On January 12, Vu Dai Thang, member of the Party Central Committee, Vice Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee and Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee, held a working session with the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade on the implementation of 2025 tasks and key directions for 2026.

The meeting also included Nguyen Manh Quyen, member of the Standing Board of the Hanoi Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee, along with leaders of city departments and agencies.

All assigned tasks completed

Reporting at the meeting, Director of the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade Vo Nguyen Phong said that in 2025 the department implemented leadership, direction and administration in a decisive and coordinated manner.

The department advised the city to issue 31 specialized plans and released 203 work plans, 2,499 directives and administrative documents and 894 decisions. Notably, 100% of documents and dossiers were processed in the electronic environment.

By December 31, 2025, the department completed all 34 tasks under the city's work program and all 115 assigned tasks on the task monitoring system, achieving a 100% completion rate.

Regarding key economic indicators, Hanoi's GRDP was estimated to grow by 8.16%. The industrial production index rose by 7.2%, total retail sales of goods and consumer service revenue reached VND963 trillion (US$36.6 billion), up 12.7% year on year and average CPI increased by 3.63%.

Export turnover was estimated at $20.8 billion, up 8.4%, while imports reached $47.3 billion, up 13%, reaffirming the pillar role of import-export activities in growth and macroeconomic stability.

In industrial development, the department advised the establishment and expansion of nine industrial clusters and accelerated the implementation of 43 clusters in the 2018–2020 phase.

Of these, 35 clusters broke ground and six completed infrastructures with occupancy rates exceeding 80%.

In 2025, the city recognized 35 key industrial products from 28 enterprises. Industrial promotion, craft village development and handicrafts continued to expand through fairs, exhibitions and product recognition programs.

The energy sector remained safe and stable, with commercial electricity output reaching 26.47 billion kWh and power loss reduced to 3.2%.

The city resolved violations of high-voltage power grid safety corridors, guided operations of the Soc Son waste-to-energy plant at 90 MW and the Seraphin plant at 37 MW, approved a 60 MW waste-to-energy project and developed 118 MWp of rooftop solar power.

In 2025, Hanoi saved 164 kTOE of energy, equivalent to 1.72% of forecast demand. Domestic trade continued to improve through market stabilization programs.

The city added six OCOP points, bringing the total to 119 and distributed about 3,000 OCOP products through retail systems.

Cashless payment rates exceeded 96% in many areas and reached 100% in supermarkets and shopping centers.

Market management forces conducted 5,104 inspections, handled 4,778 violations and imposed fines, recovered payments and seized goods worth VND103 billion ($3.9 million), exceeding targets by 143.33%.

At the same time, administrative reform and digital transformation advanced strongly, with more than 1.1 million pages of records digitized and nearly 100% of work dossiers processed online.

For 2026, the sector targets export growth of 12%, industrial growth of 9.7%, wholesale and retail growth of 13.12%, CPI control below 4.5% and 100% of operating industrial clusters equipped with standard wastewater treatment systems.

Priorities include developing processing and manufacturing industries and high technology, completing industrial cluster infrastructure, expanding markets, logistics and modern commerce, boosting exports and integration, ensuring energy security and efficiency and creating breakthroughs through digital transformation.

With the strong 2025 foundation, the Hanoi industry and trade sector is expected to continue making significant contributions to the capital's growth and sustainable development in 2026 and beyond.

Hanoi requires renewed thinking to achieve 11% growth in 2026

At the meeting, leaders of departments and agencies agreed that in 2025 the industry and trade sector made major contributions to fulfilling the city's socio-economic development tasks.

However, the city's industrial structure still relies heavily on small household production, while high-tech and supporting industries have yet to achieve clear breakthroughs. Some export indicators increased, but the commodity structure requires closer review.

In 2026, Hanoi has set a high growth target, requiring the industry and trade sector to define its pillar role.

Growth targets for industry, exports and industrial zones and clusters have been set, but they must closely link with growth quality, technological innovation and digital transformation.

The city must also clarify new growth drivers, especially in supporting industries, logistics, distribution and energy security.

