On October 18th, 2024, the Vietnam Association for Consumer Goods Development (VACOD) and the People's Committee of Dien Bien province co-chaired and coordinated with the Hanoi Business Association (HBA) to organize the International Conference and Workshop on Investment - Trade and Tourism Promotion VACOD - DIEN BIEN 2024.

Dr. Nguyen Hong Son - Chairman of VACOD emphasized that Dien Bien is not only a "solid border area" but also a "treasure trove" in the great Northwest with unique advantages and potential for economic development.

At the conference and workshop, Dr. Nguyen Hong Son – Chairman of the Vietnam Association for Consumer Goods Development (VACOD) and Chairman of the Hanoi Business Association (HBA) pointed out the potential and advantages for economic development in Dien Bien province, especially the potential for border economy, expanding the market to neighboring countries like Laos and China. 

Dien Bien province has the Tay Trang international border gate with an invested border economic zone, along with several other border gates with Laos, and the A Pa Chai opening that connects with Yunnan province, China, creating opportunities for border economic development, expanding international trade, tourism, and services. 

Regarding the potential for cross-border economic connectivity of the province, Mr. Bui Nguyen Anh Tuan - Deputy Director of the Domestic Market Department, Ministry of Industry and Trade, stated that, based on the orientation of the Party and Government, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has collaborated with various units to strengthen supply-demand connection activities, trade promotion, and branding for Vietnamese businesses and products across the country, including the provinces in the Northwest region. 

These activities have achieved many positive results: contributing to market stabilization, ensuring social welfare, establishing domestic supply chains to serve the people and for export, and supporting domestic businesses in selling their products, developing production, and promoting Vietnamese goods in the domestic market... 

For Dien Bien province in particular, Mr. Bui Nguyen Anh Tuan especially emphasized the relationship with Laos. The Ministry of Industry and Trade expects that Dien Bien will achieve many successes, making practical contributions to the friendly, comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties, the two States, and the people of both countries, fostering deeper, stable, and sustainable development. 

Mr. Bui Nguyen Anh Tuan - Deputy Director of Domestic Market Department, Ministry of Industry and Trade presented a paper on "Domestic market development policy: Some proposals for application to Dien Bien province and the Northwest region - Connecting and developing Vietnam - Laos border trade infrastructure"

Recently, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has focused on surveying the economic development situation in several mountainous provinces, including Dien Bien. Recognizing Dien Bien's unique potential, Mr. Bui Nguyen Anh Tuan proposed solutions for the province to develop certain agricultural products with strengths. 

For example, with macadamia nuts, a product with nutritional value and increasing popularity, the province needs a sustainable development plan. The Ministry's stance remains to establish points and centers for purchasing, processing, and selling products. 

In the field of tourism, "Dien Bien is the treasure of the great mountains," with great potential. The Ministry of Industry and Trade will support Dien Bien province in accessing e-commerce platforms to bring products with unique characteristics to both domestic and international markets, especially as the province awaits infrastructure improvements. 

The Ministry of Industry and Trade always encourages localities to expand economic relations into foreign markets, especially for provinces with advantageous border positions with Laos and China. Market surveys in border areas show that there is still much room for growth in the demand for Vietnamese agricultural products in the northern provinces of Laos and Yunnan, China. The Ministry can support the province in negotiating international mechanisms to create a foundation for business development. 

The panel discussion was chaired by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Hong Son - Deputy Head of the Central Economic Commission.

Dien Bien is a mountainous border province in the northwest of the country, located about 500 km by road from the capital Hanoi. The province shares a border with two countries, Laos and China (with a 414.71 km border with Laos and a 40.86 km border with China). 

On the Vietnam-Laos border, there are the Tay Trang international border gate and the Huoi Puoc national border gate. On the Vietnam-China border, there is the A Pa Chai - Long Phu opening (adjacent to Jiangcheng County, Yunnan Province), providing favorable conditions to connect the northwest region of Vietnam with northern Laos, southwestern China, and northeastern Thailand via the trans-Asia road currently under construction. 

Dien Bien lies on key road transportation routes running east-west (National Highway 6, National Highway 279); the northwest arc (National Highway 6, National Highway 12, National Highway 4D, National Highway 4H...). It is also coordinating the necessary procedures to prepare for the implementation of regional connection transportation projects, such as the Son La - Dien Bien - Tay Trang Border Gate Expressway (phase 1); the project to upgrade and improve the planned National Highway 12D section from the center of Muong Tung commune, Muong Cha district to the Na Khoa junction, Nam Po district, Dien Bien province; National Highway 279 project; National Highway 4H project. 

Dien Bien Airport connects with two major economic centers of the country, Hanoi (nearly 1-hour flight) and Ho Chi Minh City (over 2-hour flight). The province has also upgraded and expanded Dien Bien Airport to meet 3C standards, and currently, Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft are operating. International flight connections with countries in the region and the world are expected in the near future./.

Source: Industry and Trade Magazine