Three northern localities strengthen regional partnership to attract smart agriculture investment

The initiative was highlighted at the Investment Connectivity – Strengthening Regional Linkages for Smart Agriculture and Green Economy Development conference held on July 15, where officials from the three localities agreed that closer regional coordination is essential to unlock complementary advantages and develop a modern agricultural value chain.

Participants noted that agriculture is undergoing profound transformation, driven by digital technologies, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, big data and low-emission production models. Against this backdrop, regional collaboration is increasingly important to enhance competitiveness, strengthen food security, improve climate resilience and meet higher market standards.

Le Trung Hieu, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Finance, said regional cooperation should serve as a catalyst for expanding development space, mobilizing investment and increasing the value of agricultural production in northern Viet Nam.

He said each locality offers distinct strengths that can complement one another. Ha Noi is the region's center for science and technology, innovation, finance, trade and consumption; Bac Ninh is a leading hub for high-tech manufacturing and foreign investment; while Hung Yen has strong advantages in high-quality agricultural production, raw material development and food processing.

Connecting these advantages would help establish an integrated agricultural ecosystem spanning research, production, processing, logistics, trade and exports, creating new opportunities for businesses, investors and farmers, Le said.

He also called for a shift in investment promotion from showcasing individual provinces to presenting investors with a unified regional development space offering a complete value chain.

Ha Noi, he added, will continue working closely with neighboring localities to improve investment information sharing, facilitate business partnerships and attract projects in high-tech agriculture, logistics, digital transformation and the green economy.

Representing Bac Ninh, Nguyen Manh Cuong stressed that agriculture must evolve from traditional production towards a value chain-based agricultural economy driven by market demand, digital technologies and green production standards.

He said stronger regional cooperation would improve the use of land, infrastructure, technology and markets while enhancing the competitiveness of agricultural products.

According to Nguyen, Ha Noi serves as the region's centre for research, technology, finance and consumption, while Hung Yen contributes strengths in commercial agriculture, fruit cultivation, livestock production and food processing. Bac Ninh complements these advantages with its strong industrial base and extensive agricultural production.

In 2025, Bac Ninh's agricultural, forestry and fishery production was valued at around VND16.8 trillion (US$650 million). High-tech agriculture accounted for more than 35 percent of the province's agricultural output, while thousands of hectares of fruit and vegetable cultivation have been certified under VietGAP and export standards.

Under its provincial master plan, Bac Ninh aims to expand concentrated farming areas meeting VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards while promoting Agriculture 4.0 applications such as AI, big data and smart farming technologies. The province also plans to develop ecological agricultural zones featuring fruit production, medicinal plants, deep processing, cold-chain logistics, e-commerce and carbon credit development.

To deepen regional integration, Bac Ninh proposed five priority areas for cooperation, including developing a shared agricultural database and digital production map; strengthening research collaboration and technology transfer; building integrated processing, cold-chain logistics and distribution systems; establishing common standards and branding for green agricultural products; and coordinating investment promotion for projects in high-tech agriculture, food processing, logistics, traceability platforms and the circular economy.

Cuong emphasised that cooperation should move beyond memoranda of understanding towards concrete action plans with clearly defined responsibilities and implementation schedules. He also stressed the need to develop agricultural production based on each locality's comparative advantages rather than encouraging all provinces to produce the same products.

Dang Thai Son, Deputy Director of the Hung Yen Investment Promotion Centre, said the province's strategic location adjacent to Hanoi enables it to serve as a major supplier of fresh and processed agricultural products to the capital and the Northern Key Economic Region.

Hung Yen has developed more than 1,000 VietGAP and VietGAHP-certified production models applying modern farming technologies across products such as longan, lychee, rice, vegetables and ornamental plants.

However, Son noted that regional agricultural development continues to face challenges related to planning, land availability, logistics infrastructure, inconsistent certification standards and weak value-chain linkages.

To address these issues, Hung Yen proposed establishing a "Hanoi Technology Centre – Hung Yen Smart Farming" model, under which Hanoi would focus on research, biotechnology, seed development and processing technologies, while Hung Yen would provide large-scale production areas for commercial deployment.

The province also called for joint investment in specialised cold-chain logistics centres along Ring Road No. 4 and major expressways to facilitate the transport of fresh agricultural products to Hanoi's wholesale markets, supermarkets and Noi Bai International Airport for export.

In addition, Hung Yen proposed harmonising technical standards across the region under a "one certification, multiple acceptance" mechanism and expanding the use of blockchain technology to strengthen product traceability and consumer confidence.

The conference concluded with a shared commitment by Ha Noi, Bac Ninh and Hung Yen to deepen regional cooperation and develop an integrated smart agriculture ecosystem capable of attracting quality investment, accelerating technological innovation and promoting sustainable agricultural growth across the region./.