As a geographical area with a particularly important strategic position in protecting national border sovereignty, stabilising security and order of ethnic minorities in mountainous areas, and securing water resources for the sustainable development of the Northern Delta region; along with its inherent natural conditions, with rich potential in forests, agriculture, minerals, energy, etc., Lai Chau has always been recognised, evaluated, and identified by the Party and State as an important strategic area in socio-economic development, ensuring national defense, security, and national borders.
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Lai Chau develops comprehensively and firmly. |
On January 1, 2004, the newly re-established Lai Chau province officially came into operation, opening a new page in history for the Party Committee, government, and people of all ethnic groups. After 20 years of construction and development, with determination and will to rise, Lai Chau has fulfilled solid and outstanding achievements such as: The economy has developed quite well, the average growth rate in 20 years reached more than 9%/year; the budget revenue in the province increased 80 times, from 31 billion VND to more than 2,500 billion VND; the average income per capita increased 25 times, from 2.2 million VND to more than 56.2 million VND.
The rural appearance has improved, with 44 out of 106 communes meeting new rural standards, and the forest coverage rate reached more than 52%.
The socio-economic infrastructure has received attention and investment, 100% of communes have car roads to the centre; the rate of households using the national grid electricity reached more than 97%; more than 93% of rural residents have access to clean water, 99% of urban residents have access to clean water. Education has been strongly developed; the health insurance coverage rate has reached over 96%.
The work of building the Party and the political system has been strengthened; national defence and security have been stable, and national border sovereignty has firmly been guaranteed.
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Lai Chau has 20 very diverse ethnic groups, which is a condition for developing cultural and community tourism. |
However, besides the achievements, Lai Chau also has difficulties and a heavy responsibility that the Party Committee, government, and people of all ethnic groups in Lai Chau must strive to achieve. For example, with 265.165km of border, Lai Chau is an important area in the national border protection strategy. This is the top political task to firmly protect the sovereignty, borders, and landmarks of the Fatherland.
The province has 19 ethnic minorities, the ethnic minority rate accounts for more than 84%, the population is scattered, the area is difficult, the traffic is strongly divided. In recent years, hostile forces have continuously abandoned the plot and trick of “peaceful evolution”, taking advantage of ethnic and religious issues, illegally proselytising, distorting the Party and State’s policies and guidelines on ethnic and religious policies, inciting and causing division in the great national unity bloc. Effectively implementing ethnic and mountainous policies, improving the material and spiritual life of the people will contribute significantly to political stability at the grassroots level.
Lai Chau has a strategic position as it is located in the upper reaches of the Da River, with more than 494,000 hectares of forest. This is an important upstream protection area for large hydropower plants; ensuring water security for the sustainable development of the Northern Delta; contributing significantly to the green, sustainable development trend that our country is aiming for.
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Located in the upper reaches of the Da River, Lai Chau is an important upstream protection area. |
Lai Chau has 20 ethnic groups living together, each with its own unique identities, blending to create a colourful picture of its own highland culture, which is an important condition for the development of cultural tourism and community tourism.
To be ready to enter the era of national development, the top political task, in the immediate future, is to successfully implement the policy of merging the organisational apparatus of the political system; abolishing the intermediate administrative level (district level), merging several commune-level units; implementing the 2-level local model to ensure streamlining, efficiency, effectiveness and efficiency.
Effectively implementing policies and rearranging the apparatus of the political system is an important condition to reduce the cumbersomeness and overlap in direction, concretise the Party’s guideline and the State’s laws; rearranging commune-level administrative units, improving the effectiveness and efficiency of smooth direction and operation from the province to the grassroots level.
Rearranging the apparatus of the political system is a correct policy of the Party and State, creating a new mechanism and new driving force for the development of the whole country in general, as well as Lai Chau in particular.
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Lai Chau is a key locality in the national border protection strategy. |
With the attention of the Party and State, Lai Chau is working with relevant ministries and branches to effectively deploy investment resources from the Central Government such as: The project of the route connecting Lai Chau with the Noi Bai-Lao Cai expressway; Hoang Lien Road tunnel project connecting Sa Pa town (Lao Cai Province) with Tam Duong district (Lai Chau province).
That will open up opportunities and possibilities for connecting Lai Chau with provinces in the region and the whole country, to continue to take advantage of and mobilise all resources and advantages for development, contributing to the effective implementation of Resolution 11-NQ/TW, dated February 10, 2022 of the Politburo on socio-economic development orientations, ensuring national defence and security in the midland and mountainous regions of the North until 2030, with a vision to 2045.
The Party Committee, government and people of all ethnic groups in Lai Chau are always deeply aware of the great and sacred responsibility assigned by the Party and State in firmly ensuring national border sovereignty; the responsibility in building ethnic solidarity, stabilising the political base in mountainous areas, creating equal, synchronous and comprehensive development among ethnic groups; forest protection, and water security, contributing to the overall stability of development, together with the whole country entering the era of national development.
