Authorities in central Thua Thien-Hue province have granted investment licenses to nine projects so far this year with total registered capital of over VND2 trillion ($84.3 million), according to the provincial Department of Planning and Investment.

Five were FDI projects with capital of $28.5 million.

There were 310 newly-established enterprises in the province in the first five months of the year, with total capital of more than VND1.54 trillion ($64.9 million), down 10.7 per cent in number and 39.9 per cent in capital year-on-year.

At a recent press briefing, the department reported that the province posted GRDP growth of 6.61 per cent in the first quarter, which is higher than the national average of 3.32 per cent. The figure ranked the province second out of five cities and provinces in the central economic zone. Its GRDP is expected to reach 7.5-8.5 per cent in the second quarter.