Lao Cai has many special strengths and comparative advantages, especially in regional linkages and investment attraction. First of all, Lao Cai is the only border province in the country with a provincial capital city bordering the border, holding the position of a "critical gateway", a solid "rooster" for the Fatherland, and an "outpost" in foreign activities. The construction of Lao Cai into a peaceful border region is a particularly important political task of the country.

Investing in deep processing of minerals, contributing to improving the value of industrial production.

Lao Cai is located between the Northeast and Northwest regions, bordering with Yunnan province (China). With its important geopolitical and geo-economic position, it can be said that Lao Cai is eligible to become the dynamic center of regional linkage; is an economic and foreign center on the economic corridor of Kunming - Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong - Quang Ninh; is a transshipment center between the provinces of Vietnam and ASEAN with the market of Yunnan and the southwestern region of China.

Abundant natural resources - potential for tourism development.

Lao Cai is also the only province in the country that has all types of traffic connecting to the border right in the center of the provincial capital. That is, vertical connection: Located on the shortest route connecting Yunnan province (China) to the seaport; road with National Highway 70 and highway connecting Lao Cai - Yen Bai - Phu Tho - Vinh Phuc - Hanoi - Hai Phong; waterway with the Red River flowing along the North, the second largest river in the country after the Mekong River; Lao Cai - Hanoi railway was built more than 100 years ago, is studying to upgrade to 1,435 mm gauge to connect with Kunming - Hakou railway (China) to Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong (seaport). Regarding the horizontal connection, Lao Cai is located at the midpoint of National Highway 279 - the inter-provincial arterial route connecting the northern mountainous provinces of Quang Ninh, Bac Giang, Lang Son, Bac Kan, Tuyen Quang, Ha Giang, Lai Chau, Son La and Dien Bien. The last section of National Highway 279, from the intersection with National Highway 6 to Tay Trang International Border Gate, is part of the trans-Asia route AH 8990. The government is planning to invest in roads connecting Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Ha Giang and Tuyen Quang provinces to the Noi Bai - Lao Cai highway.

Regarding connecting all parts of the country and internationally: The Sa Pa Airport project has been approved by the Prime Minister to decide on investment policy (Decision No. 1773 dated October 21, 2021) and Lao Cai province is deciding to focus on deployment, with a standard scale of 4C civil airport, with a capacity of over 1.5 million passengers/year; expected to be completed by 2024 (phase 1) and put into use, by 2025 continue to complete the project's items with a capacity of at least 3 million passengers/year, oriented to be an international airport. Sa Pa Airport is invested and built, which has a very positive impact on the socio-economic development of Lao Cai province, the region, and the whole country; can connect Sa Pa Airport with major economic centers of the Central - Central Highlands and the South, such as Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang, Buon Me Thuot, Pleiku, Phu Quoc... to meet demand connected to several international airports. Lao Cai border gate economic zone with an area of nearly 16,000 hectares, located along the entire length of the border, has been approved by the Prime Minister as one of eight key economic zones for investment in the 2021-2025 period.

Lao Cai is a bridge in export-import activities of goods.

Lao Cai is a connection point with a special comparative advantage in terms of trade with Yunnan province and the vast Southwest region of China. Currently, Vietnam is the leading trading partner in 10 ASEAN countries with Yunnan.

The shortest road connecting Kunming and the vast southwestern region of China to the seaport is through the Kunming - Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong economic corridor (through the Lao Cai border gate). Currently, the Chinese side transports mainly through the Kunming - Fangcheng Port route by a 934 km highway, partly because the current Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong expressway has an unsatisfactory transport capacity. bridge; border gate infrastructure, traffic infrastructure has not been completed (Kim Thanh border gate is not currently a connection point to the expressway on the Yunnan side); Logistics costs through Lao Cai are still high, especially transportation costs. If it is invested to complete the border gate economic zone, upgrade the expressway from Lao Cai to Yen Bai to 4 lanes, along with a mechanism to speed up customs clearance procedures and preferential policies, the economic corridor Kunming - Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong will be the transport route from Kunming to the East Sea with the cheapest cost, shortest distance, shortest transit time.

