Lai Chau Province Has Much Potential to Develop Industry, Tourism & Trade

Lai Chau province is located in the northwest of Vietnam. It is adjacent to to China to the north, Lao Cai and Yen Bai provinces to the east, Son La and Dien Bien provinces to the west and the south. The area is 9,112sq.km. The whole province is comprised of seven districts and one county town with 98 communes, wards, and small towns. It has 273 km of borderline with China, and is situated in the middle of two famous tourism sites, Sa Pa and Dien Bien Phu. It has highways 4D, 32 and 12 connecting Lai Chau with Ha Noi – Dien Bien – Lao Cai and Van Nam (China), and Ma Lu Thang national border gate, which is favourable to develop external economic relations. In 2009 the proportion of agriculture, forestry and fishery's decreased by 2.9 percent; industry – construction increased by 2.1 percent; services increased by 0.8 percent. Agro-forestal production is relatively well developed; most targets have been achieved and or exceeded the proposed plan.

 

Having abundant land and soil, consisting of various climates within different climate regions, Lai Chau is focusing on sustainable forestry based on its natural advantages, including the development of temperate vegetable farms, flowers, organic pharmaceutical materials and fruit trees. In Sin Ho, Ho Thau, Dao San; the development of teas. In Lai Chau town, Tam Duong, Than Uyen, Tan Uyen; the development of cardamom trees. In Dao San - Phong Tho district, Muong Te district; the development of rubber trees as well in Sin Ho, Phong Tho and Muong Te districts.

 

 Lai Chau has much potiential for development in small and medium hydroeclectric power. It has over 120 mines and 20 varietys of precious minerals which have high industrial values. For example; rare earth in Dong Bao, Tam Duong and Nam Xe, Phong Tho. In addtion, Lai Chau has many calcareous moutains with large reserves in So village – Phong Tho, Bo village – Tam Duong. It is advantageous to the production of the cement industry Black and colour mines for industrial uses and construction material production.

 

Having Ma Lu Thang national border gate together with grand natural landscapes and the cultural characters of 20 ethnic minorities, Lai Chau province is positioned to develop tourism as well as import export services. Especially important in the Sin Ho highland, with an altitude of over 1,500m, and a year round cool climate is benificial to pharmaceutical plants, and has a favourable environment for the development of ecotourism areas. Resorts that are focusing on visiting ethnic minorities land and culture are also important. Having a spreading natural area, especially many various terrains, Lai Chau has relatively plentiful tourism resources, rich national culture, and a lot of appeal. All of which create fovourable conditions for development of ecotourism, recreation, convalescene and adventure tourism.

 

In recent years, the business and investment invironment in Lai Chau province has inproved considerably; thus, the activities in investment attraction have achieved important results, the speed of investment attraction sharply increased, and in later years has a higher activity than the previous ones. Based on the existing potentials and advantages together with preferential and suitable investment policies, many domestic and foreign companies and enterprises have registered and carried out investment projects in the provincial area. Since 2004, Lao Cai has attracted 145 investment projects with the registered capital of VND 12,554 billion (five projects by foreign investors with registered capital of VND 90 billion and 140 domestic investment projects with the total registered capital of VND 12,464 billion). In 2009, the province attracted 41 investment projects with the total registered capital of VND 4,236 billion.

 

Aiming to introduce and call for investment from all economic sectors and use the capital effectively, Lai Chau has rightly selected preferential programmes and projects to ensure all criteria suitably across the province’s socio-economic development, and to accelerate socio-economic growth, to gain high efficiency and environmental safety, to create more jobs, to invest in difficult areas and investment encouraging sectors. To exploit the regional potential. Lai Chau has established a list for investment in the period of 2010 -2020 in many different fields, such as industry, agriculture, health and education, in which there are many large projects for example small and medium hydroelectric plants. Projects on the development of Tam Duong tea area, including a cement factory with capacity of 30 thousand tonnes per year in Muong So - Phong Tho, Hoang Lien Son mountain pass tourism area together with others. Ecotourism sites and resorts in Sin Ho highland, and the hot mineral springs destination of Vang Bo - Phong Tho district. Thien Son cave and Pu Sam Cap cave tourism sites, projects with hotel services and international travel organisations. When the above-mentioned projects are invested and bring into play their effectiveness, step by step, this will be a very important "Treadle" for economic development in the period of 2010 -2020. With these available advantages and with innovative thinking acumen and dynamism, Lai Chau will have been created by their own firm position from which the social resources in various economic sectors will be mobilised at the highest level to contribute to the promotion of socio-economic development.