Lao Minister of Planning and Investment visits and works with Nghe An Provincial People's Committee

Working session scene. Photo: Dao Tuan

On the side of Nghe An province, there were comrade Thai Thanh Quy - Alternate member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, and comrades representing relevant departments and branches.

Comrade Thai Thanh Quy - Alternate Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee delivered a welcome speech to the delegation of the Ministry of Planning and Investment of the Lao PDR to visit and work in Nghe An. Photo: Dao Tuan

There are more than 90 Nghe An enterprises investing in Laos.

Welcoming the delegation of the Ministry of Planning and Investment of the Lao PDR to visit and work in Nghe An province, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Thai Thanh Quy said that this is a great honor for the locality with the largest natural area in Vietnam and the province with more than 468 km of border with the Lao PDR. Comrade Thai Thanh Quy also reported to the delegation some basic features of the socio-economic situation of Nghe An in 2018. Accordingly, the growth rate of gross regional domestic product (GRDP) in the period 2011-2018 increased by an average of 8.72%. GRDP per capita in 2017 reached 34.14 million VND/person; estimated to reach 37.9 million VND/person in 2018. Budget revenue in the province in 2017 was 12,959 billion VND; Estimated in 2018 is 13,141.2 billion VND, 2.13 times higher than in 2010.

At the conference, the two sides shared a lot of information on cooperation in the economic field. Photo: Dao Tuan

The province's infrastructure system has been gradually completed and is relatively synchronous. The investment and business environment continues to improve. Nghe An's Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) in 2017 ranked 21st in the country, leading the 6 North Central provinces. The number of newly established enterprises increased by an average of 14-15% per year. To date, there are 19,216 enterprises in the province, contributing about 60% of the total provincial budget revenue. Investment attraction has achieved positive results in terms of quantity, scale and quality of projects. In the period 2011-2018, the province attracted 903 projects with a total registered capital of 233,029 billion VND.

Delegates from Nghe An province attended the working session. Photo: Dao Tuan

Investment, production and business activities of Nghe An enterprises in Laos have been promoted. The province always creates favorable conditions and encourages enterprises of all economic sectors and localities along the border to invest and cooperate with each other on the basis of potential, strengths and needs of each side in accordance with the laws of the two countries. To date, Nghe An province has more than 90 enterprises investing, producing and doing business in Laos with a total investment capital of more than 200 million USD.

Nghe An province continues to allocate investment capital for 27 communes bordering Laos from the investment program for border communes according to Decision No. 160/2007/QD.TTg of the Prime Minister on approving the project on socio-economic development of communes along the Vietnam - Laos border. Funding from the provincial budget to build a military-civilian medical station in Nam Om village, Xay Cham Pon district, Bolikhamxay province, with a total investment of 14,998 billion VND, implemented in the period of 2017 - 2020.

Director of the Department of Planning and Investment of Nghe An province Nguyen Van Do reported on some aspects of economic cooperation activities between Nghe An enterprises in Laos. Photo: Dao Tuan

Nghe An is continuing to implement the Xieng Khouang Provincial Friendship Hospital construction investment project using official development assistance from the Vietnamese Government; basically completing the Thong Thu (Nghe An) - Xam Tay (Hua Phan) road construction project in Nghe An province. The province is also coordinating to organize surveys to build, renovate, and repair routes and sections that coincide with the border in the province...

Cooperation to open up long-term, sustainable development direction

Speaking at the meeting, Minister of Planning and Investment of Lao PDR Suphan Keo Mi Xay thanked Nghe An province for the warm welcome and solidarity. Comrade Suphan Keo Mi Xay also affirmed the special solidarity and friendship between the two Parties, two States and peoples of the two countries, which was nurtured by President Ho Chi Minh and President Kaysone Phomvihane and has been continuously maintained through historical periods.

Minister of Planning and Investment of Lao PDR Suphan Keomi Xay spoke at the meeting. Photo: Dao Tuan

The Lao Minister of Planning and Investment was also pleased to announce that in 2018, investment projects, cooperation, and agreements between the Government and the Ministry of Planning and Investment of the two countries were implemented as planned. This created a good premise before the Intergovernmental Conference to be held at the end of November this year.

Comrade Su Phan Keo Mi Xay affirmed that, with the characteristic of being the locality with the longest border with Laos in Vietnam, Nghe An province has recently made important contributions and assistance to the border provinces of Laos. That is, supporting the provinces of Xieng Khouang, Bolikhamxay, Hua Phan to train human resources, build schools, hospitals, etc.

At the meeting, comrade Su Phan Keo Mi Xay also informed that the Hanoi - Vientiane expressway as well as Thanh Thuy international border gate in Nghe An province have completed the survey and planning. In addition, the project to build a railway from the capital Vientiane (Laos) to Vung Ang port (Ha Tinh) has also been surveyed by the authorities of the two countries, so the leaders of Nghe An province need to study, build a route, and prepare goods to be able to export via this route. The Minister of Planning and Investment of the Lao PDR also asked Nghe An province to strengthen support and cooperation in production activities in localities in the border areas of the two countries.

Delegates from the Ministry of Planning and Investment of Lao PDR attended the working session. Photo: Dao Tuan

Thanking Minister Su Phan Keo Mi Xay for his comments, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Thai Thanh Quy was pleased and highly appreciated the cooperation in all fields between the two Parties, the two States and the two peoples. The head of the Nghe An Provincial People's Committee affirmed that the key cooperation projects of the governments and ministries, branches and localities of the two countries in the North Central region, including Nghe An, are extremely important premises to open up prospects for long-term and sustainable economic development.

On behalf of Nghe An province's leaders, comrade Thai Thanh Quy presented a souvenir to the Ministry of Planning and Investment of the Lao PDR. Photo: Dao Tuan

Comrade Thai Thanh Quy hopes that the Government, the Ministry of Planning and Investment of the Lao PDR and Minister Suphan Keomi Xay personally will continue to create all conditions for the Hanoi - Vientiane expressway and the Vientiane - Vung Ang railway to be implemented soon. This is the basis for the formation of an important economic zone of Vietnam and Laos in particular and the East-West economic corridor in general.

The Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee also said that to meet this requirement, Nghe An has now formed a synchronous system of transport infrastructure, stations, airports and seaports to serve investment activities. In particular, the province has put into use a deep-water seaport that can accommodate 70,000-ton ships, upgraded the international airport, and strived to welcome 5 million passengers/year by 2020.