(HBO) - Hoa Binh province has seen considerable progress in the service sector which has not only met local residents’ demand but also created jobs and contributed significantly to the province’s economic development.
The
number of supermarkets, a new modern retail model, in Hoa Binh has been on the
rise. A woman goes shopping at AP Plaza in Hoa Binh City.
From 2016 – 2020,
the province’s Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) grew at an average pace
of 6.36 percent annually, with the services sector expanding 5.91 percent. The
service sector’s output exceeded 15.84 trillion VND in 2020, up 71.6 percent
from 2016. Post, telecommunications, tourism, transport and distribution were the
fastest-growing sub-sectors, largely contributing to the service industry.
The provincial
People’s Committee has adopted a master plan on developing commerce by 2025,
with a vision to 2030. The province’s commercial activities have also expanded
substantially over the past years, with a boom in modern commerce models and
robust development of infrastructure in the sector. A number of traditional markets
have been built and renovated while supermarkets, shopping malls and
convenience stores are gaining increasing favour from local customers. This has
boosted the growth of the distribution service in the province.
Total retail sales
of goods and services increased 19 percent on average year on year to 37.68
trillion VND in 2020, 2.36 times higher than that of 2015. Foreign trade rose
by 28.5 percent every year, with exports and imports surging 30 percent and 27
percent per year, respectively.
The province has
also witnessed the robust growth of tourism, reflected by remarkable
improvements in the diversity and quality of tourism services.
"Previously, all I
knew about Hoa Binh were Hoa Binh Reservoir and Lac village (Mai Chau district),”
said Lam Oanh, a visitor from Bac Giang province’s Hiep Hoa district, adding
that now she knows there are more to explore in the province.
She was
particularly impressed with community-based and eco-tours in popular
destinations, such as Ngoi Hamlet (Tan Lac district); and Ke and Duc Phong
Hamlets (Da Bac), as well as the boom of newly-built luxurious lodging
facilities, including Mai Chau Ecolodge, Bakhan Village and Serena Resort.
Currently, the
province is housing 434 lodging facilities, nine local-level tourist sites at
local level, and one provincial-level tourist site. Additionally, Hoa Binh Lake
has been planned as a national tourist area.
Along with tourism, transport services have developed in recent time,
facilitating travel and transport of goods. There are 204 firms, cooperatives
and individual business households running transport business with more than
2,820 vehicles, four times higher than the amount recorded at the beginning of
2016.
Transport of passengers has surged on average 8 percent per year, while that of
goods picks up 9 percent.
Three companies are providing bus services, with over 100 vehicles that operate
14 hours per day on five routes. In the meantime, taxi services are offered
around the clock by 13 firms who have nearly 1,190 vehicles.
In recent years, healthcare, education-training, banking, and
information-communication services have met increasing demands of the local
residents. They have made up 30.4 percent of the province’s economic structure.
However, the service sector has not been developed on par with the province’s
potential and strengths.
At a recent meeting of the provincial People’s Committee on service development
orientations for the 2021-2025 period, Director of the provincial Department of
Industry and Trade Pham Tien Dung pointed out that the service sector made
humble contributions to the locality’s economic growth and job generation.
Besides ununiformed development of infrastructure, the sector has seen
restrictions in planning and state management, he said, adding value chains and
attractive products and services have not been shaped up while the province is
in short of projects that can create breakthroughs for the service sector.
Under the resolution adopted at the 17th provincial Party Congress, Hoa
Binh identified development and diversification of high-quality services that
meet local people’s production and consumption as its key mission in the
2020-2025 tenure.
The action programme No.1, issued by the provincial Party Committee on December
23, 2020, set a target of developing service into an important economic sector
which can contribute greatly to the local economy and growth.
The provincial Party Committee is directing competent authorities to build the
service sector development project during 2021-2025, expecting the service
sector to develop on par with local potential and strengths. The move aims to
reduce poverty in a sustainable manner, promote industrialization and modernisation
process, and spur the province’s social economic development./.
Dao Village’s honey – a product certified with a 3-star OCOP (One Commune One Product) rating by Thong Nhat Agricultural Cooperative in Dao Village (Hoa Binh City) – is highly regarded by consumers for its quality, richness, and variety in packaging. The distinctively sweet taste of Dao Village’s honey leaves a lasting impression on anyone who has tried it.
In alignment with Project No. 07-DA/TU, issued by the Hoa Binh provincial Party Committee on November 1, 2021, Lac Thuy district has actively promoted investment and supported the sustainable development of its industrial and handicraft sectors during the 2021–2025 period. Alongside this, the district has remained committed to preserving and revitalising traditional craft villages.
Located in the northern part of Lac Thuy district, with a temperate climate and fertile soil, Phu Thanh commune has great potential and advantages in growing tea. The long-standing experience, combined with strict adherence to organic farming practices in the tea gardens, ensures that the dried tea products from Phu Thanh and Lac Thuy as a whole are sold out immediately upon production, providing a stable and prosperous life for the local people.
Amid efforts to streamline the administrative apparatus, Hoa Binh province has intensified measures to address challenges in land clearance, resettlement support, and infrastructure investment, aiming to speed up the progress of key projects.
Hoa Binh province has posted an unprecedented economic growth rate of 12.76% in the first quarter of 2025, marking its highest quarterly performance to date and positioning it as the second fastest-growing locality in the country, trailing only Bac Giang province.
Under current regulations, products in the One Commune – One Product (OCOP) programme that are rated three stars or higher must undergo re-evaluation every three months. However, in reality, some of these products fail to consistently meet the required standards, raising concerns about the sustainability of their OCOP certification. This underscores the urgent need for producers to enhance product quality and gradually develop their OCOP products into strong, marketable brands.
