Hai Phong (VNA) - As part of his working trip to the northern city of Hai Phong, Party General Secretary To Lam held a working session with the municipal Party Committee on November 14, during which he urged the local authority to pay attention to planning work, towards turning it into a modern maritime economic hub in the future.

Agreeing with the municipal Party Committee’s report, the Party chief emphasised the city's strategically vital role in national building and safeguarding, saying that it is now an important port city, an industrial and maritime economic hub in the northern coastal region, and a key driver of the nation.

He underlined the need for Hai Phong to strive toward becoming a city on par with typical cities in Asia, and a modern international port city, leading the country in industrialisation and modernisation, and an international hub of economics, education, training, science and technology.

In light of the Politburo’s high expectations, Hai Phong should improve its planning and vision for the future, showing determination to pursue its goals, Lam said, adding that to succeed, the city needs a clear and insightful development strategy, an excellent governance system, and public trust.

He stressed that Hai Phong needs continue strengthening Party building and developing a streamlined, strong, and effective political system, and that attention should be given to building a team of officials with the necessary integrity, competence, vision, and creativity, as well as a commitment to the city’s development.

Lam urged the city to continue improving its planning work, including urban, industrial, tourism, maritime economic, underground infrastructure, and spatial planning. The city’s future development plans should be modeled, with wide consultations and public transparency in the planning process.

Effective planning is a crucial resource and vision for the city, making it transparent for development and attractive to investors, he stressed.

He noted that Hai Phong should capitalise on its advantage as the "main gateway to the sea" for northern Vietnam, towards developing the city into a modern maritime economic hub, serving as a centre for economic connectivity and a driving force for the development of the Red River Delta region and the entire northern region.

Hai Phong needs to focus on building both hard and soft infrastructure for digital transformation, innovation, and technology development, creating new drivers for growth, Lam said, adding that the city should increase investment in research and development to promote inventions and patents, and create an attractive environment for creativity and startups not only for Vietnam but also for Southeast Asia.

He asked Hai Phong to develop a sound strategy for attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) and promoting technology transfer, create favourable conditions for domestic businesses to grow and participate in global supply chains, towards building an independent and self-reliant economy that is well-integrated into the world.

The city should accelerate high-quality urbanisation to match the role and status of a centrally-run city, proactively strengthen regional connections and work hard towards becoming a smart, modern city, and a model city for its livability and exceptional experience, he said.

The municipal Party Committee's report on the implementation of the 16th Party Congress's Resolution since the beginning of the term indicates that the city has achieved 14 out of 20 targets set forth in the Resolution.

In the 2029 - 2023 period, Hai Phong’s average economic growth expanded by 12.6% per year, 2.44 times higher than the national average. By 2023, the city’s per capita GRDP stood at 7,960 USD per year, placing it second among Vietnam’s five centrally-run cities. Its average annual state budget revenue growth from 2021 to 2023 reached 7.3%. In the first nine months of 2024, Hai Phong recorded comprehensive socio-economic growth, with GRDP growing 9.77% and notable increases in budget revenue and export growth, both nearly 30% higher than the same period last year.

Hai Phong has poured substantial investments into culture, healthcare, education, sports, science and technology, and social welfare, backed by effective policies that have produced comprehensive and outstanding results. National defence and security have been reinforced, and social safety has beenn well-maintained. Foreign relations and international integration efforts have also been strengthened.

The city’s Party and political system building has been a focal point, with significant improvements. The great national unity bloc is strengthened. The material and spiritual life of all classes of people has been improved.

Earlier, on the same day afternoo𒊎n, the Party chief attended a conference to hand over investment registration certificates to 12 new and expanded projects in the city’♛s industrial parks with a total additional investment of 1.8 billion USD./.