International cooperation facilitates investment attraction

(LSO) – Over the past years, the northern province of Lang Son has stepped up external activities and international cooperation as well as trade and tourism promotion to enhance the global economic integration 

   Expanding external relations

Being aware of the importance of foreign relations in the current period, the province has actively held international exchange and cooperation activities.

The locality has strengthened friendship and cooperation in various fields with China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region via regular high-level exchanges and people-to-people exchanges in the shared border areas, while actively promoting existing mechanisms such as the cooperation between Cao Bang, Lang Son, Quang Ninh, Ha Giang and the Chinese region.

Apart from establishing friendly relations with the Chinese province of Guangxi, Lang Son has set up partnership with the Republic of Korea’s Gangwon; Japan’s Kanagawa and Fukuoka, the Australia-Vietnam business association, and the Korea global fund.

The province also maintains relations with international agencies and organisations in Vietnam such as embassies of the RoK, Japan, the US, France, Russia, and ASEAN countries, along with non-governmental organsiations and international banks.

A working delegation of the French Embassy in Vietnam learns about border trade activities in the Tan Thanh border gate area (Van Lang)

According to the provincial Department of External Affairs, from 2010 to present, Lang Son has welcomed over 700 delegations of foreign visitors, with around 5,800 arrivals from many countries and territories worldwide. Many international organisations have visited the province to enhance exchanges and cooperation as well as study the local market and implement development aid projects and press activities.

The province has sent 8,000 officials and civil servants to foreign countries to conduct market surveys, join workshops and conferences or training programmes. Local authorities have signed 25 international cooperation agreements in various fields.

Effective investment attraction

The development of external work and international cooperation has contributed to attracting investment in the province, mainly in society and economy. Since 2019, the provincial Department of External Affairs has advised the provincial People’s Committee on the implementation of procedures to receive three foreign aid packages, and allow international visitors to do voluntary work and investment in the province.
The projects mainly focus on building schools and providing learning and medical equipment for primary schools with the total aid value of nearly 210,000 USD. Particularly, the Korea Food for the Hungry International (KFHI) is completing a project building a school in Lang Son city sponsored by Samsung Electronics.

Trinh Tuyet Mai, Director of the provincial Department of External Affairs, said the department has connected with working groups from France and the RoK’s Gyeongsang Buk, and Daejin International Volunteers Association (DIVA) to exchange cooperation in installing a separate grid system by renewable energy in the province as well as in other fields like agriculture, industry, and power energy.

The province is now home to 28 valid foreign-invested projects in economic infrastructure development with total registered capital of over 228 million USD, generating jobs for more than 1,200 workers.

Local agencies have actively mobilised official development assistance (ODA) and non-governmental organisation (NGO) sources to serve local socio-economic development. The province has implemented 11 projects worth over 122 million USD in ODA, including eight underway. Since 2013, the province has received 18 NGO projects worth over 1.5 million USD and 40 aid packages worth over 317,000 USD to implement projects.

Director of the provincial Department of Planning and Investment Nguyen Huu Chien said the provincial external activities and international cooperation have proved effective in recent years, especially since the implementation of Resolution No.22-NQ/TW dated on April 10, 2013 of the Politburo on international integration. The development of foreign cooperation has helped improve investment attraction in the province and facilitate border trade activities, especially promoting Lang Son culture and advantages to the world./.