Promoting the strategic position of Thanh Thuy border gate area

Comrade Nguyen Xuan Thang - Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics chaired the meeting. Photo: Mai Hoa

Attending the meeting were comrades Nguyen Dac Vinh - Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Head of the Provincial National Assembly Delegation; Nguyen Xuan Son - Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Council; Nguyen Xuan Duong - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Le Ngoc Hoa - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee.

Regarding Thanh Thuy border gate area, 15 years ago, Nghe An was struggling to develop the border gate economy and orientate it to become an international border gate. However, up to now, this area has not made any progress.

At the meeting, delegates focused on analyzing and clarifying new factors to "reposition" the development orientation of Thanh Thuy border gate area with far-reaching significance, associated with steps and methods to realize the economic development of this area with the meaning of creating development momentum for Nghe An province, for Vietnam and connecting the East-West economic corridor, including 4 countries: Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar.

The most important factor is Resolution No. 26/NQ-TW, dated July 30, 2013 of the Politburo on the direction and tasks of developing Nghe An province until 2020, which sets out the task of "Promoting the development of Thanh Thuy Border Gate Economic Zone, upgrading Thanh Thuy National Border Gate into an international border gate, becoming an important trade hub with Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar".

It is also the basis for the cooperation agreement between the two governments of Vietnam and Laos on the implementation of the Vientiane - Pac Xan - Thanh Thuy - Hanoi expressway, which also opens up new opportunities for the development of this region.

Comrade Nguyen Xuan Son - Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Council, said that it is necessary to put the development of Thanh Thuy area on an international level and boldly position this as a special economic zone. Photo: Mai Hoa

And at recent working sessions with Nghe An province, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc emphasized that Nghe An needs to pay attention to developing the Thanh Thuy border gate economic zone commensurate with its potential and important trade opportunities with Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar to take advantage of the opportunities that the Vientiane - Pak Xan - Thanh Thuy - Hanoi expressway will bring when completed.

According to the viewpoint of the Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Nguyen Xuan Son, it is necessary to put the development of Thanh Thuy area on an international level and boldly position it as a special economic zone. And when the development orientation is clearly determined, it is necessary to proactively plan with a corresponding vision, at the same time it is necessary to hire foreign consultants to do the planning and the province must show determination to do it quickly and successfully.

Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Xuan Duong said that the Provincial People's Committee will submit a document to ask for the Prime Minister's opinion to make a plan, hire foreign consultants and call on investors and large enterprises to socialize. Photo: Mai Hoa

Agreeing with the opinion of the Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Xuan Duong said that the important thing is the way of doing things and the Provincial People's Committee will have a document asking for the Prime Minister's opinion to make a plan, at the same time hire foreign consultants and call on investors and large enterprises to socialize in this matter.

The Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee also emphasized: The planning and development of Thanh Thuy border gate area is the responsibility of the province and the role of the Party Committee and authorities at all levels in Thanh Chuong must maintain the current planning status and when the new planning is approved, they must supervise the implementation of the planning and take drastic action in site clearance.

Comrade Nguyen Xuan Thang - Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, said that it is necessary to build Thanh Thuy area into a special economic zone. Photo: Mai Hoa

Based on the vision of the development of the Thanh Thuy border gate economic zone, comrade Nguyen Xuan Thang - Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, said that it is necessary to see the development of the Thanh Thuy border gate area as an economic corridor and a driving force for the development of the province, the region, the country and more broadly, the "lowland" region of Southeast Asia on the basis of advantages in population, untapped potentials, especially connecting the East-West corridor between the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean by road transport.

Route map of Hanoi (Vietnam) - Vientiane (Laos) expressway

Therefore, the development orientation of Thanh Thuy border gate area does not only stop at economic content but also has great strategic significance. On the other hand, the vision of Thanh Thuy economic zone development must go beyond what is currently available; not a border gate economic zone but must develop into Thanh Thuy special economic zone; in which both promoting border gate economy and promoting many economic and social strengths.

Comrade Nguyen Xuan Thang also said that, in the immediate future, the province needs to submit a proposal to the Politburo and the Government for support in upgrading Thanh Thuy border gate to an international border gate; at the same time, allow Nghe An to develop a development plan for the Thanh Thuy area in association with the international border gate and the Hanoi - Vientiane highway, creating a driving force for the province's economic development in particular and creating spillover effects for the region and the country. To do this, the province needs to survey and assess the practical development potential to have a development orientation that is both close to reality and has a vision for the future.

Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Dac Vinh assigned the Provincial People's Committee to direct departments and branches to review legal bases to research and develop a project to develop Thanh Thuy area. Photo: Mai Hoa

Based on the suggestion of comrade Nguyen Xuan Thang, Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Dac Vinh assigned the Provincial People's Committee to direct departments and branches to review legal bases to study and develop a project to develop Thanh Thuy region, and at the same time submit a proposal to the Government to upgrade Thanh Thuy border gate to an international border gate and allow Nghe An to develop a plan to develop Thanh Thuy region associated with the border gate and Hanoi - Vientiane expressway.

Secretary Nguyen Dac Vinh also assigned the Department of Planning and Investment and the Department of Construction to invite planning consultants. Regarding the responsibility of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, there will also be a working program, calling on investors and large enterprises to join hands with the province in the form of socialization...