FTA Index 2025 · Provincial Brief
Thanh Hoa
Provincial performance in implementing free trade agreements
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Performance tier
Good
Good
Band 2 of 6 — 3rd of 34 provinces and cities assessed.
Overall score
9.27 points above the national average (21.66).
Strongest pillar
2 / 34
Support policies — all four pillars sit in the national top 5.
Four component indexes at a glance
A
Information access
Rank 3 / 34
7.13
/ 10
+2.34 vs avg
B
Implementation of Legal Documents
Rank 4 / 34
7.49
/ 10
+2.28 vs avg
C
Policies supporting firms in utilising FTAs
Rank 2 / 34
7.40
/ 10
+1.58 vs avg
D
Sustainable development commitments
Rank 4 / 34
8.27
/ 10
+2.30 vs avg
★ Core strengths
#2
A9 / Pillar C — Quality of FTA-related information on the online portal / Support Policies
#2
D5 — Perceived importance of compliance with import-market sustainable development commitments
#3
A1 / A7 / C6 — Knowledge of FTAs / Quality of FTA-related events / Access to competitiveness support policies
#4
A2/A4/A5/B3/B5/C7/C9.2 — a broad group of top-ranked indicators
Distance to the leading group
#15
A8 — Quality of forecasting and market-orientation information from local authorities
#15
C3 — FTA utilisation activities
#17
D2 — Perceived impact of sustainable development commitments
#18
A6 — Sources of information on FTA-related events
Source: FTA Index 2025; scale 1–5; ranks out of 34 provinces
01
Overview of the result
Thanh Hoa scores 30.93 out of 40, ranking 3rd of 34, and falls in the Good band. The province sits 9.27 points above the national average (21.66), pointing to a relatively comprehensive and stable record on FTA implementation. Notably, Thanh Hoa is in the leading group on all four pillars: information access ranks 3rd, legal implementation ranks 4th, support policies rank 2nd and sustainable development ranks 4th nationally. With its industrial and export base and sectors such as oil refining, textiles, footwear and agricultural products, Thanh Hoa should concentrate on consolidating its existing advantages while closing the remaining gaps on items such as market forecasting and orientation information and the range of FTA utilisation activities.
Thanh Hoa
National average
A
Information access
+2.34
B
Implementation of Legal Documents
+2.28
C
Policies supporting firms in utilising FTAs
+1.58
D
Sustainable development commitments
+2.30
02
Detailed analysis by component index
A
Component Index 1
Information access
7.13 / 10
Rank 3 / 34 · +2.34
Overview
Thanh Hoa records a very positive result on this pillar, with many indicators in the national leading group. Firms’ knowledge of FTAs is relatively high (ranking 3rd), while FTA-related information provided by the authorities, the quality of information provided and the frequency of participation in FTA-related events all rank 4th. The quality of FTA-related information on the online portal, in particular, ranks 2nd, indicating that official information channels are well recognised within the business community. A few items — the channels through which firms access FTA information, sources of information on FTA-related events and the quality of forecasting information — need somewhat more improvement than the rest.
By firm type
Participation in FTA-related communication activities is fairly active across many groups, with micro firms and state-owned enterprises recording notably high participation. Conferences and workshops, the press, television and training programmes are the most widely used channels, while printed and electronic publications are drawn on less regularly. Firms generally rate the quality, specificity, reliability and timeliness of FTA information well.
+2.34 vs avg
National rank by indicator
#3 Knowledge of FTAs
#4 Authorities provide FTA information
#15 Quality of forecasting information
#16 Channels for accessing FTA information
#18 Sources of information on FTA events
B
Component Index 2
Implementation of Legal Documents
7.49 / 10
Rank 4 / 34 · +2.28
Overview
Thanh Hoa shows solid legal support capacity, not only in providing information but also in accompanying firms as they apply the rules. Guidance, training and responsiveness from local authorities all sit in the leading group, lowering the cost of understanding the rules and the compliance risk firms face. Firms’ understanding of the legal documents, however, lags behind several of the support indicators, indicating a need for deeper knowledge of sector-specific rules.
By firm type
Areas tied directly to commercial benefit — tariff preferences and rules of origin — are absorbed better, particularly among large firms and state-owned enterprises. Technical commitments such as SPS, TBT, intellectual property, trade remedies, labour and the environment are still understood unevenly, especially among small firms and domestic private firms.
