On the morning of December 11, 2025, at the city’s Conference and Performance Center, under the direction of the Hai Phong City People’s Committee, Hai Phong Economic Zone Authority (HEZA), in coordination with the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Finance, held a conference on investment potential and opportunities in Hai Phong under the theme “Hai Phong Free Trade Zone – A destination for the new era.” Nearly 150 delegates representing central ministries and agencies, city leaders, diplomatic missions, international business associations, economic experts, infrastructure developers, and the domestic and foreign business communities attended the conference, demonstrating broad interest in the new economic model that Hai Phong is pioneering.
Mr. Le Trung Kien, Vice Chairman of the City People’s Committee
In his opening remarks, Mr. Le Trung Kien, Vice Chairman of the Hai Phong City People’s Committee, emphasized that establishing a Free Trade Zone (FTZ) is a strategic step that opens new development space for the city amid deep international integration. Hai Phong’s FTZ – the first model of its kind in northern Vietnam – is built on international experience combined with the city’s own potential and advantages, while reflecting a major shift in management thinking from administration to development facilitation and from control to service. The city is committed to creating an open and transparent investment environment, simplifying administrative procedures, safeguarding rights, and building investor confidence through an outstanding policy system approved by the National Assembly and the city People’s Council.
Locations of areas within the Hai Phong Free Trade Zone
Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Deputy Director of the Foreign Investment Agency
At the conference, Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Deputy Director of the Foreign Investment Agency, said Resolution No. 226/2025/QH15 is a “golden institutional framework” that enables Hai Phong to make a breakthrough. He also outlined Vietnam’s new-generation FDI attraction priorities: developing advanced technology and innovation; promoting the marine economy and smart logistics; and building a sustainable growth model based on clean energy, a green economy, and low-carbon development. As the largest industrial and seaport center in northern Vietnam, Hai Phong remains among the country’s leading localities in FDI attraction, with cumulative registered capital exceeding USD 45 billion, demonstrating the city’s growing competitiveness and appeal.
Mr. Pham Van Thep, Head of Hai Phong Economic Zone Authority
Mr. Pham Van Thep, Head of Hai Phong Economic Zone Authority (HEZA), said Hai Phong’s FTZ covers a total area of 6,292 hectares and is arranged across three strategic locations linked to the city’s two key economic zones to optimize infrastructure, logistics, and supply-chain connections. This spatial distribution has been carefully planned to build an FTZ model that is flexible, efficient, and highly adaptable to changes in international trade.
Overview of the conference
The delegates, experts, and business representatives who spoke at the conference agreed on three important messages: Hai Phong needs to shift decisively from “industrialization” to the “internationalization of trade and logistics”; the FTZ must be linked to institutional reform and the development of national trade infrastructure; and the model must become a driving force for the Northern Coastal Region and the Lang Son – Hanoi – Hai Phong economic corridor. The conference also highlighted three urgent requirements for sustainable FTZ development: establishing green, international, and digital standards; ensuring clean energy and a modern logistics system; and strengthening cooperation in developing high-tech clusters and supporting industries, with close links to seaports, logistics, and manufacturing.
Mr. Bruno Jaspaert, Chairman of EuroCham Vietnam
Mr. Koen Soenens, Business, Marketing & Customer Services Director of the DEEP C Industrial Park Complex.
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Phuong, General Director of Sao Do Investment Group
Representatives of the international business community and infrastructure developers, including EuroCham and DEEP C, said Hai Phong has all the conditions to become a model new-generation FTZ in the region. They proposed that the city increase information transparency, standardize incentive mechanisms, and develop green infrastructure to meet international standards. Domestic enterprises, notably Sao Do Investment Group, also recommended strengthening FDI–domestic business linkages, developing supporting industries, and accelerating digital transformation in connecting supply and demand.
In his closing remarks, a representative of the Foreign Investment Agency affirmed that the agency would accompany Hai Phong throughout the process of completing the institutional framework, building the model, and operating the FTZ, ensuring effective and transparent implementation. This would help strengthen Hai Phong’s position in attracting foreign investment and developing the economy. The conference reaffirmed Hai Phong’s determination to build northern Vietnam’s first Free Trade Zone, create a new growth driver, promote regional economic development, and make an important contribution to Vietnam’s strategic shift in regional and global value chains.
Source: Hai Phong Investment Promotion – Employment – Business Support Center