Opening and upgrading border gates in Nghe An is not only in line with the orientation of inter-regional development and regional connectivity, but also helps localities with borders have more opportunities to improve their socio-economic development and international cooperation.

Economic development opportunitiesfor local

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Thanh Chuong midland and mountainous district has a fairly large area of ​​1,127 km2.², population of more than 250 thousand people. Thanh Chuong is a district with many favorable conditions for socio-economic development, many important driving forces that can create breakthroughs in socio-economic development such as: Having diverse and rich natural conditions, can create many products from agricultural development, processing industry and supporting industry, tourism, services in a modern direction to develop a circular economy, fast and sustainable in a deeply integrated economy.

According to the leaders of Thanh Chuong District People's Committee, the district is currently implementing the transformation of crop structure associated with processing and consumption of products to increase the value per unit of cultivated area. Building models of product consumption linkage, high-tech livestock farming with brands and trademarks of clean and safe agricultural products associated with specific geographical indications. The whole district has 20 OCOP products recognized by the Provincial People's Committee with 3 stars or more.

Regarding industry and handicrafts, the total value of retail goods circulation and annual service revenue reached over 4.3 trillion VND... Regarding investment attraction, many projects have been and are being implemented to serve the potential of inter-provincial and inter-regional trade such as Do Cung Bridge across Lam River connecting Cat Ngan area with Do Luong district; Traffic route connecting National Highway 46 to Ngoc Son commune with Nam Hung commune, Nam Dan district. Construction of connecting routes from Ho Chi Minh trail to tea and orange growing areas in Thanh Duc and Thanh Tien communes...

Thanh Chuong has a fairly complete inter-regional traffic network with 4 National Highways running through it (46, 46B, 46C, Ho Chi Minh Road), the Hanoi - Vientiane Expressway passing through Thanh Thuy Border Gate to the West, connecting with the North - South road and railway with Cua Lo seaport, Vinh airport in the provincial planning approved by the Government.

The opening and upgrading of Thanh Thuy Border Gate will help Thanh Chuong promote the potential of projects with investment capital outside the economic development budget that have been attracted, such as: Biomass pellet factory in Thanh Huong commune, Matsuoka Garment Factory in Thanh Lien, Thanh Phong Garment Factory whose planning has been approved, Thanh Chuong 2 Wood Factory (producing pellets and wood products) in Thanh Tung commune whose investment policy has been approved by the province...

Realizing this potential, the Provincial People's Committee is currently taking steps to upgrade Thanh Thuy Sub-border Gate into a main border gate, and by 2045 will upgrade it into an international border gate. Most recently, the People's Committee of Nghe An province and Thanh Chuong district coordinated with the working delegation of Bolikhamxay province (Laos) to hold a bilateral inter-sectoral conference to discuss and agree on the list of valid documents when people, vehicles and goods pass through Thanh Thuy - Nam On sub-border gate. This is an important cooperation content, which has the effect of opening up and realizing the policy of upgrading border gates on the border line in Thanh Chuong district in particular and Nghe An province with the provinces of Laos in general.

Emphasizing the significance of international cooperation and friendship through the opening of Thanh Thuy Border Gate, moving towards upgrading to a higher level, Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Hong Vinh affirmed that this is an important activity to create favorable conditions for people of the two provinces to travel and trade goods, while promoting the potential advantages of economy, tourism and visiting relatives, and travel of people of the two provinces and two countries through Thanh Thuy Border Gate.

Mr. Le Hong Vinh also emphasized that Nghe An province has a population of more than 3.4 million people. If goods from Bolykhamxay and neighboring districts and provinces of Laos are traded through the border gate, they will be able to access the potential market in Nghe An. At the same time, with Bolykhamxay's large land fund, there will be great potential for economic exchange and development of agriculture, services and tourism.

Agreeing with that assessment, Comrade Kham-ven Pan-nha-nu-vong - Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Deputy Governor, Deputy Head of the Standing Committee of the Bolykhamxay Provincial Border Work Steering Committee also said that the opening and upgrading of Thanh Thuy Border Gate will help facilitate and speed up trade activities between Thanh Thuy and Nam On. Bolykhamxay Province is located in the Central region of Laos, with a population of a strategic geographical location in the East-West economic corridor of Laos, bordering Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces of Vietnam. With a strategic vision, the Lao State will build Bolykhamxay into a logistics center for the country and the region. Currently, Laos is implementing a project to build a bridge connecting Laos and Thailand, and build the Hanoi - Vientiane expressway to create more favorable conditions for economic trade activities and many other fields between the two provinces and the two countries.

Deploying the opening and upgrading of 6 Vietnam - Laos border gates

Regarding the economic potential of Nghe An's border gate, a representative of the Department of Industry and Trade said that Nghe An has many great advantages. Specifically, the province has a natural area of ​​16,493 km², the largest in the country, has 468.281 km of national land border passing through 06 districts, 27 communes in the border area, adjacent to 21 villages, 06 districts of 03 provinces of Hua Phan, Xieng Khouang and Bolikhamxay (Laos). On the land border, there is currently 01 International Border Gate (Nam Can) and 06 secondary border gates, 04 border openings. If the border gates are opened and upgraded, it will create more potential and advantages for developing agriculture, forestry, hydropower, mineral exploitation, tourism and border economic development.

