Standing Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Le Hong Son chaired an online meeting on June 24 to review the city’s six-month performance in 2021.
Giving a report at the meeting, Director of the Department of Planning and Investment Do Anh Tuan said that despite the severe impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, Hanoi has still maintained its economic growth.
According to Tuan, in the first quarter of 2021, the city’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP) growth was estimated at 5.91%, higher than the 3.39% rate recorded in the same period of last year.
Total State budget revenue in the city stood at over VND124.8 trillion, meeting 53% of the plan, posting a year-on-year increase of 7.1%.
From January to June, total revenue from retail sales and services was also estimated at more than VND289 trillion, up 7.2% against the same period last year.
Meanwhile, the city’s tourism sector continued to be affected by the pandemic and its countermeasures. During the five-month period, Hanoi welcomed 101,000 foreign arrivals, down 85.5% year-on-year. The number of domestic tourists to the capital reached 1.3 million, down 18.9% over the same period last year.
Over the past six months, Hanoi has made effort to overcome difficulties and create favorable conditions for local businesses from business registration to project implementation and subsequent phases.
The city remains in the top 10 business-friendly localities, standing at 9th in the 2020 Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI).
FDI attraction hit over US$694 million including US$96 million of 171 newly-registered capital projects, US$447.7 million of 78 expanded projects, and US$120.5 million foreign investors’ capital contribution in 250 projects.
During the period, as many as 13,125 businesses have been established with the total registered capital of nearly VND165.7 trillion, increasing the number of businesses to 315,248.
Besides, the municipal authorities have paid more attention to socio-cultural development given the COVID-19 crisis.
In order to realize the growth target of 7.5% in 2021, Tuan said that Hanoi must aim for economic growth of over 8.5% in the third- and over 9.1% in the fourth quarter.
He added the municipal government would take various measures to push for economic recovery, such as reforming existing administrative procedures, improving the business/investment environment, and attracting investment capital for development, among others.
Making conclusion at the meeting, Standing Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Le Hong Son lauded the city’s effort in containing the COVID-19 pandemic as guided by the central level and the Ministry of Health.
Especially, Hanoi has successfully organized the elections of deputies to the 15th National Assembly and People’s Councils at all levels for the tenure of 2021-2026, and the 10th grade entrance exam, he underlined.
Regarding major tasks in the coming time, Son urged local authorities to strive for the 7.5%-growth targets for 2021, with the focus on promoting potential fields like manufacturing and processing and greater efficiency in budget management.
He asked for more efforts to accelerate privatization of state-owned enterprises, support tourism businesses in restructuring operations, and start construction of industrial clusters as scheduled.
Source: Ha Noi Portal