(VOVWORLD) - Quang Ninh province and Hai Phong city have been two important economic drivers of the northern region. Both localities have attached importance to cooperation and links to create breakthroughs and spur the development of the key northern economic region.
 Bach Dang Bridge and Ha Long-Hai Phong Highway were officially inaugurated in 2018. |
In 2018 Bach Dang Bridge was officially inaugurated. This marked an important event - cutting the distance between Quang Ninh and Hai Phong from 75km to 25km.
On one side of the bridge is the Hanoi-Hai Phong Highway, which extends to Lao Cai. On the other side is the expressway connecting Hai Phong, Ha Long, and Van Don, which will connect to the Mong Cai border crossing this year, creating a transport corridor to China.
Hai Phong and Quang Ninh are the similar in many ways - natural features, cultural traditions, history, and current development orientation.
Hai Phong is already an industrial center, the biggest seaport in northern Vietnam, and Quang Ninh is a rising star with recent remarkable breakthroughs in economic growth, infrastructure, administrative reform, and investment attraction.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the two led Vietnam in growth rate in 2021 - Hai Phong grew 12.38%, Quang Ninh 10.28%.
The common bright spot for both localities is their processing and manufacturing industries, which feedd the global supply chain.
Pham Tuan Anh, Deputy Director of the Industry Agency of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said, “Industrial development cooperation between the two localities will play a major role in forming supply chains and attracting investment projects in the industrial sector, especially in processing and manufacturing, to the northern region.”
He said, “Transportation infrastructure development in these two localities will increase the capacity to transport raw materials and components to serve industrial production and the export of goods from other localities through the seaports in Hai Phong and Quang Ninh.”
Quang Ninh and Hai Phong both attach great importance to cooperation and linkage.
In 2009 they signed a strategic cooperation and coordination program with a long-term vision.
Last August, the Party Committees of the two localities held a historic meeting which underscored the need to promote cooperation to efficiently run the logistics service supply chain and make the most of available infrastructure such as Cat Bi International Airport, Hai Phong Port, Lach Huyen Port, Cai Lan Port, and Van Don International Airport.
 Cooperation in the logistics service supply chain is the highlight in coordination between Hai Phong city and Quang Ninh province. |
The advantages of Vietnam’s seaports will be exploited by the Hai Phong-Ha Long-Van Don-Mong Cai expressway which will transport goods to the Mong Cai, Bac Phong Sinh, and Hoanh Mo international border crossings.
Dr. Le Xuan Sang, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Institute of Economics, said, “I think Hai Phong and Quang Ninh should increase cooperation in planning a seaport and logistic systems complex. Both have much potential, but need to work with each other to set up chains.”
Work on the Van Ninh Port in Quang Ninh’s Mong Cai city began last October.
Quang Ninh and Hai Phong will cooperate to develop economic zones, industrial parks, transportation infrastructure, and tourism.
New bridges, including Ben Rung and Lai Xuan, will soon be built to create links with the Red River Delta.
Bruno Jaspaert, CEO of the DEEP C Industrial Zones in Hai Phong and Quang Ninh, said he believes “Enhancing inter-connectivity between Quang Ninh and Hai Phong ensuring that both will benefit from infrastructure building is the key. We truly believe that Quang Ninh can become another Hai Phong. We’ve proposed to the Quang Ninh authorities to allow us with private capital to invest in a sea channel between Lach Huyen port and the port infrastructure of Quang Ninh that would allow actually direct access from the incoming and outcoming traffic of Lach Huyen.”
Hai Phong and Quang Ninh will develop a joint project to advise the Politburo, National Assembly, and Government on the specific mechanisms and policies needed to turn them into a marine economic center and a gateway of the northern economic region so they can drive the development of the region and nation.