FTA Index 2025 · Provincial Brief

Bac Ninh

Provincial performance in implementing free trade agreements

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Performance tier

Band 5 of 6 — 30th of 34 assessed provinces and cities.

Overall score

14.29

/ 40

Below the national average of 21.66 by 7.37 points.

Weakest pillar

31/ 34

Sustainable development — the widest gap of the four pillars (−2.57).

Four component indexes at a glance

A Information access

Rank 31 / 34

2.83 / 10 -1.96 vs avg

B Implementation of Legal Documents

Rank 26 / 34

3.44 / 10 -1.76 vs avg

C Policies Supporting Enterprises' FTA Utilisation

Rank 30 / 34

4.95 / 10 -0.87 vs avg

D Sustainable development commitments

Rank 31 / 34

3.39 / 10 -2.57 vs avg

★ Relative strengths

#7 A3 — Channels through which enterprises access information on FTAs

#13 A8 — Quality of forecasting and market-orientation information from local authorities

#16 C1 — FTA utilisation

#19 B4 — Complexity of compliance with legal documents

Critical gaps

#33 D2 — Perceived impact of sustainable development commitments

#32 A7 — Quality of FTA-related events

#31 A5 — Frequency of participation in FTA-related events

#29 D3/D5/D6 — Readiness and support for sustainable development compliance

Source: FTA Index 2025; scale 1–5; ranks out of 34 provinces

01

Overview of the result

Bac Ninh scored 14.29 out of 40, ranking 30th of 34 and placing it in the “Average” tier. The province is 7.37 points below the national average of 21.66. This result reveals a paradox: although Bac Ninh is a major FDI and export hub, its FTA implementation support ecosystem remains among the least developed in the country. All four pillars are below the national average, with the largest gap in sustainable development (−2.57).

Performance across the four component indexes

Bac Ninh National average

A Information access

2.83

4.79

-1.96

B Implementation of Legal Documents

3.44

5.21

-1.76

C Policies Supporting Enterprises' FTA Utilisation

4.95

5.82

-0.87

D Sustainable development commitments

3.39

5.97

-2.57

02

Detailed analysis by component index

A

Component Index 1

Information access

2.83 / 10

Rank 31 / 34 · -1.96

Overview

The province's communication system is not reaching the business community effectively: participation in FTA-related events ranks 31st, the quality of those events 32nd, and the online-portal indicator 28th. Two indicators stand out positively: the quality of forecasting and market-orientation information (A8) ranks 13th, above the national average, while the channels through which enterprises access FTA information (A3) rank 7th. Official channels and social media are the two most common means of delivery; other platforms remain little used.

By firm type

Most firms report that official information meets only part of their needs. Large exporters and FDI firms assess it somewhat more positively than small and state-owned firms. This suggests that the information provided is not yet tailored to the diverse needs of the business community, particularly private domestic and small firms.

Bac Ninh 2.83

National average 4.79

-1.96 vs avg

National rank by indicator

#7 Channels through which enterprises access information on FTAs #13 Quality of forecasting and market-orientation information from local authorities #31 Frequency of participation in FTA-related events #32 Quality of FTA-related events #28 Quality of FTA-related information on the online portal

B

Component Index 2

Implementation of Legal Documents

3.44 / 10

Rank 26 / 34 · -1.76

Overview

All of Bac Ninh's indicators in this component fall below the national benchmark. Understanding of legal documents (B1) and the quality of local-authority guidance (B3) both rank 26th. Indicators covering guidance, training, policy dialogue and enterprise feedback on legal documents rank 27th–29th. The strongest result is firms' assessment of the complexity of compliance (B4, 19th), suggesting that firms do not consider the regulations unworkable; the main constraint is limited implementation support. The gap with the national average is particularly pronounced for training on FTA-related legal documents.

By firm type

Small and private domestic firms receive very limited guidance on FTA obligations, especially newer commitments, whereas FDI firms receive support more regularly. FTA training resources are therefore distributed unevenly, reaching large and FDI firms more consistently than small firms.

Bac Ninh 3.44

National average 5.21

-1.76 vs avg

National rank by indicator

#19 Complexity of compliance with legal documents #26 Understanding of legal documents #27 Frequency of local authority guidance on legal documents #28 Frequency of participation in training on FTA commitment implementation #29 Frequency of enterprise feedback on legal documents related to FTA commitments

C

Component Index 3

Policies Supporting Enterprises' FTA Utilisation

4.95 / 10

Rank 30 / 34 · -0.87

Overview

This is Bac Ninh's best-performing pillar, scoring only 0.87 points below the national average, with the FTA utilisation indicator (C1) ranking 16th. Given the province's concentration in machinery and electronics exports, firms mainly utilise FTA commitments directly relevant to these product groups, including SPS and TBT provisions. Trade promotion, access to support policies and policy effectiveness remain relatively weak (23rd–30th).

By firm type

Policy assessments also vary by firm size: around 60% of small firms rate the effectiveness of support programmes as average, while 40% of medium-sized firms assess FTA implementation and FDI linkage policies positively. Private domestic firms show greater interest in specialised support, including brand development and access to finance.

Bac Ninh 4.95

National average 5.82

-0.87 vs avg

National rank by indicator

#16 FTA utilisation #21 FTA utilisation activities #23 Access to competitiveness support policies #29 FTA commitments utilised #29 Participation in trade promotion programmes

D

Component Index 4

Sustainable development commitments

3.39 / 10

Rank 31 / 34 · -2.57

Overview

Sustainable development is Bac Ninh's greatest weakness across all four pillars. Firms' assessment of the impact of sustainable development commitments ranks 33rd. Readiness to comply, the perceived importance of compliance and the forms of support available all rank 29th.

By firm type

Nearly half of small and private domestic firms report having made no preparations, whereas 10–20% of FDI firms report that they already meet the requirements in full.

Bac Ninh 3.39

National average 5.97

-2.57 vs avg

National rank by indicator

#33 Perceived impact of sustainable development commitments #29 Readiness to comply with sustainable development commitments #29 Perceived importance of compliance with import-market sustainable development commitments #29 Forms of support for compliance with sustainable development commitments #26 Understanding of sustainable development commitments

03

Conclusions & implications

Strengths to build on

Strong potential for broader FTA utilisation: Bac Ninh has a strong export base, while firms' FTA utilisation is broadly in line with the national average.

Forecasting and market information are a bright spot: firms assess this information positively when they receive it, supporting the case for stronger multi-channel delivery.

The bottleneck is implementation support: firms do not find the compliance requirements too hard (B4 at 19th); the constraint is a shortage of guidance and support to build compliance capacity.

Limitations to address

Information coverage is severely limited: information access ranks 31st of 34, showing that the communication system is not reaching firms at scale.

Sustainability readiness remains far below the national average: 31st of 34, a serious gap for a province that is a key electronics exporter to the EU and CPTPP member markets.

Implementation support sits in the bottom group: training, guidance and advice rank only 27th–29th, risking domestic firms falling further behind.

Next steps

Address the bottlenecks to move into the highest group

1

Expand information delivery

Offer Zalo and email subscriptions, plus sector-specific FTA bulletins for electronics exporters.

A 31st → higher

2

Practical training for SMEs

Provide practical guidance on FTA-related legal implementation for private domestic firms and SMEs.

B 26th → higher

3

A sector-specific sustainability programme

CBAM, due diligence & green compliance for electronics supply chains.

D 31st → higher

4

Establish a provincial FTA focal point

A single point for advice, business matching & information services.

Institutional capacity