General information

- Geographic location: Hoa Binh is bounded by Vinh Phu and Ha Tay provinces to the North, by Ninh Binh and Thanh Hoa provinces to the South, by Ha Tay and Nam Ha to the East and by Son La province to the West.

- Area: 4,662 km².

- Topographic features: Hoa Binh province’s topography is featured with mountains and forests, narrow valleys between mountain sides. The highest place in Hoa Binh is in Da Bac district (560m above sea level), the lowest one is in Hoa Binh town (20m)

- Administrative units: Hoa Binh province is divided into Hoa Binh city and 10 districts: Da Bac, Mai Chau, Tan Lac, Lac Son, Kim Boi, Luong Son, Lac Thuy, Yen Thuy, Ky Son, Cao Phong

- Population: 820,400 (Statistics of year 2006 – General Office of Statistics). 

Resources

- Natural resources: Hoa Binh’s natural land area is 466,253 hectares. The land is rich suitable for a variety of plants. Besides, many types of minerals can be exploited in Hoa Binh such as asbestos, coal, mineral water, limestone, etc, but remarkable are stone used for construction material production, materials used for cement production, mineral water exploited in large scale.

- Tourism resources: Hoa Binh has great potentiality for tourism development:  thrilling tours, trekking, hiking, hunting, stream bathing thanks to its endlessly stretched mountains and hills, caves (Hoa Tien, Thac Bo and Ret caves), primeval tropical forest (Pu Nooc), manmade lake in Da river where visitors can enjoy bays, islands, peninsula with rare and precious animals and plants.

- Human resources: Together with its advantages in natural resources, Hoa Binh is also proud of its human resources which helps bring success to investors. People of working age account for 75% of Hoa Binh’s total population are trained and of quite good quality, and the manpower cost is low here.

Infrastructure

- Transportation system: roadway and waterway are the major means of transportation in Hoa Binh. Several national highways run through the province such as national highways No. 6, 12B, 15 and 21. The transportation system has links from the city to the province’s districts and its neighbouring provinces, which is very good for the province’s socio-economic development. Besides, Da river running through Hoa Binh, Son La, Phu Tho, Ha Tay provinces and linking with Red river is good to develop effective waterway transportation.

- Water, electricity and post-telecommunication systems: These systems have been rapidly developed in the city, town and townlets and they can be even found in rural areas of the province. And hydro-electricity plant of Da river with the capacity of 1,920 MW can firmly ensure the province’s household and production needs.

- Industrial zones: It is planed for 2010 to develop 2 industrial zones which are Luong Son one and one on the left bank of Da river, Hoa Binh town.

+ Luong Son industrial zone: It is planned to be places for less toxic and populated industrial sectors such as electricity, electronic assembly, food processing, engineering assembly, precast concrete, tea processing, construction material production etc.

+ The industrial zone on the left bank of Da river, Hoa Binh town will be places for agricultural, forestry product processing (sugar, confectionary, soft drink, handicraft, wooden products, etc.), serving the agricultural, forestry production (organic fertilizers, cattle food), consumer goods production and for export (textile, footwear, plastics, electronics, engineering assembly, etc.)

Economic situations

- Growth rate: GDP has reached an average rate of 8% (2001-2005 duration which are the strategic period for socio-economic development) and the ever highest rate of 12.17% in 2006.

- Economic structures: The province’s economic structures have been changed with increase in industry, service, trade and tourism. 

Development plan up to Year 2010

 - GDP growth rate: It is planned to reach the rate of 7.7 to 9.5% yearly, in which Agriculture-Forestry-Fishery accounts for 33-36%, Industry – Construction accounts for 25-27%, Service accounts for 38-40%

- Sectors’ development plan:

            + Service: this sector will be developed with focus on tourism, trade together with banking, post, insurance and other social services like healthcare, education, etc.

            + Agriculture-Forestry-Fishery : types of plants, domestic animals will be changed for commodity economic development with the development of areas for industrial crops, orchards serving agricultural and industrial product processing, promotion of handicrafts to create more jobs, increase income and buying power of rural people.

            + Industry: this sector will be developed with focus on agricultural and industrial product processing, construction material production (brick, cement production) using local stones, clay, etc. to meet the expected construction demand  in Xuan Mai, Hoa Lac and neighbouring parts of Hanoi, labour-intensive industries (textile, footwear, electronic assembly, etc).