Thua Thien-Hue province led the way among the five localities in the central key economic region in GRDP growth in the first half of this year, with an estimated 6.51 per cent year-on-year, figures from the Provincial People’s Committee show.

The result ranked it 25th out of Vietnam’s 63 cities and provinces.

Its services sector contributed 49.7 per cent to the city’s GRDP while its agriculture, forestry and fishery sector made up 11.8 per cent.

Tourism was also a bright spot in the province’s development, with more than 1.6 million tourists visiting in the first half, a 2.3-fold increase year-on-year. Total revenue stood at nearly VND3.5 trillion ($147 million), for 2.5-fold growth.

Growth in tourism led to an increase in retail sales of goods and services, totaling VND28 trillion ($1.18 billion), up 13 per cent year-on-year.