Hoàng Trung Hải, Politburo member – Secretary of Hà Nội Party Committee (centre), worked with the Hà Nội Promotion Agency (HPA) on Thursday. — Photo hanoimoi.com.vn

HÀ NỘI — Investment, trade and tourism promotion activities in Hà Nội have been enhanced significantly through effective operation of the Hà Nội Promotion Agency (HPA), which has contributed to improving the investment and business environment, as well as overall economic growth of the capital city.

This was the appraisal of Hoàng Trung Hải, Politburo member – Secretary of Hà Nội Party Committee, during his meeting with HPA on Thursday.

Put into operation in June 2015, the Hà Nội Investment, Trade, Tourism Centre, or HPA, has actively built up action programmes for each field, strictly following the instructions of the city’s leaders and coordinate with other departments, sectors to organise promotion activities in the city and abroad, said HPA’s director Nguyễn Gia Phương.

In the investment field, many big events have been held in Hà Nội and abroad, contributing to calling on capital from big investors, especially in important projects such as waste treatment, water supply and wholesale markets. The investment conference in Hà Nội in June 2018 granted investment certificates to 71 projects worth total registered capital of nearly VNĐ400 trillion (about US$17 billion).

In trade promotion, the centre has been a connection to bring Vietnamese goods into foreign major distribution chains such as Aeon retailer (Japan) and Rungis wholesale market (France). Many trade and tourism promotion campaigns have also been organised abroad in Japan and Europe.

The centre has also built a database of foreign businesses, organisations and domestic enterprises as a foundation for deploying promotion events in different fields.

As a result, foreign investment capital poured into the city increased year by year, from $3.1 billion in 2016 to $7.5 billion in 2018 and $5.3 billion in just the first six months of 2019.

Trade promotion activities have contributed to boosting export turnover of the city from $10.6 billion in 2016 to $14.2 billion in 2018, up 21.6 per cent over 2017. Tourists visiting the capital city also jumped from 21.8 million in 2016 to 26.3 million in 2018.

"These results have affirmed that the appropriate and effective model of the centre, contributing to improving the quality of the city’s promotion activities, and at the same time reducing cost,” the Politburo member said.

However, Hải also pointed out some shortcomings in capacity and qualifications of the centre’s cadres, especially skills of working with foreign partners. The connection with international organisations, Vietnamese embassies in foreign countries as well as foreign embassies in Việt Nam is still limited.

He encouraged officials to enhance their ability to synthesise, analyse and update the socio-economic situation in each specific industry, and building suitable promotion campaigns.

The centre should study similar models around the world to find the optimal model to meet its development requirements. Along with that, it needed to review the regulations in coordination with departments and branches to enhance operational efficiency, focus on building data and information systems to serve promotion, Hải said.

He also asked the centre to follow closely the investment projects after they are signed, thereby promoting consultancy and support. The city’s departments, branches and provincial people's committees must facilitate and actively support the centre. — VNS