Speaking at the government's June meeting with local authorities, Thang said Hanoi's economy remained on track in the first half, with second-quarter GRDP expected to grow by more than 9 per cent. State budget revenue reached VND 410.99 trillion, or 63.2 per cent of the annual target, while public investment disbursement topped 53 per cent.
However, he said the results still fell short of the city's potential and the central government's double-digit growth target.
"Hanoi will accelerate in the second half of the year and will not lower its double-digit growth target," Thang added.
The city plans to speed up public investment, remove bottlenecks in land clearance, planning and investment procedures, and push ahead with strategic infrastructure projects, including ring roads, Red River bridges, urban railways and social housing.
It will also invest further in education, healthcare and other social services. Thang said Hanoi would build more schools and classrooms to ensure at least 80 per cent of students study at public institutions.
Meanwhile, Ho Chi Minh City Chairman Nguyen Van Duoc said the southern metropolis recorded 8.55 per cent economic growth in the first half, its highest in a decade.
With a population of more than 14 million, the city faces growing pressure on education infrastructure. It has launched a 150-day campaign to complete 1,000 classrooms before the 202-2027 school year begins on September 5, raising the ratio to 230 classrooms per 10,000 residents, with a target of 300 between 2028 and 2029.
From the 2026-2027 school year, students in Grades 1, 6 and 10 will be able to borrow textbooks free of charge, with the scheme extended to all grades by 2029. The city has also earmarked VND 150 billion a year to provide free textbooks for disadvantaged and ethnic minority students.
Duoc said Ho Chi Minh City remained committed to achieving double-digit growth and increasing state budget revenue by more than 10 per cent this year.