Approval of the Planning of the Midland and Northern Mountainous Region for the period 2021–2030 in Vietnam

Approval of the Planning of the Midland and Northern Mountainous Region for the period 2021–2030 in Vietnam (Internet image) 

Regarding this matter, LawNet would like to answer as follows:

On May 4, 2024, the Prime Minister issued Decision 369/QD-TTg approving the Plan for the Midland and Northern Mountainous Region for the period 2021–2030, with a vision to 2050 in Vietnam.

Approval of the Plan for the Midland and Northern Mountainous Region for the period 2021–2030 in Vietnam

The development orientation and allocation of development space for advantageous sectors and fields of the region in Vietnam  are as follows:

(1) Industry

- Focus on developing the region's industry towards the application of high technology, environmental friendliness, with a focus on processing, manufacturing, and energy.

- Develop the metallurgical industry, mechanical engineering, electricity, electronics, semiconductors, and high-tech industries. Establish Thai Nguyen and Lao Cai as metallurgical centers; Thai Nguyen, Bac Giang, and Phu Tho as high-level centers for mechanical engineering, electricity, and electronics. Develop Bac Giang as a semiconductor production and supporting industry center. Prioritize projects applying new technologies, enhancing the efficiency of the chemical industry, such as organic fertilizer production, microbial products, ammonium sulfate, potassium fertilizer, plastic products, basic chemical products, and pharmaceutical chemicals, mainly in Phu Tho, Lao Cai, and Bac Giang.

- Focus on developing clusters connecting the tea processing industry in provinces such as Thai Nguyen, Lai Chau, Phu Tho, Yen Bai, Tuyen Quang, and Ha Giang; coffee processing in Son La; macadamia processing in Lai Chau; timber and paper processing in Tuyen Quang, Yen Bai, and Phu Tho; vegetable and agricultural product processing in Son La, Bac Giang, Lang Son, Dien Bien, Ha Giang, Bac Kan, and Tuyen Quang; processing products from medicinal plants in Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Cao Bang, Lang Son, Bac Kan.

- Focus on developing mining industries linked to efficient processing, resource savings, and environmental requirements for minerals such as apatite, copper, iron (Lao Cai), nickel-copper (Son La), tungsten (Thai Nguyen), tin (Cao Bang), lead, zinc, and lanh (Lai Chau, Bac Kan). Promote the efficient exploitation, processing, and utilization of rare earths (Lai Chau, Yen Bai).

- Develop and enhance the efficiency of hydropower utilization in suitable localities; ensure forest conservation and water source security when implementing small and medium-sized hydropower projects. Research and develop renewable energy industries in suitable localities; develop wind power mainly in Lang Son and Dien Bien.

(2) Agriculture

- Focus on developing the agricultural economy towards commodity agriculture, safe and organic production, green and clean, specialties, a circular economy, high efficiency, sustainability, adaptability to climate change, and creating products with unique brands and high-quality OCOP products. Form specialized production areas with appropriate scales, linked to processing and domestic and international markets.

- Maintain rice areas in localities, especially high-yielding and high-efficiency rice areas, specialty rice with high value is mainly concentrated in Dien Bien, Bac Giang, Phu Tho, and Thai Nguyen. Develop some main industrial crops linked to processing and consumption, such as tea mainly in Thai Nguyen, Ha Giang, Phu Tho, Yen Bai, and Tuyen Quang; coffee mainly in Son La, Dien Bien; and macadamia mainly in Dien Bien, Lai Chau, and Son La. Develop Thai Nguyen into a tea processing center, Lai Chau into a macadamia processing center. Develop fruit tree areas, specialty crop areas mainly in Son La, Bac Giang, Tuyen Quang, Hoa Binh, and Phu Tho; cinnamon and star anise mainly in Lang Son, Yen Bai, Lao Cai, and Cao Bang. Develop vegetable and temperate flower areas of high quality in areas with suitable conditions and a specific climate, such as Lao Cai, Son La, and Lai Chau. Build Son La into the agricultural processing center of the Northwest region.

- Develop the forestry economy, the economy under the forest canopy, in parallel with the task of protecting and developing forests and improving the livelihoods of forest workers, linked to national security tasks related to water resources, energy, and forest protection. Develop timber raw material areas linked to the wood and paper processing industries, mainly in Tuyen Quang, Phu Tho, and Yen Bai. Build Phu Tho and Tuyen Quang into the wood and paper processing centers of the region. Promote forest-based services such as eco-tourism; supply of non-timber forest products; forest environmental services; participation in carbon credit markets, considering this as a potential and significant advantage to be efficiently exploited. Focus on developing medicinal plants under the forest canopy, mainly in provinces such as Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Cao Bang, Lang Son, and Bac Kan. Develop multi-purpose cultivation areas.

- Develop livestock and poultry farming in areas with large-scale livestock farming, such as Ha Giang, Son La, Bac Giang, and Phu Tho. Develop freshwater aquaculture in provinces with natural water surface areas and large dedicated areas such as Hoa Binh, Son La, Lai Chau, Tuyen Quang, and Yen Bai. Expand aquaculture in reservoirs for irrigation and hydropower projects.

- Establish crop breeding centers, technology transfer for areas with large-scale development, concentration, and regions with advantageous roles and positions in supplying and transferring technology to neighboring localities. Establish and develop some agriculture production areas using high technology in suitable areas such as Thai Nguyen, Lao Cai, Phu Tho, Son La, Tuyen Quang, and Hoa Binh.

- Prioritize attracting investment in agricultural projects, making technological breakthroughs in agricultural development. Promote digital transformation in agriculture, apply digital technology, automate production and business processes; manage and monitor the origin and supply chains of products.

(3) Services

- Develop service sectors through diversification and quality improvement, especially in industrial-urban-service belts. Develop commercial infrastructure and e-commerce networks to meet the consumption demand for agricultural products and OCOP products in the region. Develop logistics networks, expand scale, diversify types of services, and improve export and import service quality.

- Develop strong border gate economies with large markets such as China and Laos. Focus on developing border gate areas into centers of trade, services, and tourism, capable of connecting with localities to form a commercial and tourism service line as a driving force for the entire region; it is one of Vietnam's trading hubs with China and ASEAN.

- Develop tourism into an important and leading economic sector, a driving force for the socio-economic development of the region, contributing positively to poverty reduction, and ensuring national defense and security in border areas. Improve the quality of tourism, the quality of routes, and the quality of tourism services with strong tourism brands, attractive and unique tourism products. Focus on developing main tourism products such as cultural tourism, historical tourism, landscape tourism, eco-tourism, nature exploration, adventure sports; community-based tourism, and ethnic minority culture. Link tourism development with Hanoi Capital, the Red River Delta region, the North Central Coast, China, and Laos, while enhancing tourism cooperation among provinces in the region.

More details can be found in Decision 369/QD-TTg, issued on May 4, 2024.

Nguyen Ngoc Que Anh

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