Vietnamese, Lao provinces consider building joint cross-border economic zone

Permanent Vice Chairman of the Quang Tri province People’s Committee Ha Sy Dong (Photo:VNA)

Quang Tri (VNA) – Building the Lao Bao - Densavan joint cross-bordereconomic and trade zone between Vietnam and Laos is one of the key projectsthat the central province of Quang Tri is implementing, according to PermanentVice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Ha Sy Dong.

In an interview granted to the Vietnam NewsAgency, Dong said that on the 2,067km-long Vietnam - Laos border, there arecurrently eight pairs of international border gates, of which Quang Tri province alone has two - Lao Bao and La Lay.

Also along this borderline, only in the LaoBao - Densavan border gate area, two symmetrical economic zones: Lao BaoSpecial Economic - Trade Zone and Densavan Border Trade Zone have been set up.This is a favourable condition for the two provinces of Quang Tri andSavannakhet to propose to the two governments to allow the pilot building ofthe Lao Bao - Densavan joint cross-border economic and trade zone, therebyopening up cooperation in many areas between Vietnam and Laos.

He said that in the draft project on thezone, the two sides will build a model of "two countries, one economiczone", which shares the same mechanisms, policies and operationalmanagement, and has special preferential policies with the principle ofequality and mutual benefit, and respects each other's independence,sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Based on compliance with legal requirementsof both sides and international practices, the zone will be unified in a commonregional planning, organisation and operation. The area will have the same policies, rules andstandards, and apply the highest preferential mechanisms and policies.

To prepare for the project, Quang Tri is mobilising and attracting investmentto develop transport infrastructure connecting the delta area to Lao BaoInternational Border Gate, including the 56-km Cam Lo – Lao Bao expresswaywhose investment is estimated at nearly 14 trillion VND (568 million USD).

In the future, the province will alsoconsider building the Dong Ha - Lao Bao railway to be linked with the Densavan- Savannakhet railway of Laos, thereby forming a railway on the East WestEconomic Corridor (EWEC).

To complete the project, in mid-March,Quang Tri and Savannakhet provinces will jointly organise an internationalconference at the Lao Bao - Densavan International Border Gate to conduct fieldsurveys with the participation of scientists, managers, leaders of ministriesand sectors of the two countries, added Dong./.

VNA