FTA Index 2025 · Provincial Brief
Cao Bang
Provincial performance in implementing free trade agreements
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Performance tier
Average
Average
Band 5 of 6 — 26th of 34 assessed provinces and cities.
Overall score
The score is 4.12 points below the national average of 21.66.
Weakest pillar
33/ 34
Sustainable development — the widest gap of the four pillars (−2.82).
Four component indexes at a glance
A
Information access
Rank 28 / 34
3.21
/ 10
-1.58 vs avg
B
Implementation of Legal Documents
Rank 23 / 34
4.23
/ 10
-0.98 vs avg
C
Policies Supporting Enterprises' FTA Utilisation
Rank 4 / 34
6.95
/ 10
+1.13 vs avg
D
Sustainable development commitments
Rank 33 / 34
3.15
/ 10
-2.82 vs avg
★ Key relative strengths
#1
C4 — FTA commitments utilised (highest nationally)
#2
C1 — FTA utilisation
#7
A2 — Authorities providing FTA information
#7
B6 — Frequency of enterprise feedback on legal documents related to FTA commitments
Critical areas for improvement
#33
D1 — Understanding of sustainable development commitments
#33
A1 — Knowledge of FTAs
#32
A4 — Quality of FTA information relative to business needs
#31
B1 — Understanding of legal documents
Source: FTA Index 2025; scale 1–5; ranks out of 34 provinces
01
Overview of the result
Cao Bang scored 17.54 out of 40, ranking 26th of 34 and sitting in the “Average” tier, 4.12 points below the national average of 21.66. The province presents a stark paradox: its firms are among the most active FTA users in the country — first nationally on the range of FTA commitments utilised and 2nd on overall FTA utilisation — yet the local support system remains thin. Access to support policy ranks near the bottom of the table, the quality of information supplied does not meet business needs, and capacity to meet sustainable development requirements is weak. That leaves considerable room for the province to widen and sharpen its support , particularly in meeting the core and most pressing needs of firms.
Cao Bang
National average
A
Information access
-1.58
B
Implementation of Legal Documents
-0.98
C
Policies Supporting Enterprises' FTA Utilisation
+1.13
D
Sustainable development commitments
-2.82
02
Detailed analysis by component index
A
Component Index 1
Information access
3.21 / 10
Rank 28 / 34 · -1.58
Overview
Firms reach information mainly through mass channels — press, television and social media (A3, 14th). Other routes — the local government website and Zalo account — barely reach firms at all. Notably, only large and FDI firms use the more specialised channels such as conferences, seminars and training; most small firms are unaware these exist. The Department of Industry and Trade remains the main information provider, with little involvement from sector-specific agencies (A2, 7th).
By firm type
On the quality of FTA communication events, large firms rate them far more positively (100%) than small firms (25%). Most large firms learn of events through state online portals, while small firms must find out through other sources. The quality of the information firms do reach (A8) is generally rated positively.
-1.58 vs avg
National rank by indicator
#7 Authorities providing FTA information
#14 Channels through which enterprises access information on FTAs
#33 Knowledge of FTAs
#32 Quality of FTA information relative to business needs
#31 Quality of FTA-related information on the online portal
B
Component Index 2
Implementation of Legal Documents
4.23 / 10
Rank 23 / 34 · -0.98
Overview
Business participation in feedback and consultation on the legal documents (B6) stands out at 7th nationally; participation in training (B5) ranks 15th; and local authorities' uptake of enterprise feedback (B7) ranks 18th. Firms are therefore relatively proactive in taking part in implementing and refining policy.
The gap between participation and implementation
Understanding of the legal documents (B1) and the quality of guidance on those documents (B3), however, both rank only 31st. That is a marked gap between willingness to participate and capacity to implement: firms contribute views actively but still lack the legal knowledge and practical guidance to apply the rules with confidence.
