What factors propelled Nghe An's IIP (Industrial Park) into the top 4 nationwide?
In the overall picture of industrial growth across the country in the first half of 2026, Nghe An stands out as a noteworthy bright spot.
The province's Industrial Production Index (IIP) is estimated to have increased by 23.01% compared to the same period last year, more than double the national average (10.8%) and ranking 4th among 34 provinces and cities.
The significant gap compared to the overall growth rate indicates that Nghe An's industry is entering a phase of acceleration with completely different momentum compared to previous years.
According to data from the General Statistics Office (Ministry of Finance), the national Industrial Production Index (IIP) in the first six months of the year saw its highest increase since 2019, mainly driven by a 11.4% increase in the processing and manufacturing sector.
However, Nghe An's growth is not driven by cyclical factors or the recovery of a few traditional industries, but rather stems from changes in its production structure. This is a crucial difference.
While in the past, Nghe An's industry relied heavily on mining, construction materials, and agricultural processing, the manufacturing sector has now become the main engine of growth.
In the first six months of the year, this sector grew by 25.02%, higher than the overall growth rate of the entire industrial sector and more than double the growth rate of the manufacturing industry nationwide.
A closer look at industrial products reveals a clear shift in growth trends. Sales of electronic components increased 3.9 times year-on-year. BSE speakers saw nearly 70% growth, charging docks over 67%, microphones nearly 46%, and wireless headphones over 16%.
The above results show that the wave of foreign direct investment in recent years is proving to be very effective. Factories belonging to Luxshare - ICT Nghe An, Radiant Opto Electronics, Fuan Vietnam Technology, Fu Wing Interconnect Technology, Runergy Vietnam, and Innovation Precision have all entered a stable production phase and are continuing to expand their capacity. Simultaneously, many projects are accelerating their completion to begin production, adding new production capacity.
The textile and footwear sectors also recorded positive changes. Some businesses have shifted to higher value-added processes instead of focusing solely on processing.
The Viet Fast shoe factory and the Andromeda project maintain stable production; the Cypress, Nakano, and Mareep projects are expected to add more production capacity in the second half of the year.
Although it hasn't generated the same dramatic growth as the electronics sector, this industry continues to play a crucial role in job creation and industrial production expansion.
Industrial momentum has quickly been reflected in the size of the economy. In the first six months of 2026, Nghe An's GRDP at constant prices reached approximately VND 127,949.6 billion.
Of this, the industrial sector generated approximately VND 25,628.7 billion in added value. Most notably, the processing and manufacturing industry achieved approximately VND 21,401.7 billion, equivalent to over 83% of the total added value of the entire industrial sector.
This ratio indicates that the majority of Nghe An's industrial production value is currently generated from processing and manufacturing activities. In essence, this is a positive shift because this sector has always had high labor productivity, rapid technological innovation capabilities, and a significant contribution to exports.
According to current data, Nghe An's GRDP in 2025 is projected to reach approximately VND 236,517.8 billion, equivalent to about USD 9.4 billion. If the GRDP growth target of 10.5-11.5% is achieved in 2026, the province's economy is expected to reach approximately VND 261,352-263,718 billion, equivalent to USD 10.05-10.14 billion, marking the first time Nghe An's economy has exceeded USD 10 billion.
To realize this goal, agriculture continues to play a stabilizing role, services recover based on purchasing power and tourism, but the sector with the potential to create a leap in added value remains the processing and manufacturing industry.
Therefore, the challenge for the last six months of the year is not simply to maintain the growth rate of the Industrial Production Index (IIP), but to transform that growth rate into real economic value, increase the localization rate, expand linkages between FDI enterprises and domestic enterprises, and increase the contribution of the industrial sector to the GRDP.
With the processing and manufacturing industry continuing to play a leading role, Nghe An has the foundation to strive to achieve the growth target of 10.5-11.5% in 2026; while simultaneously expanding the size of its economy beyond the $10 billion mark and creating room for the next phase of development.
