Ba Ria-Vung Tau leads southeast region in 2024 PCI

The 2024 PCI report ranks Haiphong at the top with 74.84 points, followed by Quang Ninh (73.20), Long An (72.64), Bac Giang (71.24), and Ba Ria-Vung Tau (71.17). With this score, Ba Ria-Vung Tau improved its national position by one spot compared to 2023 and maintained its leading status in the Southeast region for the third consecutive year.

Speaking at the PCI announcement ceremony, Pham Tan Cong, chairman of the VCCI emphasised that the PCI, is more than just a ranking.

“It is an annual dialogue between the business community and local governments, a space where enterprises voice their practical concerns directly, and where local authorities can listen and take action,” Cong noted.

He also added that in the context of Vietnam aiming for 8 per cent GDP growth in 2025, the PCI continues to play an important role in revealing hidden barriers that hinder business activity, enabling the development of a more transparent, efficient, and equitable regulatory landscape.

For Ba Ria-Vung Tau, the climb in the PCI rankings is attributed to a strategic push for administrative reform.

Following its sixth-place finish in 2023, Ba Ria-Vung Tau People’s Committee issued Plan No. 170/KH-UBND in July 2024, setting key initiatives aimed at improving governance quality and removing friction in business procedures. The plan outlines several targeted actions, including reducing informal costs for businesses, streamlining procedures for land use rights certification, and enhancing transparency in planning and investment. These are among the 10 sub-indices measured in the PCI, such as entry costs, land access, transparency, time costs, informal charges, policy bias, proactivity of local leadership, law enforcement, business support services, and labour training.

One of the most notable efforts has been the local government’s commitment to eliminating informal costs and procedural delays often faced by businesses. The province has taken firm steps to root out petty corruption related to conditional business licensing, unofficial payments during inspections, and lengthy delays in land-use rights certification. It also aims to increase the availability of clean land and ensure administrative procedures are processed within stipulated timelines.

In line with these efforts, Ba Ria-Vung Tau recently implemented a data-sharing initiative between notary offices and provincial agencies in mid-April, simplifying land-related transactions and increasing transparency for both businesses and residents.

The province has also established a special task force headed by the chairman of the People’s Committee, alongside a public hotline to receive and address concerns from enterprises and citizens.

Thanks to these efforts, Ba Ria-Vung Tau has consistently remained in the national top 10 PCI rankings for the past four years (2021–2024). Its rise from sixth in 2023 to fifth in 2024 underscores the effectiveness of its reforms and ongoing commitment to improving the local business climate.

Notably, this year marks the final PCI ranking to include all 63 cities and provinces, as Vietnam plans to restructure its provincial administrative units by the end of 2024. The transition underscores the growing importance of tools like the PCI, not only in measuring local competitiveness, but also in guiding national reform efforts during a critical phase of economic transformation.

The steady “inflow” of foreign direct investment (FDI) into Ba Ria-Vung Tau highlights the province's strong appeal to international investors.

Ba Ria-Vung Tau has emerged as an enticing destination for sustainable and high-value investment, with significant growth in foreign direct investment and a strategic focus on the advanced technology and renewable energy sectors.

The ceremony to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Ba Ria-Vung Tau (April 27, 1975 – April 27, 2025) was held on April 26 in Vung Tau city.