-0.98 vs avg
National rank by indicator
#7 Frequency of enterprise feedback on legal documents related to FTA commitments
#15 Frequency of participation in training on legal documents
#18 Uptake of enterprise feedback by local authorities
#24 Frequency of local-authority guidance on legal documents
#31 Understanding of legal documents
#31 Quality of guidance on legal documents
C
Component Index 3
Policies Supporting Enterprises' FTA Utilisation
6.95 / 10
Rank 4 / 34 · +1.13
Overview
This is the only pillar where Cao Bang beats the national average. The province ranks first nationally on the range of FTA commitments utilised by firms (C4), 2nd on self-assessed FTA utilisation (C1) and 3rd on FTA utilisation activities (C3). Among the commitments utilised (C4), tariff preferences are the most widely used — 75% among small firms and 100% among both medium-sized and large firms. Access to local support policy, however, sits at only 32nd and trade promotion activity ranks 29th — the high utilisation comes from firms’ own efforts rather than from the public support system.
By firm type
Use of the intellectual property commitments differs sharply: 100% of FDI firms exploit this group, against just 11.1% of private domestic firms. As many as 75% of small and medium-sized firms cite an unclear grasp of the commitments as a major obstacle; small firms also struggle to find partners and reach market information, both at 50%. Among private domestic firms, support on capital, credit and connection with foreign firms each draws 66.7% positive ratings, while training support on FTA-related content reaches only 33.3%.
+1.13 vs avg
National rank by indicator
#1 FTA commitments utilised
#2 FTA utilisation
#3 FTA utilisation activities
#6 Barriers to FTA utilisation
#29 Participation in trade promotion programmes
#32 Access to competitiveness support policies
D
Component Index 4
Sustainable development commitments
3.15 / 10
Rank 33 / 34 · -2.82
Overview
Sustainable development is Cao Bang's greatest weakness across all four pillars, concentrated in awareness and support quality. Firms’ knowledge of the sustainable development commitments in FTAs (D1) ranks 33rd, perceived impact of those commitments (D2) ranks 32nd, the effectiveness of support from local authorities (D4) ranks 31st, and the perceived importance of complying with import-market sustainable development commitments (D5) ranks 29th. Readiness to comply (D3) and the forms of support (D6) both rank 24th. Sustainable development is not yet fully integrated into the local trade agenda, even as EVFTA and CPTPP markets keep raising their standards.
By firm type
On knowledge (D1), not one response from small or large firms indicated partial or full understanding of the sustainability commitments. On readiness (D3), 50% of FDI firm responses reported having a plan or already implementing compliance measures, well above the 21.7% among private domestic firms. Most domestic firms still lack both the awareness and the capacity to adapt to rising sustainability requirements.
-2.82 vs avg
National rank by indicator
#24 Readiness to comply with sustainable development commitments
#24 Forms of support for compliance with sustainable development commitments
#29 Perceived importance of compliance with import-market sustainable development commitments
#31 Effectiveness of support from local authorities
#32 Perceived impact of sustainable development commitments
#33 Understanding of sustainable development commitments
03
Conclusions & implications
Strengths to build on
First nationally on exploiting FTA commitments: firms are notably effective at exploiting border-trade opportunities under RCEP and ASEAN.
Firms engage actively in policy feedback: 7th on participation in consultation, 15th on participation in FTA training.
The Department of Industry and Trade is an effective FTA information hub (7th), a role worth sustaining while broadening to sector departments such as Agriculture and Environment, and Science and Technology.
Limitations to address
Capacity to meet sustainability requirements is severely limited: knowledge ranks 33rd, perceived impact 32nd and the effectiveness of support from local authorities 31st.
The business support ecosystem is undeveloped: access to support policy ranks 32nd, trade promotion 29th — in stark contrast to the highest FTA utilisation in the country.
Information quality and depth do not meet demand: the quality of information supplied ranks 32nd, FTA information on the online portal 31st and forecasting and import-export market-orientation information 25th.
Next steps
Address the bottlenecks to move into the highest group
1
An FTA point of contact
A provincial focal point with regular guidance, an online portal, Zalo & a bulletin on border-trade rules.
Pillar A · 28th → higher
Turn active business participation into implementation capacity through clear, usable legal guidance material.
Pillar B · 23rd → higher
3
A sustainable development programme
Compliance support on environmental & labour commitments for exporters facing EVFTA/CPTPP standards.
Pillar D · 33rd → higher
Build greater commercial value from the broad range of commitments already used, especially sustainable development commitments.
Institutional capacity
