Six decades after liberation, Hanoi has become an economic hub for
Vietnam , and an economic engine for northern region, Nhan Dan (People)
online newspaper reported.
In the early days after taking
control of the city from the French, Hanoi’s residents entered a new
phase of restoring economic activity. During 1955-1960, many new
factories were built in Hanoi , laying foundation for the manufacturing
sector in Hanoi such as Hanoi Mechanical Factory, Tran Hung Dao
Mechanics and Gia Lam Mechanics. The first industrial co-operatives
named Nghia Do Co-operative, O Cach Jute Co-operative and Dan Chu
Glassware Co-operative.
During the first Five-Year Plan
(1961-1965), Hanoi’s fledgling industrial sector witnessed many
important events. It saw the formation of large industrial zones in
Thuong Dinh, Minh Khai, Yen Vien and Dong Anh. A range of State-owned
enterprises were born out of this period such as Rang Dong Lighting
Source and Vacuum Flask Company, Van Dien Phosphate Fertiliser Company,
Dong Anh Mechanics and Mai Dong Mechanics. For the first time, Hanoi
’s industrial sector was able to manufacture lathes, millers,
transformers, diesel engines, car parts, hammering machines, punching
machines and small generators. Products of the textile industry, such as
sweaters and knitted jackets, began to be exported.
During
1965-1975, when the American war in Vietnam entered the most critical
phase, Hanoi ’s industrial sector was faced with many difficulties.
Factories and industrial facilities had to be relocated to neighbouring
provinces, workers had to carry out two duties at the same time: working
and fighting.
From national unification in 1975 until 1986,
Hanoi ’s factories were struggling very hard due to old-fashioned
economic management mechanism, reductions in foreign aid, and a serious
lack of capital, materials and energy.
Only after the 6th Party
National Congress in 1986 did Hanoi ’s industrial sector undergo
dramatic changes. In the early 1990s, private companies and factories
were established and saw rapid development such as Geleximco, Xuan Loc
Tho, Hoang Vu and Tung Lam.
Many traditional craft villages in
Hanoi were restored to help rebuild the rural economy and made a
substantial contribution to the city’s export revenue. For the first
time, local factories were able to access new technology from developed
countries, such as Xuan Hoa Bicycles, Viet Ha Beer and Hanoi Soap.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) enterprises began to build factories
and Hanoi underwent rapid development. Pioneers of the capital’s
industry were joint ventures between Hanoi ’s Hanel Company and major
Asian companies such as Daewoo Hanel, Orion Hanel and Sumi Hanel in the
Sai Dong B Industrial Park in the mid-1990s. In early 2000, the
presence of big Japanese corporations such as Yamaha, Canon and
Panasonic in the Thang Long Industrial Park drew investment from
dozens of enterprises in the auxiliary industry from Taiwan ( China )
and the Republic of Korea .
Building a modern industry
Over the past 60 years, Hanoi ’s industrial sector has seen
continuous growth from several dozen State-owned factories and several
hundred handicraft co-operatives to nearly 100,000 industrial facilities
as of 2013, including 131 State-owned enterprises, 10,700 non-state
factories and businesses, and 410 FDI enterprises. In addition, Hanoi
has over 1,200 handicraft villages and tens of thousands of
craft-making households.
The structure of industrial sub-sectors
was re-arranged in a more appropriate way, in line with the master plan
to form specialised and high-tech industrial zones. International
integration has allowed Hanoi to become a strong magnet for foreign
investment and to adopt new technology transferred from advanced
economies. In addition to traditional products such as machine tools,
transformers, light bulbs, tyres, beer and confectionery, Hanoi ’s
industrial sector developed new key products such as printers, optical
parts, computers, motorbikes, food processing lines and granite.
The value of industrial export now accounts for 30 percent of total
industrial output, including high value added products such as IT
products, machines and electrical equipment. The Hanoi Capital Region
appears on the global industrial map as a major manufacturing centre of
mobile phones, printers, scanners and motorbikes.
Hanoi now is able to manufacture thousands of different types of high quality products
The contingent of Hanoi ’s workers has been growing strongly to
more than 700,000. Enterprises have been adopting advanced production
management and quality control systems from the US , Europe and Japan
to create new breakthroughs in management and administration.
Currently
there are over 500 enterprises with their respective annual revenue
exceeding 100 billion VND (4.7 million USD). In the future, the city
will focus on developing high-tech industries, so as to transform Hanoi
into a high-tech industrial hub of the country, a modern industry based
on knowledge, technology and high-quality human resources.-VNA