Speaking at the meeting, Vice Chairman Quyen stressed the need for strong renewal in thinking, awareness and working methods to meet high growth targets in 2026 and subsequent years.

Regarding human resources, he noted that the sector has a management system extending to the grassroots, with many long-serving staff leading to routine and complacency.

The city is therefore studying plans to rotate some department and division heads and even senior leaders, to grassroots levels to create substantive changes in task execution.

Entering 2026, Quyen emphasized that renewal in thinking must be fundamental. Incremental and cautious changes will not meet requirements.

He highlighted three pillars: digital transformation, innovation and application of science and technology. Hanoi has implemented digital transformation for enterprises and achieved 100% level-four online public services.

Innovation should begin with concrete actions, such as streamlining processes and shortening documents while maintaining effectiveness. Science and technology must advance in both research and practical application.

"To raise growth from about 8.16% to at least 11% in 2026, the city must accelerate strongly. Tasks must start immediately from the first day, first month and first quarter of the year," Vice Chairman Quyen stressed.

Industry and trade sector as the capital's growth engine

Delivering concluding remarks, Chairman Thang affirmed that the industry and trade sector has long been identified as a key driver of Hanoi's socio-economic development.

In practice, especially in 2025, the sector clearly demonstrated its role and contributions to the city's overall growth.

According to Thang, 2025 recorded very positive results for Hanoi, with the industry and trade sector continuing to play a central role.

The number of new industrial and commercial products increased markedly and many new key products emerged.

Handicraft and small-scale industries expanded production facilities, while indicators for turnover and output value showed strong growth, confirming the effectiveness of state management by the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade.

The city administration leader also recognized and commended the sector's contributions in 2025 and in previous years.

Entering 2026 and beyond, Hanoi and the country move into a new development phase with rising demands, he said.

The city has raised its growth target from 8% to 11%, creating significant pressure on progress and quality.

Many tasks that previously took six months or a year must now be completed in much shorter timeframes, even on a daily basis.

In this context, Chairman Thang stressed that the industry and trade sector must strongly transform its mindset, approach and organizational methods, fully internalize the city leadership's directives and create truly decisive momentum.

For 2026 directions and tasks, he said the sector aligned closely with the city's overall mission, set comprehensive goals and specific targets based on scientific analysis and practical conditions and aimed to contribute effectively to the 11% growth target.

He requested continued review and refinement of programs and plans to ensure effective implementation. Alongside achievements, Chairman Thang pointed out issues requiring attention.

In reality, many projects submitted to the city focused on real estate, commerce, tourism and services, while production and manufacturing projects remained limited.

This reflects constraints in developing processing and manufacturing industries, whose growth lags behind the national average.

Hanoi already has the Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park and is attracting high-tech industries. However, Chairman Thang emphasized the need to maintain certain processing and manufacturing sectors at appropriate levels, while adopting policies to promote both high-tech and supporting industries.

Transforming the investment promotion center into an industrial promotion center requires proper attention and closer linkage with support for production and manufacturing enterprises, in line with encouraging private sector investment.

Regarding industrial planning, Hanoi continues to pursue industrialization and modernization linked with science and technology, ensuring appropriate shares and high technological content in the economic structure.

The plans for industrial zones and clusters must fully integrate into the capital's master plan, align along major development corridors and create production space and livelihoods for residents.

For the zones already planned but delayed, the city must review, adjust and resolutely implement them, aiming for completion by 2030.

In commerce and services, Chairman Thang highlighted the strong impact of e-commerce, calling for careful consideration in planning traditional commercial centers, stronger management and better organization of distribution systems aligned with new trends, while enhancing Hanoi's role as a logistics hub.

In energy, rising demand will require power infrastructure to move ahead, ensuring stable and clean electricity for long-term development.

Market management and consumer protection also remain critical tasks for a city of more than 10 million residents.

Chairman Thang expressed high expectations for the industry and trade sector and called for continued innovation, decisive action and successful fulfillment of assigned tasks, contributing more strongly to economic growth and the goal of building Hanoi into a science- and technology-based industrialized and modernized capital.