Representing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were Do Nam Trung, Director General of the Department of Northeast Asian Affairs, and Nghiem Viet Chung, Consul General of Vietnam in Kunming, China.

The delegation from China's Yunnan Province included Liu Hongjian, alternate member of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Yunnan Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Kunming Municipal Party Committee; and Wu Guoquan, Minister-Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam.

Hosted by Lao Cai Province, this year's conference was themed "Strengthening connectivity, promoting development of the Kunming - Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong - Quang Ninh Economic Corridor".

Lao Cai's delegation included Duong Quoc Huy, Member of the Party Central Committee and Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee; Nguyen Tuan Anh, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Giang Quoc Hung, Member of the Standing Board of the Provincial Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; An Hoang Linh, Member of the Standing Board and Chief of the Office of the Provincial Party Committee; and leaders of provincial departments and agencies.

Delegations from other Vietnamese localities included Bui Duy Cuong, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee; Nguyen Minh Hung, Vice Chairman of the Hai Phong People's Committee; Le Van Anh, Vice Chairman of the Quang Ninh Provincial People's Committee; and other delegation members.

 Driving cooperation towards greater depth, substance and effectiveness

An overview of the conference.

In his welcoming remarks, Duong Quoc Huy, Member of the Party Central Committee and Secretary of the Lao Cai Provincial Party Committee, expressed his pleasure that Lao Cai was hosting the 12th Cooperation Conference on the Economic Corridor linking Lao Cai, Hanoi, Hai Phong and Quang Ninh (Vietnam) with Yunnan (China). He said the event provided an opportunity for the localities to review their cooperation, share opportunities and chart new directions, while enabling Lao Cai to better leverage its gateway role and advantages, strengthen linkages and improve the effectiveness of its integration in the new period.

Duong Quoc Huy, Member of the Party Central Committee and Secretary of the Lao Cai Provincial Party Committee, stressed that in light of emerging issues and opportunities, after two decades of formation and development, it was time to set new requirements for the corridor's development.

Established in 2004, the cooperation mechanism among Lao Cai, Hanoi, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh and Yunnan (China) has, over 22 years and 11 conferences hosted on a rotating basis, increasingly demonstrated its vitality, sustainability and practical effectiveness. In particular, during 2024-2026, the economic corridor underwent important qualitative shifts from "relationship connectivity" to "development connectivity". Cooperation moved beyond exchanges, delegation visits and annual trade and tourism promotion towards jointly advancing foundational, strategic and long-term linkages in transport infrastructure, border gates, logistics and data; connecting production with markets and border gates with seaports; and strengthening ties among authorities, businesses and people on both sides of the border.

Delegates at the conference.

Drawing on Lao Cai's position and role as a gateway locality, Provincial Party Secretary Duong Quoc Huy proposed three major directions for the coming period: completing a seamless, modern and smart economic corridor; expanding joint activities and jointly developing integrated value chains capable of competing regionally; and creating new long-term growth drivers for the corridor based on science and technology, innovation, digital transformation and high-quality human resources. He called for Hanoi and Yunnan to fully leverage their roles as centres of science, technology, innovation and market connectivity, enabling all localities to participate in, access and make use of resources, technologies and knowledge; strengthen data sharing and technology transfer; and link training and research with businesses, particularly in high-tech industries, the digital economy and the green economy.

Lao Cai stands ready to maximize its role as a focal point and bridge, coordinate closely with other localities, proactively propose new initiatives and promote cooperation, working with its partners to make the cooperation mechanism deeper, more substantive and more effective.

A range of measures proposed to strengthen cooperation

Nearly two years after the minutes of the 11th Cooperation Conference on the Vietnam-China Economic Corridor were put into implementation, cooperation among the localities along the Kunming - Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong - Quang Ninh Economic Corridor has continued to be maintained and developed in a substantive and effective manner. Notable progress in infrastructure connectivity, trade, investment, tourism and people-to-people exchanges has helped consolidate friendship among localities of the two countries while expanding the region's economic development space.

Delegates spoke during discussions at the conference.

At the conference, delegates agreed that in the coming period cooperation should shift decisively from individual partnerships to corridor-wide linkages, and from exchanges and visits to substantive, focused cooperation with clear priorities, concrete outputs and tangible results.

