New impetus for trade and service development

Trade and services play an important role in economic and social life, acting as a bridge between production and consumption, promoting the circulation of goods, creating jobs and improving people's quality of life.

The merger of the three provinces of Hoa Binh , Vinh Phuc and Phu Tho into the new Phu Tho province opens up great opportunities for the trade and service sectors to develop strongly. The economic space is expanded, the consumer market is larger in scale, creating favorable conditions for inter-regional connection, restructuring the distribution system, improving service quality and meeting development requirements in the new period.

With a population of about 4 million people, Phu Tho province has a large consumer market with high and diverse purchasing power, which is the driving force for the development of trade, logistics, retail, finance, tourism , and life services... The market size and consumption potential are increasingly attractive, promising to attract large investors to develop services in the area.

Currently, in the economic structure of the province, trade and services account for about 30%. The infrastructure of trade, services and tourism in the province is relatively developed, the distribution network is expanded in both urban and rural areas, meeting the shopping needs of the people. The whole province currently has over 360 markets, 9 shopping centers, 29 supermarkets; Winmart ⁺ convenience store system is widespread. The tourism infrastructure has over 40 tourist areas and spots, many of which are key tourist areas and spots of the province that have attracted a large number of tourists. Transportation business meets the needs of travel and transporting goods for production and business; forming a number of high-quality medical, educational , tourism, entertainment and other service products.

With a diverse retail platform, an expanding distribution system, and developing digital transformation, Phu Tho province is the premise for building a large-scale, dynamic, and highly competitive service system.

Co.opmart Viet Tri Supermarket with a diverse product system, contributes to the development of a modern retail network and stimulates domestic consumption.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Lan, Director of Dat Viet Xanh Investment and Tourism Joint Stock Company, Chairman of Phu Tho Province Tourism Association said: “In the current economic space of Phu Tho province, trade and services, including tourism, have great potential for development, especially in terms of product diversification. This is a favorable condition for the formation of inter-regional tours combining ecological, cultural, historical, spiritual, and resort tourism, etc., bringing richer and more attractive experiences to tourists. Expanding linkages between sectors also creates momentum for synchronous development of transportation, accommodation, cuisine, and entertainment, etc., contributing to improving the service capacity and competitiveness of the tourism industry in a sustainable and in-depth direction.”

In the first 6 months of 2025, the province's service sector recorded good growth, estimated at 8.2%. Supply-demand connection, trade promotion, and consumer stimulus were promoted; total retail sales of goods and social consumer service revenue in the first 6 months of the year were estimated at VND 94,150 billion. Of which, retail sales of goods accounted for the largest proportion at over 75%.

Green Food Cooperative (Viet Tri Ward) specializes in trading and consuming typical agricultural products of the province and other regional specialties. Mr. Cu Manh Hai, Director of the Cooperative said: “After the merger of the province, with a larger space, the typical products of Phu Tho province are more diverse and abundant, including from fresh agricultural products to processed foods. This is also an opportunity for cooperatives to expand their consumption markets, promote intra-provincial linkages, and enhance the value of local specialties”.

However, the development of trade and services in the province still has some limitations such as: Infrastructure, especially trade, transportation and logistics infrastructure, is not really synchronized; the level of human resources in the service industry is still limited, leading to low quality of some services. Tourism services have not developed commensurate with the potential, there are not many typical products to attract visitors, and are still seasonal...

In the coming time, the province will focus on developing competitive service industries, encouraging and facilitating the development of a network of trade centers, supermarkets, modern transportation and warehouse services, and developing logistics service centers. Effectively implement policies to support and stimulate domestic consumption; develop the domestic consumer market, e-commerce, and distribution systems through digital platforms; promote green and sustainable consumption; exploit natural landscape elements associated with cultural and historical relics to attract tourists; focus on linking localities in the province and with provinces in the region to help expand space, promote local strengths, form diverse and attractive tourism products, and enhance competitive advantages.

Nguyen Hue

Source: https://baophutho.vn/dong-luc-moi-cho-phat-trien-thuong-mai-dich-vu-237139.htm