Hai Phong - Lao Cai Promoting Cooperation

At the beginning of a new career, in the new land which was wild and solitary, the luggage of the volunteers was only backpacks and rubber sandals. But thanks to the caring and support of the local ethnic people, Hai Phong people set up tents, sorked some soil for terrace-fields to help each other to settle down. Many young, healthy people, many of which were engineers, doctors and teachers, did not mind trouble and difficulty to settle their new homes. As time went by, the sons of Hai Phong with local people brought knowledge of economic management, education, health, agricultural science and technology, innovation mode of production to enhance productivity, contributing to improve and enhance the spiritual and physical life of the local people, contributing to the protection of security and defence in the area. Now, there are about 3,400 Hai Phong people living and working in almost every district of Lao Cai, many of them have become successful officers and entrepreneurs.
Phu Nhuan commune of Bao Thang district is home to many native Hai Phong people, who make up about 420 households of 2,000 people. On the first difficult days, Hai Phong people were supported by the ethnic people of Tay, H'mong, Dao and Xa Pho. However, due to the special conditions, so far, although only 30km from Lao Cai City, Phu Nhuan commune still has a 35 percent household poverty rate. The commune does not have a nursery school in the true sense. During a working visit to the commune in 2012, the People’s Committee of Hai Phong donated VND3 billion to the commune to build kindergartens for children. This is a big encouragement for Hai Phong people far from home.

During a working visit to Lao Cai Province in 2012, Hai Phong’s Party Secretary Nguyen Van Thanh noted that Hai Phong would do its best to promote cooperation relationship between the two localities. Intimate feelings and attachment between Hai Phong and Lao Cai will remain green as Hoang Lien Son range, and passionate as flamboyant. Lao Cai’s Party Deputy Secretary Sung Chung appreciated the contribution of Hai Phong people to the new homeland of Lao Cai, glorifying and contributing solidarity between the people of Hai Phong and Lao Cai.

 

Promoting cooperationIn the economic corridor Kunming-Lao Cai-Hanoi-Hai Phong-Quang Ninh, Lao Cai Province is identified as a bridge between Vietnam and China and other countries, while Hai Phong is considered an international gateway of Vietnam as well as a large area of southwest China. Therefore, the promotion of cooperation between Hai Phong and Lao Cai is extremely important to the exploration of the potential and advantages of each locality and other localities in the economic corridor.

On the basis of the cooperation agreement signed between Lao Cai and Hai Phong in 2003, in the past 10 years, the cooperative relationship between the two localities has been gradually strengthening. Typically, with strengths in the field of fisheries, Hai Phong has been supporting Lao Cai in training human resources and with techniques to raise freshwater fish species, continuing to provide quality breeds. However, the results of the last time still fall short of the potential of the two localities. To promote traditional relations and potential strengths, Lao Cai and Hai Phong will continue to enhance close and comprehensive cooperation to new heights so the potential advantages of each location will be maximized, bringing practical benefits to the people and contributing to local socio-economic development.
To accelerate the process of cooperation, in the future, the two localities agreed to propose to the government to improve road and rail transport capacity between Lao Cai and Hai Phong to facilitate transportation from Hai Phong Port to China through Lao Cai international border gate, and vice versa.

 

The two sides will continue to strengthen cooperation and exchange of trade information and foreign affairs, and work together to have better trade-investment promotion activities to promote the commercial advantages of the "bridge" Lao Cai and "international gateway" Hai Phong. Especially for the tourism industry, the two sides have chosen capable travel firms to exploit the tours of Yunnan (China)-Lao Cai-Hai Phong (Vietnam), to bring the images and strengths of Lao Cai and Hai Phong to international friends.

For a long time, the transportation of goods from Yunnan to Hai Phong has formed and is likely to develop thanks to Hai Phong-Lao Cai-Yunnan rail system. The investment in ICD port in Lao Cai to collect and pack goods in containers and do the customs procedures in order to transport goods to Hai Phong port is critical. Therefore, the two localities always facilitate the construction of ICD port in Lao Cai and port operations centre in Lao Cai, the production facilities to build warehouses in Lao Cai are formed soon and operate more efficiently.

 

Together with economic cooperation, the two localities continue to actively cooperate in the fields of education and training, cultural exchanges and sports.

With tradition, determination and relentless efforts, the two sides will manage to implement the cooperation content, through which Lao Cai and Hai Phong will be able to promote the potential and advantages of each locality and the role of regional cooperation with China, accelerate the operation of the Kunming-Lao Cai-Hanoi-Hai Phong economic corridor, contributing to promoting economic development of the two localities and Vietnam’s economy.