Currently, the border areas and border districts still maintain positive economic growth; industrial clusters have gradually formed and are attracting businesses to invest, and craft village products are diverse and increasingly attracting domestic and international customers. Annually, the import-export turnover between Nghe An and Laos reaches over 70 million USD.

However, in general, the socio-economic development of border areas and border gates is still slow compared to the general level of the province. The economic structure of this area is still slow to shift, still mainly relying on agriculture. Attracting industrial and commercial investment in border areas and border gates is still very difficult, especially FDI projects. There are not many large industrial production projects, creating breakthroughs in the economic development of the area.

The export and import turnover across the border accounts for a modest proportion (about 3-4%) of the total export and import turnover of the province. The connection between production and distribution circulation, between wholesale and retail is not long-term and lacks stability. Specialty and typical products of border areas and border gates are diverse but still small.

Developing border gate economy is one of the economic development orientations of Nghe An as specified by the Politburo in Resolution No. 39/NQ-TW. Nghe An province has also issued an action program to specify the implementation of the tasks specified in Resolution 39.

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Regarding the development of border gate economy, in addition to maintaining Nam Can International Border Gate, on July 9, 2024, the Provincial People's Committee issued Plan No. 547/KH-UBND to implement the planning of land border gates for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, opening and upgrading 6 more border gates, both to remove difficulties and limitations, and to gradually open and enhance socio-economic activities through the border gates.

Detailed planning of land border gates for the period 2021-2030, vision to 2050

1

Upgrading Thanh Thuy Main Border Gate (2024 - 2026)

1. Survey and plan to include in the medium-term public investment plan for the period 2025 - 2030.

2. Investing in the construction of the Hanoi - Vientiane expressway, from Thanh Thuy Border Gate to Cua Lo (2021-2030).

3. Propose that the Lao Government announce the main border gate for Nam On Border Gate, in response to Thanh Thuy Border Gate, to organize the opening of the Thanh Thuy - Nam On main border gate pair and complete the procedures to upgrade Thanh Thuy - Nam On main border gate into an international border gate, report to the two Governments for decision (2025).

4. Infrastructure investment 2030

2

Upgrading Thong Thu secondary border gate (2024 - 2027)

1. Issue a Decision allowing road vehicles of the two provinces to transport people and goods through the Thong Thu - Nam Tay secondary border gate. Issue a Decision announcing the list of Thong Thu - Nam Tay secondary border gates permitted to conduct trading and exchange of goods (2024).

2. Investment in construction, upgrading and expansion of National Highway 48 from Quy Hop to Thong Thu and Que Phong Border Gate (2021-2030) from the provincial and central budgets.

3. Review planning and include it in the medium-term investment plan for the period 2025 - 2030. Invest in infrastructure, implement construction of items and offices of functional forces at border gates (2024).

4. Complete procedures to upgrade Thong Thu secondary border gate to main border gate, report to the two governments for decision. Invest in infrastructure construction (2027).

3

Opening of Huoi Khe - Loong Ho secondary border gate (2026 - 2030)

1. Survey and conduct procedures to seek opinions from ministries, branches and the Government; advise the Provincial People's Committee to issue a Decision to open the Huoi Khe secondary border gate (Muong Ai, Ky Son). Expected in 2026.

2. Invest in infrastructure construction according to regulations (2030).

4

Upgrading Tam Hop sub-border gate (2021-2047)

1. Invest in upgrading and expanding DT.541B route (planned as National Highway 7E route to Tam Hop Border Gate, Tuong Duong from 2021 - 2030).

2. Investing in infrastructure to meet the requirements of upgrading the Tam Hop - Thoong Mi Xay secondary border gate into a main border gate (2035-2040).

3. Complete procedures to upgrade Tam Hop secondary border gate to main border gate, report to the two governments for decision (2040).

4. Investment in infrastructure construction according to regulations (2045-2047).

5

Upgrading Cao Veu secondary border gate (2035-2040)

1. Investing in infrastructure to meet the requirements of upgrading the Cao Veu (Anh Son) - Thong Phi La (Bolykhamxay) secondary border gate into a main border gate (2035-2040).

2. Complete procedures to upgrade Cao Veu secondary border gate to main border gate, report to the two governments for decision (2040).

3. Investing in infrastructure construction according to regulations (2045-2047).

6

Opening of Huoi Moi-Den Din secondary border gate (2032-2040)

1. Invest in infrastructure to meet the requirements of opening the Huoi Moi - Den Din secondary border gate. Complete the procedures for upgrading the secondary border gate, agree with the authorities of Hua Phan province (Laos) to report to the Governments of the two countries. After receiving the consent of the Government, the People's Committee of Nghe An province will issue a decision to open the Huoi Moi secondary border gate (2032-2035).

2. Invest in building infrastructure in accordance with regulations (2040).