Delegates presenting investment registration certificates to enterprises at the 2026 Thai Nguyen Province Investment Promotion Conference

In Q1/2026, the province’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP) growth was estimated at 8.55%, ranking Thai Nguyen 15th nationally — a rise of 18 places compared to the end of 2025. Beyond the improvement in ranking, this figure reflects a positive recovery trend as traditional growth drivers continue to be sustained and leveraged. Within the broader growth picture, the industrial sector remains the primary pillar, posting a growth rate of 10.76% and spearheading the province’s overall expansion. The construction, services, agriculture, forestry and fishery sectors all recorded fairly uniform growth rates, indicating a well-rounded recovery that lays a solid foundation for the quarters ahead.

A review of the Q1 economic landscape reveals positive momentum across virtually all key pillars — foreign direct investment (FDI) attraction, import-export activity, state budget revenue, public investment and business sector development. Most notably, total newly registered and adjusted FDI capital reached USD 5.72 billion, propelling Thai Nguyen to first place nationwide. This result affirms the province’s appeal to major technology corporations, while opening new room for growth and enhancing the province’s standing within regional production chains. Alongside this, domestic investment capital exceeded VND 12,300 billion, reflecting the active participation of the domestic economic sector. The combination of these two capital flows creates a balanced investment structure, strengthening economic self-reliance and resilience.

Thai Nguyen province signing a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation with Bac Ninh and Phu Tho provinces, marking a new milestone in inter-provincial linkage, connectivity and co-development among the three localities

Export-import activity continues to serve as a key pillar of the economy. Export turnover reached USD 9.174 billion, up 14.8% year-on-year, while import turnover reached USD 5.875 billion, up 18.8%. These figures indicate that industrial production is sustaining a steady pace, with growing demand for input materials to fulfill new orders. From a business cycle perspective, robust export growth coupled with expanding imports reflects an economy that is “ramping up in step with orders”. This also demonstrates that enterprises operating in the province are progressively strengthening their position within global supply chains.

In addition, state budget revenue reached VND 8,822 billion, equivalent to 33.2% of the annual estimate — a notably high proportion relative to Q1 progress — reflecting the effectiveness of production and business activities, with fiscal space continuing to be strengthened. The number of newly established enterprises increased, with 549 companies and 367 affiliated units registered, recording a total registered capital of VND 7,690 billion. This is a positive signal indicating that private sector confidence is gradually being restored.

Comrade Trinh Xuan Truong, Member of Party Central Executive Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and provincial leaders and leaders of departments, commissions and agencies inspecting the progress of projects across the province

In tandem with economic indicators, the province’s financial and credit system has continued to maintain stability. Total mobilized capital reached nearly VND 160,000 billion, up 5.47% from the end of the previous year; outstanding loans exceeded VND 170,000 billion, up 3.74%. Credit flows have been maintained at a reasonable level, helping to support production and business activities while maintaining a stable macroeconomic baseline.

The bright spots in Thai Nguyen’s Q1 economy are no coincidence — they are the product of systematic and fully synchronized preparation and implementation, driven by the “great effort, strong resolve and decisive action” of the entire political system, together with the consensus of the business community and the people of the province.

Comrade Vuong Quoc Tuan, Member of Party Central Executive Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee, visits the Provincial Public Administrative Service Center and directs the strengthening of administrative reform and the application of the “green lane” mechanism in processing administrative procedures

Immediately following the Party congresses at all levels for the 2025–2030 term, the province’s entire political system moved swiftly to translate resolutions into concrete action with a proactive and decisive spirit. Action programs and plans were developed in close alignment with practical realities, with clearly defined objectives, tasks, solutions and timelines. Notably, the specific assignment of responsibilities to each collective and individual has created a transparent operational mechanism, minimizing jurisdictional overlap and duplication of responsibilities and enhancing implementation effectiveness. The concerted mobilization from the provincial level down to the grassroots has provided the foundation for Thai Nguyen to “accelerate from the very starting line” of the new term.

Notably, the province approved and rolled out 20 key schemes to implement the Resolution of the First Congress of the Provincial Party Committee, forming a highly integrated system of development orientations. The content of these schemes extends beyond purely economic growth to encompass digital transformation, green development and the effective harnessing of local competitive advantages. This comprehensive approach has contributed to enhancing the province’s competitiveness in the evolving national context.

Industry continues to be the primary growth driver. The province has focused on accelerating the planning of industrial parks and clusters, investing in synchronized infrastructure and aggressively clearing land to create investment-ready land reserves for investment attraction. This is the decisive factor enabling Thai Nguyen to maintain its appeal to major investors.

Transportation infrastructure receiving comprehensive and synchronized investment

Song Cong II Industrial Park infrastructure fully completed and ready to welcome investors

Glory Golf Course project (Thanh Cong commune) being accelerated to promote the tourism and services sector

From the outset of the year, the province directed the acceleration of public investment disbursement, the removal of obstacles for enterprises and the promotion of key projects and works. The overarching management philosophy has been “clarity on personnel, tasks, timelines and accountability”, with a requirement to proactively accelerate from the very first days, months and quarters of the year.

Notably, administrative reform has been further intensified through a range of breakthrough solutions. The implementation of the “24-Hour Green Lane” and “60% Green Lane” (a mechanism targeting a 60% reduction in processing time) for processing investment procedures, combined with the swift resolution of bottlenecks related to land, construction, the environment and import-export matters, has helped reduce file processing times, lower costs and create a transparent and business-friendly investment environment.

In parallel, the provincial government has persisted in building the image of a “developmental, action-oriented, collaborative and service-driven administration”, through sustaining effective dialogue, investment promotion and enterprise support activities. The investment orientation has shifted decisively from “attracting at any cost” to a more discerning, quality-driven approach to investment attraction, prioritizing projects involving high technology, clean technology, modern governance and strong linkage capacity. Early in the year, the province proactively held an Investment Promotion Conference and launched the “Morning Tea with Entrepreneurs” Program, establishing a direct and substantive channel of exchange between the government and the business community. As a result, numerous “bottlenecks” were resolved in a timely manner, enabling investment projects to advance — including numerous large-scale projects that were signed and initiated.

Production activities of enterprises contributing positively to export value and state budget revenue

Agricultural production maintaining stable growth, with tea cultivation playing a leading role

Based on Q1 results, it is clear that Thai Nguyen’s economy is establishing a “positive growth trajectory”. Nevertheless, to sustain this momentum and achieve the 11% growth target for 2026, the province must continue to build on its foundational strengths while proactively responding to emerging challenges.

Entering Q2, numerous encouraging indicators are expected to continue bolstering the province’s growth momentum, as FDI inflows are trending strongly upward on the back of an increasingly improved investment environment. Policies supporting enterprises, stimulating production and business activity and driving public investment disbursement are being implemented with vigor; administrative reform efforts and the enhancement of governance quality at all levels of government continue to yield results. These will be the key factors driving an acceleration of growth across industrial production, trade and services in the coming time.

With the current growth momentum and the system of solutions being implemented in a coordinated manner, Thai Nguyen has every reason to look forward to 2026 as a year of breakthrough achievements — not only in terms of growth speed but also in the quality of that growth — moving toward a dynamic, sustainable and highly competitive economy in this new phase of development.