Hai Phong will establish a free trade zone this year.

VTV.vn - Vietnam will officially have a Free Trade Zone (FTZ) this year.

First free trade zone to launch this year

Vietnam will officially have a Free Trade Zone (FTZ) this year. Three days ago, the leaders of Hai Phong City in the Standing Committee Conference of the City Party Committee fully agreed on the policy of establishing a Hai Phong free trade zone this year, even deciding that the decision could be made next month, in the spirit of resolutely implementing Resolution 226 of the National Assembly.

According to the report of the City Party Committee, the proposed Hai Phong Free Trade Zone has an area of ​​about 6,292 hectares, which has been adjusted to increase compared to the original plan of more than 6,000 hectares. The proposed location of the Free Trade Zone in Hai Phong is distributed in three non-contiguous locations, located in the Southern Hai Phong Coastal Economic Zone and Dinh Vu - Cat Hai Economic Zone. With the nature of a comprehensive free trade zone, the Hai Phong FTZ will have functional areas including a production area; a port and port logistics area; a trade - service area and other types of functional areas according to the provisions of law.

A transparent and stable "institutional depth" will be a prerequisite for the Free Trade Zone to not only be a tax incentive zone, but also become a new growth engine for Vietnam.

Speed ​​up the establishment of free trade zones

At Dinh Vu - Cat Hai Economic Zone, Hai Phong, it only takes a few seconds for a container to pass through the automatic gate... Not only applying high technology in operations and management, and also different from a duty-free zone which is basically an open area in terms of customs and tax activities, a true Free Trade Zone must simultaneously ensure: fast flow of goods, tight control, and incentives attractive enough to retain investors.

Ms. Tran Thi Hai Yen - Deputy Director of the Department of Finance, Hai Phong City said: "Current administrative procedures have been reduced by 50%. We have issued internal procedures, ISO-ized and electronically ISOed those procedures. The time is only 50%. At the same time, the Government issued Resolutions, the City has specific action programs, and each department and branch has specific plans. Along with that, we implemented Resolution 226 on superior mechanisms. I think all of these are ideal conditions."

To provide flexible space and connect suitable infrastructure for a variety of investors, Hai Phong Free Trade Zone is distributed in three non-contiguous locations, located in the Southern Hai Phong Coastal Economic Zone and Dinh Vu - Cat Hai Economic Zone. Many investors have actively participated in preparations to accelerate the realization of this highly anticipated model.

Mr. Nguyen Vinh Hau - General Director of Lach Huyen International Deepwater Port Industrial Park and Logistics Joint Stock Company, Hai Phong City shared: "Our company is implementing the first phase of leveling, with a scale of 230 hectares and strives to complete the entire site by mid-2026. Currently, we have secondary investors investing in the area. We will combine to form a complex of Free Trade Zone, logistics and industrial seaport, applying a number of successful models".

According to experts, because there is no precedent in Vietnam, the pioneering role of localities assigned to pilot this model will be demonstrated in providing an optimal and sustainable legal framework.

The wharf’s 18m depth allows 200,000-ton ships to dock. But to anchor global corporations to become an important link in the international logistics chain, Hai Phong needs a commensurate “institutional depth”. A transparent and stable “institutional depth” will be a prerequisite for the Free Trade Zone to not only be a tax-incentive zone, but also become a new growth engine for Vietnam.

Source: https://vtv.vn/hai-phong-se-lap-khu-thuong-mai-tu-do-trong-nam-nay-100250926122108514.htm