+2.28 vs avg
National rank by indicator
#4 Quality of guidance on legal documents
#4 Participation in training on legal documents
#5 Uptake of enterprise feedback by local authorities
#7 Complexity of compliance with legal documents
#9 Understanding of legal documents
C
Component Index 3
Policies supporting firms in utilising FTAs
7.40 / 10
Rank 2 / 34 · +1.58
Overview
Thanh Hoa is in the leading group thanks to a fairly coherent enterprise support system. Access to support policies ranks 3rd, while policy effectiveness and the quality of trade promotion programmes both rank 4th, indicating that support activities are reasonably well matched to firms’ needs for competitiveness and market expansion. Utilisation of the FTAs Vietnam has signed ranks 6th and the FTA commitments utilised ranks 10th, reflecting a substantive base of FTA use. The main room for improvement lies in diversifying the activities through which firms utilise FTAs, currently ranked 15th, so that firms can go deeper into technical commitments, market standards and partner-matching opportunities.
By firm type
FTA utilisation remains concentrated in tariff preferences and rules of origin. Technical or newer commitments such as TBT, SPS, intellectual property, labour, the environment and trade remedies are used less frequently. The remaining barriers relate to reaching partners in FTA markets and a shortage of market information, particularly for small firms and FDI firms.
+1.58 vs avg
National rank by indicator
#3 Access to competitiveness support policies
#4 Quality of trade promotion programmes
#5 Participation in trade promotion programmes
#10 FTA commitments utilised
#15 FTA utilisation activities
D
Component Index 4
Sustainable development commitments
8.27 / 10
Rank 4 / 34 · +2.30
Overview
Thanh Hoa has a good base for turning sustainability requirements into an export advantage. The indicator on the importance of sustainability compliance for firms’ operations ranks 2nd, showing that firms see compliance not merely as an obligation but as bound up with competitiveness and market access. Understanding of sustainable development commitments and the forms of support available both rank 5th, while readiness to comply and the effectiveness of support also sit in the positive range. The item to improve is the perceived impact of sustainability commitments, currently ranked 17th, so that firms can see more concretely how these requirements bear on costs, orders and market standards.
By firm type
Large firms and FDI firms are better informed about sustainability requirements, particularly on biodiversity, forest management, marine resources, EUDR, CBAM and CSDDD. Micro firms and domestic private firms in the province, by contrast, are unclear about these newer and highly technical frameworks. Most firms expect the impact of sustainability commitments to be low to moderate, which puts Thanh Hoa in a position to convert existing awareness and readiness into a genuine compliance advantage.
+2.30 vs avg
National rank by indicator
#2 Perceived importance of compliance with import-market sustainable development commitments
#5 Understanding of sustainable development commitments
#7 Readiness to comply with sustainable development commitments
#9 Effectiveness of support from local authorities
#17 Perceived impact of sustainable development commitments
03
Conclusions & implications
Strengths to build on
A relatively comprehensive FTA implementation base: Thanh Hoa sits in the leading group on all four pillars, indicating that implementation capacity has developed fairly evenly across information, legal support, support policies and sustainable development.
The enterprise support system works reasonably well: legal guidance, training, policy access and trade promotion have helped firms lower the cost of understanding the rules, raise compliance capacity and widen market opportunities.
Sustainable development can become a competitive advantage: firms already see sustainability compliance as tied to competitiveness and market access — particularly important for export sectors such as textiles, footwear and industrial manufacturing.
Limitations to address
Forecasting and market-orientation information needs greater depth: Thanh Hoa should add sector-level bulletins, analysis and market alerts so that firms can respond faster to shifts in FTA markets.
The range of FTA utilisation activities needs to widen: firms still draw mainly on familiar benefits such as tariff preferences and rules of origin; the next step is to extend into technical commitments, market standards, labour, the environment and partner matching.
The economic payoff from sustainability compliance needs to be made clearer: firms need to see more concretely how sustainable development affects costs, orders, customer requirements and the ability to retain export markets.
Next steps
Address the bottlenecks to move into the highest group
1
Raise the quality of market forecasting
Provide sector-specific bulletins for textiles, footwear, oil refining and agriculture on changing conditions in FTA markets.
A8 · Rank 15 → top 5
2
Diversify how firms utilise FTAs
Guide firms to exploit FTAs beyond tariff preferences and rules of origin.
C3 · Rank 15 → top 10
3
Turn sustainability into an export advantage
Make the economic payoff of sustainability compliance explicit through concrete examples on orders, compliance costs, customer requirements, certification and market retention.
D2 · Rank 17 → top 10
4
Maintain an integrated FTA support desk
Connect information, legal guidance, trade promotion and sustainability support through one clear point of contact so firms can reach and use it more regularly.
Maintain and scale
