Ha Nam, Ninh Binh, and Nam Dinh are set to merge into a single province, tentatively named Ninh Binh. So, how did the economies of these three provinces compare before becoming one?

The central government has approved a plan to reduce the number of provincial-level administrative units to 34 after the upcoming mergers. Under this arrangement, Ha Nam, Ninh Binh, and Nam Dinh will become one province named Ninh Binh, with the political-administrative center located in the current Ninh Binh Province.

All three provinces are located in the Red River Delta region and have strengths in industrial development, agriculture, and services.

According to preliminary data from the General Statistics Office, the Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) at current prices in 2023 was relatively similar among the three provinces. Nam Dinh had the highest GRDP, reaching approximately VND 98.738 trillion (about USD 4.02 billion). Ninh Binh followed with around VND 87.464 trillion (about USD 3.56 billion), and Ha Nam reached nearly VND 85.439 trillion (about USD 3.48 billion).

In terms of GRDP structure, the industrial and construction sectors held the largest share in Ha Nam and Nam Dinh, accounting for 64% and 42.61% respectively. In contrast, the service sector dominated in Ninh Binh, comprising 40.5% of the province’s GRDP.

Regarding domestic budget revenue, preliminary 2023 data showed Ninh Binh led with more than VND 13.990 trillion (about USD 569 million). Ha Nam followed with over VND 12.904 trillion (about USD 524 million), while Nam Dinh recorded nearly VND 9.715 trillion (about USD 395 million).

Despite these figures, the combined domestic revenue of all three provinces in 2023 represented just around 2.49% of the national total, which was reported at VND 1,471 trillion (about USD 59.83 billion) by the Ministry of Finance.

As for GRDP per capita in 2023, all three provinces trailed the national average of VND 102.9 million (about USD 4,186) per person per year.

Specifically, Ha Nam recorded a GRDP per capita of VND 97.6 million (about USD 3,968), Ninh Binh was at VND 86.6 million (about USD 3,522), and Nam Dinh stood at just VND 52.3 million (about USD 2,125). This places Nam Dinh at the bottom of the Red River Delta region, where the average GRDP per capita is VND 131 million (about USD 5,326).

In terms of attracting foreign direct investment (FDI), preliminary figures for 2023 show that Ha Nam led with 35 newly licensed FDI projects and a total registered capital of USD 549 million. Nam Dinh followed with 23 projects worth USD 336.3 million in registered capital. Ninh Binh lagged with just 7 projects totaling USD 111.3 million.

According to preliminary customs statistics, Ha Nam’s total export value in 2023 reached USD 7.542 billion. Ninh Binh and Nam Dinh followed with USD 2.585 billion and USD 2.522 billion, respectively.

Combined, the export value of these three provinces accounted for approximately 3.56% of Vietnam’s total export turnover in 2023.

Tam An