On the morning of 31 July, Thanh Hoa Province hosted a ceremony to announce the results of its 2025 DCCI. Speaking at the event, Assoc. Prof. Dr Ho Sy Hung, President of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), emphasised, "DCCI results must extend beyond mere figures and rankings. They need to translate into concrete action, tangible reform initiatives, and positive, real-world transformations." 

Putting Businesses at the Heart of Reform

This is also the requirement of the Government: shifting decisively from "dialogue" to "action", and from "commitments" to outcomes that the business community can genuinely feel on the ground.

Mr. To Anh Dung, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Thanh Hoa Provincial People’s Committee, affirmed that 2025 serves as a pivotal year in implementing the Provincial Master Plan for 2021–2030, with a vision to 2050. Built around the strategic concept of "Five Pillars – Three Economic Zones – Five Growth Hubs – Six Economic Corridors", Thanh Hoa province aims for double-digit economic growth. To achieve this ambition, elevating administrative governance and improving support for local enterprises remain top priorities.

Notably, VCCI’s 2025 Private Sector Report highlights that Thanh Hoa ranks second nationwide in the proportion of businesses completing formal registration procedures within one week, reaching 68.5%. This milestone underscores the province's relentless efforts to streamline bureaucratic processes, cut processing times, and accelerate digital transformation across public management.

However, provincial leaders candidly acknowledged that the local business environment still has considerable room for improvement. According to the PCI 2025 (Version 2.0) results, Thanh Hoa remains in the "average governance quality" tier. Key indicators—including resource accessibility, fair competition, and the proactive support role of the local administration—require further enhancement. 

Consequently, refining the investment climate is not a short-term campaign but a continuous, ongoing journey. To achieve faster, more sustainable growth, reforms must be substantive, penetrating every public agency, municipality, and individual civil servant.

Driving Competitive Capabilities

Addressing the ceremony, Mr. Do Dinh Hieu, Director of VCCI Thanh Hoa - Ninh Binh, stressed that improving the investment climate requires more than just institutional overhaul—it demands a fundamental mindset shift towards business-oriented service across every level of government and civil service.

A standout feature of Thanh Hoa's 2025 DCCI is the inaugural roll-out of a two-tier local governance assessment model, encompassing all 166 communes and wards across the province.

Expanding the scope of the survey offers a more comprehensive evaluation of local governance while establishing a baseline to track the reform efficacy of the restructured apparatus in coming years. This year's survey drew participation from 2,441 enterprises, cooperatives, and individual business households—more than double the previous year's figure—reflecting growing confidence and interest from the business community in the Thanh Hoa DCCI project.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hung, Chairman of the Thanh Hoa Provincial Business Association, affirmed that the true value of the DCCI lies not in rankings or scores, but in its power to convert corporate feedback into tailored reform programmes, ultimately enhancing public administrative services and creating a more conducive investment environment.

Leaders of the VCCI Thanh Hoa - Ninh Binh Branch committed to serving as a robust bridge between the business community and local government tiers. They pledged to collaborate effectively on implementing the DCCI Scheme for 2026–2030, aiming to build a service-orientated administration, a development-enabling government, and a significantly more competitive Thanh Hoa.