On April 4, information from the Office of Cao Bang Provincial People's Committee, in the first quarter of 2026, the province's economy recorded an estimated GRDP growth of 7.5%, higher than the same period last year but still 2.19 percentage points lower than the proposed scenario.
According to assessments at the regular meeting of Cao Bang Provincial People's Committee in March, some economic indicators showed signs of positive changes.
Domestic revenue reached 648.8 billion VND, equal to nearly 38% of the estimate and an increase of 5.8% compared to the same period.
The agriculture, forestry and fishery sector increased by 2.26%, exceeding the plan; industrial production index increased by 16.8%; total retail sales of goods and consumer service revenue increased by 20.8%. In particular, tourism recovered strongly with an increase of 56.4%.
However, many key sectors have not met expectations. The industry - construction sector only increased by 12.91%, lower than the scenario by more than 9 percentage points; the service sector increased by 7.42%, not reaching the set target.
The economic structure is still heavily dependent on services, while the driving force from industry is not clear.
Import and export activities decreased significantly. As of the end of March, total turnover reached 187.5 million USD, down 16% compared to the same period; of which exports decreased by 30%, imports decreased by 63%, leading to a sharp decrease in revenue from this sector.
Notably, the disbursement progress of public investment capital is very low, reaching only 1.2% of the plan by the end of the first quarter.
This is identified as one of the major "bottlenecks" affecting growth. In addition, land management still has many limitations when data is not complete and lacks synchronization.
In addition to internal difficulties, natural disasters also caused heavy damage. Thunderstorms and hail in late March damaged more than 400 houses, nearly 380 hectares of crops were affected, with total estimated damage of over 43 billion VND.
Faced with the above reality, Chairman of Cao Bang Provincial People's Committee Le Hai Hoa requested departments, branches, and localities to firmly aim for a growth target of 10% or more in 2026, and at the same time rectify the situation of general reports, evasion of responsibility, and improve management efficiency in the coming time.
