It is necessary to develop a project "Economic development of La Lay International Border Gate area"

This afternoon, January 22, Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Ha Sy Dong chaired a meeting with the Provincial Economic Zone Management Board, relevant departments, branches, and localities on the project "Economic development of La Lay International Border Gate area to 2030, vision to 2035".

It is necessary to develop a project

Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Ha Sy Dong emphasized the need to invest in building an economic development project for the La Lay international border gate area to meet the requirements of developing a dynamic logistics service center on the PARA-EWEC route in the new situation - Photo: NTH

According to the report of the Provincial Economic Zone Management Board, La Lay International Border Gate (CKQT) has a favorable location for the development of international relations, trade, services and tourism , being the gateway connecting the provinces of Central Vietnam with the provinces of Southern Laos and Northeastern Thailand. The corridor passing through La Lay CKQT is favorable to attract the volume of goods exchange transport from 4 provinces of Southern Laos with a population of 1 million people and the provinces of Northeastern Thailand with a population of about 21.5 million people. These are mostly areas with favorable conditions for economic development of the provinces of Southern Laos and Northeastern Thailand.

In response to the demand and necessity to meet the circulation of goods at La Lay International Border Gate, on September 16, 2014, the Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 1955/QD-UBND approving the adjustment of the detailed planning of La Lay International Border Gate area at a scale of 1/500, including 6 functional areas, with an area of 49.94 hectares. After nearly 10 years since upgrading La Lay border gate to an international border gate (in 2014), the total capital invested in building infrastructure at La Lay International Border Gate is 328,527 billion VND.

Statistics from previous years showed that each day there were 50-80 cargo vehicles passing through the border gate, but by 2023 there was a sudden increase, with about 400-450 vehicles passing through the border gate each day; budget revenue from La Lay International Border Gate in 2023 also increased dramatically, from 1.5-2 billion VND per day, with peak days collecting more than 5 billion VND.

In 2023, the amount of imported coal will reach 2.21 million tons, accounting for about 87% of total budget revenue (VND 500 billion/VND 575 billion). It is forecasted that in the coming time, when the transport infrastructure is favorable, the amount of imported coal will increase significantly to 7 - 10 million tons/year. Therefore, the current infrastructure does not meet the needs and development of the border gate area; in and around the border gate area, there are no logistics points serving trade activities through the border gate.

In the coming time, when the route connecting La Lay International Border Gate to the Southeast Economic Zone and My Thuy deep-water seaport, which is more than 70 km long (added by the Ministry of Transport to the Road Transport Development Plan to 2020, with a vision to 2030) is opened, it will create a new economic corridor for Quang Tri in parallel with the East-West Economic Corridor (PARA-EWEC). These are specific conditions for implementing a number of driving projects, creating new momentum and a breakthrough development step for the province in the process of international economic integration.

Therefore, it is necessary to develop a project to develop the La Lay International Border Gate economic zone, striving to build La Lay International Border Gate into a dynamic logistics service center on the PARA-EWEC route by 2030, promoting the development of trade, services and tourism in the province. Accordingly, the total capital needed to mobilize to implement the project is to ensure meeting the development orientations of trade, services, tourism and infrastructure, with a total estimated investment of about 3,146.2 billion VND.

At the meeting, opinions from departments, agencies and sectors said that the biggest challenge in economic development of the La Lay international border gate area is that the transport infrastructure has not met development requirements, while investment resources from the budget are difficult.

In the immediate future, it is necessary to invest in clearing the traffic route from the station to the border gate and from the station to National Highway 15D, facilitating transportation through the border gate; focusing on prioritizing the attraction of conveyor belt projects through La Lay International Border Gate and studying the attraction of investment in conveyor belts connecting My Thuy port to relieve pressure on the current road infrastructure.

It is necessary to carefully calculate the source of goods to have a plan to invest in loading and unloading yards, waiting areas for import and export goods, and invest in suitable roads, bringing high economic efficiency. The solution is to ask for a special mechanism from the central government to take revenue from the border gate to reinvest in economic development in the La Lay border gate area.

Concluding the meeting, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Ha Sy Dong emphasized the need to invest in building an economic development project for the La Lay International Border Gate area to meet the requirements of developing a dynamic logistics service center on the PARA-EWEC route in the new situation.

Accordingly, the Provincial Economic Zone Management Board needs to base on the national development planning project, the Central Coastal planning project, the Vietnam - Laos border development planning project and the Quang Tri provincial planning project to develop and complete the project commensurate with the stature of the dynamic region for regional development, national and international connectivity.

Clarify current difficulties, forecast development, and then propose appropriate solutions in the context that the province's medium-term public investment capital for the 2021-2025 period has been fully allocated. It is necessary to identify investment resources as public investment and private investment, and not include socialized sources in the project. The implementation solution focuses on asking for a special mechanism from the central government to allow budget revenue from La Lay International Airport to be reinvested and develop infrastructure in the direction of integration at the national level.

Arrange in order of priority the list of investment projects, groups of solutions for implementation and recommendations to the National Assembly, the Government, ministries and central branches to support investment in completing the infrastructure of the La Lay international border gate area to connect regionally, nationally and internationally. By 2035, establish a border gate economic zone, connecting National Highway 15D from My Thuy deep-water seaport to La Lay international border gate, serving as a bridge for economic and foreign trade between Vietnam and Laos and ASEAN countries.

Thanh Hai

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