Along with the trend of integration of the country in recent years, foreign affairs of Lao Cai province has always been an interested, focused development. The aim has been to work with foreign affairs to contribute to socio-economic development, maintaining political security, social order and safety, enhancing the province's position within localities as well as international friends. Lao Cai has actively promoted foreign affairs activities, intensified international cooperation and identified this as one of the key tasks to focus on exploiting the potential and strengths of the province, creating a favorable investment environment, benefiting both domestic and foreign investors. The 15th Provincial Party Congress, for the 2015-2020 term, defines: “Harmoniously combine Party, State and People's diplomacy, strengthening foreign affairs, and creating Lao Cai as an important area for international economic cooperation and exchange in the region and nationwide”. To implement the Resolution of the Congress, the Provincial Party Executive Committee has issued 4 working programs with 19 focused projects, including Project No. 14: "Expanding external relations, proactive integration and international cooperation in Lao Cai province, period 2016 - 2020", which defines the priority objectives, including: (1) Attaching importance to comprehensive and in-depth cooperation in all fields with Yunnan province, China; (2) Strengthening relations with foreign localities and foreign partners; (3) Taking advantage of investment resources and finance from abroad; (4) Gaining the support and guidance of the ministries and central branches, especially the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on foreign affairs. With the efforts of the Party Committees at all levels, authorities, branches and localities, the province's foreign affairs have gained many positive results, making a mark in the past term.

Firstly, the friendly cooperation between Lao Cai province and Yunnan province, China has developed in depth.

In recent years, the friendly cooperation between Lao Cai province and Yunnan province has been strengthened and expanded in many fields. The two provinces have built a reliable and effective cooperative base for both sides. In November 2015, in Hanoi, under the witness of high-ranking leaders of the two countries, the Secretary of the Lao Cai Provincial Party Committee and the Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee of Yunnan signed the Agreement on the implementation of friendship exchanges between the local Party Committee of Lao Cai and Yunnan provinces. Then, in August 2017, Lao Cai was the first province on the border to sign the Agreement on the establishment of friendly relations with Yunnan province. This is the foundation for the two sides to continue strengthening comprehensive friendly cooperation, contributing to promoting socio-economic development of the two localities, and maintaining social order and safety in the border area of the two countries.

On November 5, 2015, in Hanoi, comrade Nguyen Van Vinh - Secretary of the Lao Cai Provincial Party Committee and Mr. Ly Ky Hang - Secretary of the Van Nam Provincial Party Committee signed the Agreement on the implementation of friendship exchanges between the local Party Committee of Lao Cai and Yunnan Provinces witnessed by the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong and the General Secretary and President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping. (Photo: Bui Thuy Nga).

Based on the comprehensive cooperative relationship between the two provinces, the two sides' localities have actively established a close and effective relationship. Up to now, 6 pairs of districts and cities of the two provinces have signed the Agreement to establish friendly relations; 6 pairs of villages on both sides of the border and 10 border posts of Lao Cai province with 19 border units of Yunnan province have organized friendship. This is a bright spot for border defense and people's diplomacy, which has been widely deployed on the Vietnam-China border line areas.

In July 2017, on the 110th anniversary of the establishment of Lao Cai province, Lao Cai province and Hong Ha, Yunnan province, for the first time, cooperated to organize the "One track two countries" bicycle race in Lao Cai and then held annually in Lao Cai and Hekou, attracting many cyclists from the two countries to join the event.

In September 2018, Lao Cai and Yunnan provinces cooperated with relevant ministries, agencies and localities of the two sides to pilot the Hai Phong - Hanoi - Lao Cai - Kunming intermodal passenger transportation route. This is a favorable condition for enterprises of the two sides to efficiently exploit and improve transport capacity on the highway Kunming - Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong.

With the efforts coordinating both provinces in the organization of trade promotion activities and enhancing measures to facilitate customs clearance, the trade exchange between the two provinces has been increasingly active, import and export turnover between the two sides has continuously increased over the past years, with the average annual growth rate being 16.49%.

In addition, cooperation between the two sides in the fields of investment, culture, health, education, agriculture, environmental protection, and crime prevention has also achieved many positive results.

In order to reevaluate the achieved cooperation results and agree on the direction of cooperation for the new period, in December 2019, H.E.Mr. Nguyen Van Vinh - Secretary of the Lao Cai Provincial Party Committee paid a visit to Yunnan province and had a talk with his counterpart of the province, H.E. Mr. Chen Hao. At the meeting, the two sides continued to affirm that: Lao Cai and Yunnan provinces have close and wide cooperative relations in many fields and have achieved positive results. In the future, the two sides will continue to promote friendly cooperation between the two provinces to develop comprehensively and in depth to match the potentials and expectations of both sides.

Lao Cai Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Van Vinh held a meeting with Yunnan Provincial Party Secretary Chen Hao on December 17, 2019 in Kunming. (Photo: Bui Thuy Nga).

Secondly, the cooperation between Lao Cai province and the Nouvelle Aquitaine region (France) has entered a new stage.

In March 2017, Lao Cai province together with Thua Thien Hue province (Vietnam) and Nouvelle Aquitaine (France) signed a Cooperation Framework Agreement between the three localities for the period 2017 - 2019 and continued to sign the renewal in 2020. The specific cooperation axes of Lao Cai province include: (1) Tourism and cultural, environmental and historical heritage conservation; (2) Food security and ecological agriculture. These are very practical cooperative contents with Lao Cai province in the current period.

Thirdly, the province's foreign relations continue to be expanded.

 In July 2017, on the occasion of the President's visit to the Republic of Belarus, Lao Cai province signed a cooperative agreement with the province of Brest (Republic of Belarus) under the witness of the leaders of the two countries. In particular, Lao Cai province proposed and called on Belarusian investors to participate in high-tech agricultural production projects, industry, logistics, trade and other projects calling for investment in the province.

Fourthly, the province proactively keeps positive relationships with embassies, international organizations and foreign investors to attract investment and support from outside.

Lao Cai always actively cooperates with organizations that have been sponsoring and investing in Lao Cai in order to attract funding and investment projects, thus contributing to poverty reduction, improving living and working conditions for local people, especially in remote and disadvantaged areas of the province.

Lao Cai also maintains close relationships with the Embassies of countries in Vietnam, thereby calling for and mobilizing projects to support localities in the province. In 2018, the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam supported Lao Cai province with 4.3 billion VND to build 6 classrooms in Nam Chay commune, Muong Khuong district. The work was completed on November 20, 2018 according to the plan.

Fifthly, Lao Cai province has become a reliable place to organize major and importance external activities

In 2015, during the official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of the Prime Minister of Vietnam, the Norwegian Prime Minister paid an official working visit to Lao Cai province for the first time. The entire program of the Prime Minister's activities in Lao Cai was arranged carefully and respectfully, to ensure safety, efficiency and left a deep impression on the delegation from Norway.

 In addition, Lao Cai province has been also selected to organize major external activities such as: Vietnam - China defense friendship exchange activities, Vietnam - China Youth Festival, meetings between Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs ò Vietnam and China, and activities on the sidelines of the Vietnam - US Human Rights Dialogue.

Grasping the Party and State guidelines and policies on foreign affairs over the past years, the foreign relations and international cooperation of Lao Cai province have been continuously expanded and obtained remarkable results, making an important contribution to socio-economic development, and ensuring national defense and security in the province.

The results achieved in foreign affairs in the period 2015 - 2020 have affirmed the correct view and direction in foreign relations and international cooperation of Lao Cai province. This is also the premise to determine to develop Lao Cai into a typical province for international integration and cooperation of the Northwestern region and nationwide.