Phu Tho provincial government, led by a youthful and experienced leadership team in investment attraction, will ensure adaptability and apply the highest incentives under investment laws, especially for high-tech projects.
The spirit of "leading, welcoming, and accompanying investors" is emphasized and maximized with the new energetic apparatus. As a result, Phu Tho is poised to become an attractive destination for high-tech projects in the future.
Third, breakthroughs in infrastructure, especially transportation infrastructure. Immediately after the apparatus was consolidated, Phu Tho issued a foundational decision: Resolution No. 26/NQ-HDND dated July 23, 2025, approving the medium-term public investment plan for 2021-2025 with a total capital of 108,123.2 billion VND. In the pivotal year of 2025 alone, resources are concentrated up to 21,139 billion VND—a strong political commitment and long-term vision for breakthrough development.
The focus is clearly defined: Prioritizing inter-regional connectivity projects and strategic infrastructure projects with significant spillover effects. Highways connecting Hoa Lac – Hoa Binh with Viet Tri, Ring Road 5 through the province, along with numerous new bridges over the Hong, Da, and Lo rivers, are being expedited. By reducing geographical distances, these projects open up new development spaces, create economic corridors, attract investment, and strongly promote trade activities—true to the spirit of "connecting for development, investing for breakthroughs".
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| Electronic component production at JNTC Company Limited in Thuy Van Industrial Park, Viet Tri city. (Photo: Ngoc Long) |
For instance, the Hoa Binh-Moc Chau Expressway project, with a total investment of nearly 10,000 billion VND, is not only a large-scale infrastructure project but also a symbol of a developmental turning point. This 34 km road, once completed, will be a crucial "artery" of transportation through challenging areas, opening up trade, boosting tourism, and driving sustainable development.
Fourth, focusing on developing high-quality human resources. After the merger, the local labour force reached nearly 1.9 million people, accounting for 47% of the population. This abundant labor supply creates an advantage for developing industries and services while ensuring human resources for integration and digital transformation.
Leveraging this resource, the province has issued a Resolution on developing high-quality human resources, considering it a pillar for rapid and sustainable development in the 2025-2030 period, with a vision to 2045. Accordingly, the province aims to build an elite workforce with professional qualifications, vocational skills, foreign languages, digital technology, and artificial intelligence, focusing particularly on key industries.
By 2030, the province strives to standardize at least 70% of vocational and university training programs to national and international standards; form a workforce of 50,000 high-quality workers in key industries such as processing-manufacturing, digital technology, healthcare, tourism, and green energy. The province aims to train and nurture 5,000 experts, engineers, and technicians in artificial intelligence; equip 80% of the workforce with basic digital skills; and ensure 50% of graduates meet international foreign language standards.
Asserting a new position
With the aforementioned efforts, in the first nine months of 2025, Phu Tho's economy recorded a strong breakthrough with a Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) growth of 10.22%, exceeding the 10% target set by the Government. Ms. Vuong Thi Bay, Director of Phu Tho Department of Finance, stated that Phu Tho's economy in 2025 operates in the context of the country entering a phase of strong restructuring, widespread digital transformation, and supply chains being reshaped post-pandemic.
In this landscape, Phu Tho stands out as a bright spot with a GRDP growth rate of 10.22% in the first nine months of the year, surpassing the target set by the Government in Resolution 226/NQ-CP. This figure is symbolic, reflecting the concerted efforts of the entire political system, the business community, and the people in achieving the double-digit growth target.
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| A corner of Viet Tri city, Phu Tho province. (Photo: Khanh Trang) |
This growth stems from a reasonable structural shift, with industry and services playing a leading role. The industry-construction sector grew by 15.6%, clearly reflecting the production area's momentum, especially in processing and manufacturing industries. The industrial production index (IIP) increased by 37.34% compared to the same period last year—among the highest in the country. Key products such as steel, cement, electronic components, and laptops all achieved impressive growth, contributing to the province's position in the Northern region's supply chain.
Simultaneously, the service sector continues to recover and develop strongly, with an 8.11% increase. The retail-trade market is vibrant, with total retail sales of goods and consumer service revenue reaching 147 trillion VND, up 13.7% year-on-year. Tourism recorded an impressive recovery with 3.65 million visitors, generating 12.3 trillion VND in revenue, equivalent to 83% of the annual target.
The province is building an image of a distinctive cultural-spiritual-ecological tourism destination, where cultural values such as Xoan singing, the Hung Kings Temple Festival, and the worship of the Hung Kings heritage become pillars for sustainable tourism development strategies.
Meanwhile, the agriculture, forestry, and fishery sector maintains a stable growth rate of 3.12%, contributing to food security and stable livelihoods for the people. The province's agriculture is strongly transitioning to organic production models, applying high technology, developing smart agriculture linked with the OCOP program. More than 70 OCOP products and typical rural industrial products are widely promoted and consumed, contributing to stable income sources for rural areas.
Total development investment capital in the province reached 102.9 trillion VND, up 18.13% year-on-year, reflecting the trust of businesses and investors in the investment environment and local government administration. From this foundation, Phu Tho is gradually asserting its role as an important growth pole in the northern midland and mountainous region.
With strong growth momentum, abundant investment capital, and increasingly complete infrastructure, Phu Tho is asserting its position as a dynamic industrial-service center in the Northern midland and mountainous region. The province is gradually affirming its new position—a land rich in potential, dynamically and sustainably developing in the country's overall development process.