Liu Hongjian, Deputy Secretary of the Yunnan Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Kunming Municipal Party Committee, said all five provinces and cities were at a pivotal stage of accelerating development. To further strengthen common understanding and deepen cooperation, he called on the localities to jointly study and continuously refine a cooperation model suited to their realities, enhance planning alignment and accelerate shared development. "I believe that as long as we remain steadfast in our shared ideals, respect each other's interests, and maintain timely communication and consultation, we will certainly be able to pool our strengths to overcome the immediate difficulties and work hand in hand to broaden the path of cooperation," Liu said.

Hanoi People's Committee Vice Chairman Bui Duy Cuong proposed that the localities work closely with central ministries, sectors and other localities to accelerate the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway project, creating momentum for integrated and modern connectivity across the entire economic corridor. He also called for expanded cooperation in attracting investment into eco-industrial parks and high-tech zones, as well as stronger collaboration with Yunnan and other corridor localities in science and technology, digital transformation, smart agriculture and cold-chain logistics.

Delegates spoke during discussions at the conference.

Hai Phong People's Committee Vice Chairman Nguyen Minh Hung said the breakthrough in the next phase should go beyond connecting localities on a map to connecting infrastructure, businesses, markets and value chains throughout the corridor. On that basis, Hai Phong proposed shifting from trade exchanges to value-chain and investment linkages. The parties should develop a concise shared portfolio of investment projects, logistics capacity, key products, market demand and anchor enterprises, and organize sector-specific business matching rather than broad-based promotion. Priority should be given to complementary areas such as agricultural processing, supporting industries, electrical and electronic equipment, green energy, smart logistics, cross-border e-commerce, science and technology, and human-resource training.

 Highlighting tourism as a key area of cooperation under the 2026-2027 Vietnam-China Tourism Cooperation Year, Quang Ninh Provincial People's Committee Vice Chairman Le Van Anh urged the localities to focus on developing tourism products that could be put into operation immediately. He proposed coordinated development of linked routes and tours from Yunnan through Lao Cai, Hanoi and Hai Phong to Quang Ninh and in the reverse direction, combining road, rail and air travel, while diversifying entry and exit options through suitable international border gates and airports.

Leaders of the provinces and cities signed the conference cooperation minutes.

On the occasion, the localities signed cooperation minutes for the next phase. To continue implementing the important common understandings reached by the senior leaders of the two Parties and two States and to make positive contributions to building a Vietnam-China community with a shared future of strategic significance, the parties agreed to actively promote delegation exchanges at all levels and deepen practical cooperation in transport connectivity, investment, trade, logistics, tourism, culture, sports, education, health care, science and technology, finance and banking, among other areas.

The parties agreed that the 13th Cooperation Conference on the Economic Corridor linking Lao Cai, Hanoi, Hai Phong and Quang Ninh (Vietnam) with Yunnan (China) will be held in Hai Phong, Vietnam, in 2028.

Shifting decisively from individual cooperation to corridor-wide linkages

In his closing remarks, Giang Quoc Hung, Member of the Standing Board of the Lao Cai Provincial Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, said the conference had agreed on a clear direction: to shift decisively from individual cooperation to corridor-wide linkages, and from exchanges and visits to substantive, focused cooperation with clear priorities, concrete outputs and tangible results.

Lao Cai Provincial People's Committee Vice Chairman Giang Quoc Hung delivered the closing remarks.

The Lao Cai Vice Chairman called on the localities to focus on several key tasks: strengthen connectivity and coordination among agencies, organizations and businesses; maintain delegation exchanges and expand people-to-people exchanges; and promote the coordinating role of foreign affairs agencies in building connections, exchanging information, removing obstacles and advancing new areas of cooperation.

Delegates posed for a group photo at the conference.

He also called for stronger transport and border-gate connectivity and greater trade facilitation; breakthroughs in trade, investment and logistics; stronger trade promotion and business linkages; increased imports and exports; and development of supply chains, logistics, agricultural processing and digital trade. In particular, the parties should coordinate efforts to pilot smart border gates, cross-border unmanned transport and the Cross-Border Economic Cooperation Zone pilot project.

Cooperation should also be expanded in culture, education, health care and people-to-people exchanges, with active coordination on tourism promotion among provinces and cities along the economic corridor during the 2026-2027 Vietnam-China Tourism Cooperation Year. Cooperation in emerging fields should be broadened, particularly the digital economy, digital transformation, science and technology, innovation, green development, new energy and green industries, gradually forming concrete programmes and projects that create new momentum for the development of the entire corridor.

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