The 1,435 mm gauge railway when completed will be a special advantage in deploying logistics services to improve transport capacity with the cheapest logistics costs. Currently, the Kunming - Shanghai high-speed railway has opened to traffic on the whole route, creating a great development impetus for Yunnan, and has been gradually establishing an inter-Asia railway from Kunming (China). to Singapore. Therefore, the continuation of the construction of the Hanoi - Lao Cai railway line according to international standards of 1,435 mm to meet the international transport capacity of Lao Cai (Vietnam) - Yunnan (China) will create a great motivation for the railway system to develop Vietnam's logistics services along railways, highways and waterways of the Red River. In the immediate future, it is necessary to invest in a 1,435 mm/1,000 mm cage-gauge railway connecting Bac Ha Khau station (Yunnan, China) - Lao Cai station (Vietnam) to serve passenger and cargo transport from Yunnan to Ha. Noi - Lach Huyen port (Hai Phong).

The Noi Bai-Lao Cai Highway contributes to the promotion of domestic and international trade.

Along with that, Lao Cai also has many other special comparative advantages, favorable for connecting regions and attracting investment. That is, Sa Pa national tourist area, Fansipan peak - "Roof of Indochina" is a tourist destination known all over the world; there are potential tourist spots to become tourist areas, such as Bac Ha, Y Ty (Bat Xat); while Lao Cai city (the city bordering the border) is the first destination, an attractive stopover that plays the role of connecting with tourist areas and attractions in the province. Therefore, the development of tourism has been selected by Lao Cai as a "key" field in the coming time. Hoang Lien Son range is a biosphere and aquatic reserve of many major rivers (Red River, Da River), Hoang Lien National Park is recognized as an ASEAN Heritage Park, with many rare species of flora and fauna. Rich soil, strongly divided terrain, create many sub-climates, which are advantages for Lao Cai to develop the production of endemic and high economic value agricultural products, such as medicinal herbs, vegetables, flowers, etc. temperate fruit trees, upland tea, livestock, poultry and aquatic products.

Lao Cai is rich in mineral resources, has 35 different types of minerals with more than 150 mines of industrial value, in which there are many kinds of precious minerals with high quality, leading large reserves in Vietnam, such as apatite, iron, copper, graphite, rare earth... The thick river and stream system with sloping terrain creates advantages for Lao Cai in developing small and medium hydropower.

Tourism development is one of two breakthroughs of Lao Cai.

In order to exploit the special comparative advantage, as well as the "unique" conditions for the development of the whole region, Lao Cai determined to focus on rationally adjusting the strategies of economic sectors and fields; prioritizing resources for green development in association with the National Strategy on Green Growth. To build Lao Cai into one of the important logistics centers of the country, ensuring that Lao Cai Border Gate Economic Zone has a synchronous, modern, multi-field network of infrastructure and logistics services; has the ability to concentrate and coordinate goods between ASEAN countries and the Southwest - China market, in which "Noi Bai - Lao Cai highway is the connecting axis; Sa Pa Airport is the driving force for development; Hai Phong - Hanoi - Lao Cai railway route is the driving force of growth". To build Lao Cai to become the tourism nucleus of the region and the whole country, to become an important tourism bridge; link and regulate international visitors to the region and the whole country. To develop deep processing of the mining industry, to ensure a stable supply of raw materials for the domestic industrial production chain, especially for minerals with large reserves of the region and the whole country (apatite, copper, iron). Infrastructure development, breakthroughs are traffic infrastructure connecting continuously between provinces in the region, between the region and the whole country and internationally and digital transformation infrastructure. Continue to promote external activities, and economic development associated with the role of the "rooster" of the country; gradually build Lao Cai into a reliable connection point of the Kunming - Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong - Quang Ninh economic corridor.

Content: Thanh Nam

Presented by:  \Ngoc Luyen