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| Lao Bao international border gate, Quang Tri province - Photo: AT |
Geopolitical advantages, transport infrastructure
After the merger, Quang Tri province owns 2 deep-water ports (Hon La and My Thuy), 3/8 international land border gates on the Vietnam-Laos border (Cha Lo, Lao Bao, La Lay), 2 airports (Dong Hoi and Quang Tri); a synchronous railway and road traffic system along the North-South axis, 3 national highways along the East-West axis (Road 12, Road 9 and Road 15D).
The government is considering building a railway connecting My Thuy port with Lao Bao International Border Gate. On the other side of the border, a railway from Mukdahan connecting the Bangkok-Nong Khai (Thailand)-Vientiane (Laos)-Kunming (China) railway is under construction.
National Highway 9 - the East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC) has been invested and funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), completed up to Mawlamyine seaport (Myanmar), nearly 1,300km long (from My Thuy port), connecting the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean.
India is planning to extend the India-Myanmar-Thailand Highway (nearly 1,400km long) to Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia to increase India-ASEAN trade flows, implementing the ASEAN-India trade in goods agreement signed in 2009.
The extension of the expressway to three Southeast Asian countries is part of India’s “Act East” policy, which has already linked Moreh (Northeast India) to Maesot (Thailand). This corridor will connect the East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC) to Vietnam via the Lao Bao International Border Gate.
“Laos is becoming an important geopolitical country, and with the construction of railways and highways, it has the potential to become an important logistics hub in mainland Southeast Asia,” said Norihiko Yamada, a Laos expert at the Japan Institute of Developing Economies.
On July 31, 2025, during a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Lao General Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith at the Kremlin, Russia proposed opening a transport route to Laos via a Vietnamese seaport. This proposal was made in the context of an impressive 66% growth in Russia-Laos trade turnover in 2024. Russia is very interested in Laos' potential for exporting metals and agricultural products.
Strategic suggestions from the Central
At the meeting between the Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Politburo of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party on January 7, 1997, the two sides agreed to "Complete the regulations on the border market and the Lao Bao-Densavan free trade area", "assign the Government and the Cooperation Committee of the two countries to coordinate in studying and soon promulgate mechanisms and policies on preferential loans, tax exemptions and reductions, support for research costs for a number of projects... to create a legal environment and motivation to promote cooperation between enterprises of the two countries". The establishment of the Lao Bao Special Economic Zone (1998) and the Densavan Border Trade Zone (2002) stemmed from this strategic vision.
Resolution No. 26-NQ/TW, dated November 3, 2022 of the Politburo on "socio-economic development and ensuring national defense and security in the North Central and Central Coast regions to 2030, with a vision to 2045" advocates "studying a pilot model of border gate economic zones on the East-West economic corridor".
Notice No. 241-TB/VPTW, dated June 28, 2025 of the Central Party Office on the results of General Secretary To Lam's visit and working session with the Standing Committee of the Quang Binh Provincial Party Committee and the Standing Committee of the Quang Tri Provincial Party Committee, the General Secretary commented that Quang Tri has ideal conditions to develop logistics centers, supporting industries, freight transit and renewable energy on the East-West and North-South corridors.
The General Secretary directed to maximize the advantages of the East-West economic corridor gateway, expand development space to the West in association with strengthening cooperation with Lao provinces, and research and build economic zones associated with seaports and regional and international supply chains.
On July 26, 2025, during his visit and working session in Quang Tri, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh directly inspected the progress of the My Thuy port project. This is a key project of the province, covering an area of 685 hectares, with a total investment of 15,000 billion VND, invested by My Thuy International Port Joint Venture Company.
The Prime Minister emphasized that My Thuy port has a strategic position and an important connecting role between Vietnam and ASEAN countries. With the spirit of foresight and thinking deeply to do big things, the Prime Minister requested to speed up the project progress, at the same time, study the planning and development of the EZ, a specialized port in My Thuy, and study a specialized railway from the port to Lao Bao International Border Gate, connecting with Laos, Thailand and the Trans-Asia railway.
New growth driver of Quang Tri province
With the strong and specific instructions of the Party and Government leaders, Quang Tri province has shortened the time for research and requesting the Central Government's approval like other localities so that it can immediately start building a project to establish a KTMTD.
According to many domestic and international experts, to form a trans-boundary economic zone, in addition to the factors of deep-water seaports, land borders, and strategic traffic connections, a large enough supply chain is required. After Hai Phong and Ho Chi Minh City, Quang Tri is a locality that has the “heavenly time and favorable terrain” opportunities to develop trans-boundary economic zones linked to regional and international supply chains. When My Thuy port comes into operation (expected in March 2026), the end point of the East-West economic corridor will be My Thuy port.
Implementing the Central's direction and realizing the new opportunities from the development space to the West, the Standing Committee of the Quang Tri Provincial Party Committee assigned the Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission (the standing agency of Task Force 626) to preside over and research a provincial-level scientific topic on the formation of a free trade zone in Quang Tri, and assigned the Provincial People's Committee to research and develop a project to submit to competent authorities to pilot the construction of a free trade zone, a "duty-free port" associated with My Thuy seaport and an international road border gate.
It is expected that by the end of September 2025, the Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Department will basically complete the provincial-level scientific project and transfer it to the Provincial People's Committee for reference and research to develop the project. According to Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Duc Tien, the Provincial People's Committee will direct departments and branches to promptly complete the project and report to competent authorities in the fourth quarter of 2025.
My Thuy International Port Joint Venture Company is also conducting research on the supply chain linking My Thuy seaport with the two-way flow of goods on the East-West corridor, orienting the model of "duty-free port-smart supply chain", creating a "strategic trio" when My Thuy port comes into operation.
Along with the pilot implementation of the construction of the Lao Bao-Densavan cross-border trade economic zone according to the policy of the Politburo and the Governments of Vietnam and Laos with outstanding incentive mechanisms, the formation of the cross-border trade economic zones in Quang Tri province will be an attraction for domestic and international strategic investors to Quang Tri in the coming time.
Dai Nam Lake
Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/kinh-te/202508/khu-thuong-mai-tu-do-dong-luc-tang-truong-moi-cua-tinh-quang-tri-bai-3-quang-tri-truoc-co-hoi-thien-thoi-dia-loi-4b342ec/
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