Hue
Provincial performance in implementing free trade agreements
Overview of the result
Hue scored 15.55 out of 40, placing it in the “Average” tier and ranking 28th of 34 provinces and cities — below the national average by 6.11 points . The result reveals a clear paradox: firms exploit FTAs on their own initiative, with FTA utilisation (C1) ranking 11th and the range of FTA utilisation activities (C3) ranking 7th, yet the institutional support system has not developed to match. The widest gaps sit in sustainable development (−2.23 points) and legal implementation (−2.03 points). Policy priority should fall on raising the quality of guidance on legal documents, widening trade promotion, and building capacity to meet sustainable development requirements.
Detailed analysis by component index
Access to FTA information from local authorities (A2, 12th) and the range of information-access channels (A3, 10th) show that Hue has established the basic delivery channels. The quality of information supplied relative to business needs (A4), however, ranks only 24th, the quality of FTA-related events (A7) ranks 27th, the quality of FTA-related information on the local online portal (A9) ranks 25th and forecasting and import-export market-orientation information (A8) ranks 22nd. The information system therefore has some coverage, but its quality and depth remain limited.
Press and television are the most common channel, reaching 79.7% of firms, followed by social media (69.5%). Web portals and conferences reach about half of firms, while training reaches just 18.6%. Fewer than half of firms (47.5%) attend FTA events even occasionally, and only 5.1% attend regularly. Large and FDI firms participate more actively than medium-sized and private domestic firms. On forecasting information, reliability draws 54.5% positive ratings, but overall quality, specificity and timeliness reach only around 41–46%. Access to information, and the benefit drawn from it, is therefore markedly uneven across firm groups.
This is one of Hue's weakest pillars. Understanding of the legal documents (B1), frequency of guidance on those documents (B2) and complexity of compliance (B4) all rank 29th, while enterprise participation in policy feedback and consultation (B6) ranks 30th. Even the better-performing indicators — the quality of guidance (B3) and participation in training (B5) — reach only 24th. Legal knowledge, frequency of support and firm participation all fall short of what FTA implementation requires.
Only about 14–31% of firms have a clear grasp of each main legal area, while 56–72% know nothing or hold only a basic understanding. The widest gaps are in intellectual property and SPS; FDI firms also score low across most areas. Just 12–27% of firms receive guidance regularly, and not a single FDI firm reports regular guidance on SPS, TBT, intellectual property or trade remedies. Meanwhile some 66–85% of firms rate the rules as fairly complex. SPS, TBT, labour, environmental and recently incorporated domestic requirements therefore remain a substantial burden.
This pillar captures Hue's FTA paradox most sharply. Self-assessed FTA utilisation (C1) ranks 11th and the range of FTA utilisation activities (C3) ranking 7th — among the best results relative to the national average. Access to support policies (C6), the effectiveness of support policies and programmes implemented by local authorities (C7) and the quality of trade promotion (C9.2) all rank only 29th. Firms are exploiting FTAs largely through their own capabilities, while the local support system has yet to produce any clear enabling effect.
FTA utilization remains concentrated in tariff preferences (84.7%) and rules of origin (61.0%), followed by trade facilitation (33.9%). However, substantial capability gaps persist: 52.5% of enterprises lack information on FTA markets, 49.2% do not clearly understand FTA commitments, and 42.4% struggle to identify and access potential partners. Constraints also vary across enterprise groups: FDI enterprises face greater difficulties meeting rules-of-origin requirements and technical standards in FTA markets, while small and domestic private enterprises encounter broader limitations in information, technology, finance, and market access. Trade-promotion programs have yet to generate meaningful commercial outcomes, with only 27–30% of enterprises assessing program relevance and supporting materials positively and just 9.1% reporting tangible benefits, such as identifying partners or signing contracts; notably, no small or medium-sized enterprise reports a positive commercial outcome from participation.
This is Hue's weakest pillar. The forms of support (D6) ranks 32nd, perceived impact on business operations (D2) ranks 31st, the effectiveness of support from local authorities (D4) ranks 30th, understanding of the commitments (D1) ranks 29th and readiness to comply (D3) ranks 28th. The best result is the perceived importance of complying with import-market sustainable development commitments (D5), at 19th. Firms have begun to recognise why compliance matters but lack the knowledge, preparation and support to turn that recognition into action.
Understanding of the labour and environmental commitments reaches only about 33–35%, and falls to 15–25% for forest management, EUDR, CBAM and other specialised requirements. Firms report significant impact mainly on environment (23.7%) and EUDR (22%), while CBAM registers just 6.9%. Local support is rated best on environmental compliance (59.3%) but reaches only around 34–46% across most specialised areas. Some 42–48% of firms report receiving no support at all on CBAM, fisheries and forest management. The gap matters most for seafood, wood and textile exporters.