Announcing the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) in 2024

According to the PCI 2024 results, Hai Phong won the first place for the first time with 74.84 points; 2nd place belonged to Quang Ninh province with 73.20 points; 3rd place was Long An with 72.64 points; 4th place was Bac Giang province with 71.24 points; 5th place was Ba Ria - Vung Tau province with 71.17 points.

Among the top 10, Hung Yen is named for the first time, along with Hue, Hau Giang, Phu Tho and Dong Thap.

The group of 30 provinces and cities with the best governance quality in 2024 also recorded many positive movements of some localities such as Ha Nam reaching 22nd place for the first time - the best result ever; Thai Binh also returned to the top 30 after 3 years.

Six centrally-run cities, namely Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Hue, Da Nang and Can Tho, are all in the group of 30.

According to the rankings, the PCI index of Nghe An province in 2024 reached 66.48 points, ranked 44/63 provinces and cities nationwide, maintaining the same ranking as in 2023, ranked 2nd in the North Central region (after Thanh Hoa province).

According to the PCI 2024 report, Nghe An province has increased component indexes compared to 2023. Of which, the Market Entry Index reached 7.92 points (up 0.59 points); land access reached 7.01 points (up 0.76 points); business support policies reached 8.01 points (up 0.45 points); legal institutions and security and order reached 7.68 points (0.97 points).

The year 2024 marks an important milestone in the nearly 20-year journey of implementing the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) - an initiative to reflect the voice of the business community on the quality of economic management and investment environment in Vietnam.

Over two decades, PCI has become a reliable tool to promote administrative reform, improve the business environment and enhance local competitiveness, thereby contributing to nurturing and developing the private economic sector - the pillar of a dynamic and sustainable economy.

The PCI 2024 report was published in the context that Vietnam is entering a period of strong transformation with the aspiration of 8% GDP growth by 2025 and reaching double digits in the following years.

This goal requires strong determination to improve institutional foundations, enhance governance quality and create a favorable, efficient and transparent business environment.

In that context, PCI continues to act as a mirror reflecting the operational reality in provinces and cities, helping localities identify strengths and weaknesses and thereby have appropriate improvement directions.

This year’s survey was conducted with responses from nearly 11,000 businesses, including both domestic private and foreign-invested enterprises. Businesses continued to express confidence in local authorities, especially in areas such as information transparency, labor quality and online administrative procedure reform.

However, the report also shows that there are problems that need attention, such as land access remains a major obstacle, legal compliance costs remain high and the dynamism of local governments in some places shows signs of decline.

PCI 2024 will be the final PCI report to fully assess 63 provinces and cities before the process of merging provincial-level administrative units according to Resolution No. 60-NQ/TW of the Party Central Committee is implemented from 2025.

Regarding the Provincial Green Index (PGI) in 2024, Hai Phong city has a total score of excellent results in the four component indexes leading the rankings with 29 points. The next positions are Vinh Long, Ha Nam, Bac Ninh, Binh Duong, Long An.

In 2024, Nghe An province's Provincial Green Index (PGI) was 25.98 points, ranking 20th out of 63 provinces and cities nationwide. In particular, the component indexes all increased in points: Ensuring compliance reached 7.42 points (up 1.46 points); promoting green practices reached 5.13 points (up 1.56 points); incentive policies and support services reached 6.98 points (up 1.68 points); minimizing pollution and natural disasters reached 6.44 points (up 0.02 points).

Since 2005, PGI has been a set of indicators to evaluate and rank environmentally friendly localities from the perspective of business practices such as: the level of application of environmentally friendly technology by local enterprises, the level of management and environmental behavior of enterprises, the level of interest and willingness to invest in environmental issues of local authorities and many other important environmental issues.