Major infrastructure investments needed to spur northern midlands, highlands growth in Vietnam

Vietnam should build and upgrade expressways and airports to boost development in the northern midland and highland region, said Singapore-headquartered EnCity International Consulting JSC.

It said this region holds an important national security, socio-economic and political position, but faces many challenges and drawbacks.

The northern midland and highland region includes Ha Giang, Tuyen Quang, Cao Bang, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Thai Nguyen, Bac Kan, Phu Tho, Bac Giang, Hoa Binh, Son La, Lai Chau and Dien Bien provinces.

EnCity International, which is a consultant for the master plan for the northern midland and highland region for the 2021-2030 period, with vision until 2050, outlined several solutions at a feedback gathering conference held in Hanoi on Friday.

It argued that the region plays a decisive role in the energy, water resources and ecological environment for northern Vietnam as a whole, but finds its growth hampered by poor traffic connections.

It still takes a long time to travel within the region and from there to the country’s major economic centers and border trade areas. For instance, to get to Hanoi, the average travel time is over six hours and the maximum travel speed in the East-West direction is just 30-40 km per hour.

Therefore, investment in the North-South Expressway should be prioritized until 2030, and there should be more routes leading to the sea, border gates and socio-economic hubs. The expressway section connecting Hoa Binh and Thanh Hoa provinces and National Highway 16 linking with Thanh Hoa and the north-central region need particular attention, the firm said.

The government and localities also need to upgrade National Highway 4 and National Highway 37 to speed up the East-West connection.

The planned upgrades for the Dien Bien, Lai Chau and Na San (Son La) airports and as well as the new airport in Sapa, a famous tourist attraction in Lao Cai province, will also boost socio-economic development through tourism and increased commerce.

The consultant also proposed adding a high-speed route (80 kilometers per hour) from Hoa Binh to Ninh Binh province in order to increase connectivity with North-South routes.

After 2030, the government and concerned localities should focus on strengthening the East-West connection, and consider investing in the Son La-Yen Bai Expressway (along National Highway 37), cutting travel time from the agricultural product hub of Son La and the northwestern region to major ports by more than an hour as well as linking the Dien Bien-Son La-Yen Bai tourism chain, the firm advised.

An expressway linking Lang Son province and Tien Yen district in Quang Ninh province should be built to have one more route to the sea, it added.

Tap China proximity

Commenting on the master plan, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung emphasized the need to boost infrastructure connections with China as this region borders two Chinese provinces - Yunnan and Quangxi. The region should take optimum advantage of its proximity to China, the world’s second largest economy, he reiterated.

“It is necessary to strengthen connections with China to create development momentum for the whole region as well as localities in the plain," he said.

About the proposal to invest in the Hoa Binh-Thanh Hoa expressway, the minister agreed that it was a solution to connect the region with Nghi Son seaport in Thanh Hoa province.

"The routes, when formed, will quickly link remote mountainous provinces with coastal areas, airports, seaports and important border gates," he said.

Four sub-regions

EnCity International also proposed dividing the northern midland and highland region into four sub-regions, six economic corridors, three belts and growth poles to create closely linked areas capable of sharing infrastructure effectively.

Sub-region 1 will be a green growth area associated with sustainable agriculture, eco-tourism and clean energy, with Hoa Binh as the growth pole and Son La as the center of agricultural product processing and social services.

Sub-region 2 will be a major tourist area, a hub for economic and cultural exchanges with Yunnan and other southwestern provinces of China with two growth poles in Lao Cai and Phu Tho.

Sub-region 3-Thai Nguyen province will be the medical, tourism and industrial center of the whole region, as well as a place to preserve history with the potential to develop tours of historical relic sites.

Sub-region 4, including Lang Son and Bac Giang, will be a place of great growth and the industrial center of the region. This sub-region has one of the country's most important international border gates connecting with Guangxi and other southern provinces of China. Bac Giang can also be developed into the region's semiconductor industry hub and one of the country's centers in this industry.