Ha Noi maintains decent economic growth amidst COVID-19 pandemic

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Evaluating Ha Noi’s socio-economic development performance so far this year, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Le Hong Son said that in the context of COVID-19, the city has developed and implemented specific response plans and scenarios, ensuring the timely handling of all pandemic situations. 

The first half of 2021 saw Ha Noi register certain results in terms of socio-economic development, with its gross regional domestic product (GRDP) estimated to expand by 5.91%, higher than the figure recorded in the first half of 2020 (3.39%), but lower compared to the first half of 2019 (7.21%), Son stated.

According to the Director of the municipal Department of Planning and Investment, local trade activities have been going on well, with pandemic prevention and control strictly implemented in retail outlets. Ha Noi’s total retail sales of goods and consumer service revenue during the period were estimated to reach VND289.652 trillion (US$12.56 billion), up 7.2% year-on-year, of which retail sales of goods stood at VND197.535 trillion (US$8.57 billion), up 9.5%.

In the first six months of the year, the city has provided employment for 96,775 out of 160,000 workers, meeting 60.5% of the year’s plan, up 20.1% over the same period last year as the pandemic broke out, and equivalent to the same period in 2019 as the local socio-economic development conditions were in the normal state.

The assessment of the department shows that in the first half of 2021, Ha Noi’s economic growth has been maintained at a higher rate than the same period in 2020; however, it is much lower than the figure recorded at the same period in 2019, and even lower than the lowest scenario (7%) given at the beginning of the year./.

By Vien Nhu