LaoCai (VNA) – Lao Cai authorities are aiming to turn the northernprovince’s border economic zone into a dynamic and sustainable developmenteconomic hub, according to insiders.
Under a development master plan for the zone to 2040, with avision to 2050, recently announced by the provincial People’s Committee, the zone will have a total area of 15,929.8 ha. It isprojected to have a population of 90,000 by 2040.
The zone will have a core area and two wings, namely western and easterneconomic corridors.
Planned infrastructure works include a border gate management areaat the Lao Cai international border gate, the Kim Thanh international bordergate and high-rise financial, bank and service centres in Kim Thanh, Duyen Hai,Ban Qua and Ban Vuoc communes.
The service area at the border gate will cover more than 356 hectares of landand is planned to house areas for fairs and exhibitions, representative officesof enterprises and organisations, a trading centre and bonded warehouse, amongother facilities.
The area designated for industrial activities in the zonecomprises industrial parks, a 228-ha processing and packaging zone forimport-export in Bat Xat district, and an area for services, logistics,warehouses and packaging.
The plan also envisions a complex for tourism, entertainment andsports covering more than 344 ha in Ban Qua commune of Bat Xat district.
Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Le Ngoc Hung said the Lao Cai border economic zone ishoped to become one of the important tradinggateways, a tourism, service and trading centre and a large-scale cargo transfergateway in the region.
He asked local authorities to pay attention to researching and proposingpolicies for career change to ensure a stable life for locals living in the projectarea, while developing plans for land clearance and resettlement and planting boundarymarkers.-VNA