12.76% - More Than Just a Number

12.76% – a seemingly dry figure in the quarterly statistics report, yet it is quietly rewriting how people view a region. In the first quarter of 2025, Hoa Binh – a mountainous province without a seaport or major cities, once quietly on the sidelines of growth curves – unexpectedly surged ahead, ranking second nationwide in GRDP. But the remarkable thing is not the ranking position, but how Hoa Binh achieved it.

Entering 2025, R Vietnam Technical Research Co., Ltd., located in the Left Bank of the Da River Industrial Park (Hoa Binh City), continues to affirm its position as one of the key links maintaining the stability of industrial production in Hoa Binh.

It's not a sudden surge. It's the result of a long-term accumulation process, where seemingly rigid policies have permeated every field, every vehicle entering and leaving industrial zones… And that's why 12.76% is not just a number, but an affirmation from the mountainous region that: where there is sufficient long-term preparation, there is breakthrough.

Growth - starting from the smallest things.

Not many people know that, during the Lunar New Year of the Year of the Snake (2015), the Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant Expansion Project – a key national project – continued construction without interruption. Underground, the drills moved forward meter by meter; on the construction site, engineers and workers of Construction Company 47 worked 24/7 shifts to meet the deadline for installing the turbines in 2025. This is not an isolated incident. It represents the spirit of unwavering operation, even as spring brought the blossoming of peach trees across the mountains and hills.

Therefore, if you sit at a small eatery near the gate of the industrial zone on the left bank of the Da River (Hoa Binh City), it's not difficult to hear the story of the restaurant owner who hasn't had time to take a Tet holiday break yet, because "trucks started arriving on the 4th day of Tet, and workers are going to work early shifts." Some figures originate from decisions made in meeting rooms, grow larger from the dust of the roads, the noise of machinery, and even from the earliest-opening eateries in an industrial area…

From those quiet movements at the beginning of the year, Hoa Binh's economic indicators began to speak for themselves. The total value of the industrial and construction sector increased by 27.18% compared to the same period last year, with electricity production and distribution alone increasing by nearly 89%. This figure needs no lengthy explanation. When electricity runs at full capacity, it means factories are lit up for three shifts, and production lines are constantly busy. Within each figure lies the steady hum of machinery, the continuous flow of capital, and the constant movement of vehicles in and out of construction sites…

The growth also spread to trade, services, and agriculture . Accommodation and food services increased by 23.4%, and total retail sales of goods increased by 24.7%. The agricultural sector grew by 4.5%, but significantly, the quality of growth was "compressed" by real transformations: export shipments were produced in supply chains, meeting VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards – concepts that were quite new to farmers in Hoa Binh a few years ago.

"In the first quarter alone, the province's public investment capital increased by 121.6%, with total social investment reaching over 6,645 billion VND - an increase of nearly 39%, including 40 newly licensed investment projects," said Mr. Nguyen Van Toan, Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee. Encouragingly, many projects started early and disbursed funds faster than the national average, demonstrating the proactive approach of the entire system in resolving obstacles and supporting investors. Major projects such as the Hoa Binh - Moc Chau expressway and the Hoa Binh - Hanoi regional connecting road are no longer just blueprints but are entering peak construction phases, thanks to the rapid coordination between the government and the people.

Even in remote and isolated communes, the pace of change is evident. For example, in Kim Lap commune (Kim Boi district), over 25 km of village roads have been concreted through social mobilization. In gateway areas like Luong Son, OCOP products are not only appearing on supermarket shelves but are also being exported with green passports. These movements are no longer fragmented but are converging into a continuous flow. And Hoa Binh, without fanfare or ostentation, is shining brightly on the national growth map.

It's no coincidence - there are creative hands at work.

While in many places, January is for celebrating festivals, Hoa Binh province has been carefully planning its strategy for the entire year. The province began the new year with a significant action: issuing the Action Program to implement Conclusion No. 123-KL/TW of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam – a major guiding document aiming for national growth of 8% or more by 2025. However, what's noteworthy isn't the early issuance, but rather the fact that the province chose not to express its determination through slogans, but rather through specific figures and deadlines for completion. It's a truly action-oriented program: who will do it, what will be done, when will it be completed, and what will the results be – all clearly marked.

Hoa Binh province is determined to surpass expectations – achieving growth of over 10% in 2025. The three pillars identified are: public investment to pave the way; administrative reform to facilitate development; and a transformation of the development model to create sustainable depth.

In 2024, Hoa Binh achieved a GRDP growth rate of 8.96%, ranking 11th nationwide – a testament to the economic restructuring process coupled with the innovation of its growth model. Instead of slowing down to "maintain growth," the province proactively promoted innovation in its development model, shifting from quantity to quality, from expansion to depth. Industry not only increased production but also began to focus on technological content, added value, and greening the production chain. Agriculture no longer stands alone but is gradually entering a value chain linked with processing, trade, and logistics. Tourism, instead of simply guiding visitors to beautiful spots, is learning to retain tourists through experiences, local culture, and in-depth services.

Even in seemingly the driest field – finance – new thinking has taken hold. Instead of focusing on one-time revenue streams, the provincial budget is gradually shifting towards sustainable revenue collection, nurturing long-term income sources from production and services. This is a quiet but strategic change, helping Hoa Binh stand firm in the face of uncertain fluctuations.

Alongside the "hard infrastructure," there are also the quiet but equally decisive movements of the "soft infrastructure": administrative reform. From the provincial to the commune level, the time taken to process applications continues to be shortened; the rate of online public service delivery has increased significantly. In many localities, commune officials are now more accustomed to typing than writing, and can access interconnected databases to process inter-agency applications. Establishing a business no longer takes several weeks as before, but takes less than 24 hours.

If Hoa Binh's growth curve today is something many people admire, the first strokes were drawn with a simple yet meticulous material – the management discipline that hadn't yet faded since the Lunar New Year. And as that growth curve unfolded, one could see the handprints of the strategists – those who not only did things right, but did them early and thoroughly.

"12.76% is not the destination" - that's the assertion of Comrade Nguyen Van Toan, Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee. But it is certainly a milestone. A beginning for a new journey. And if we had to choose one sentence to describe Hoa Binh today, perhaps it would be: no longer lagging behind, but on the right path, with the posture of someone who knows where they are going.

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