Cao Bang’s development planning for the period 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050

Cao Bang has abundant natural resources and great potential to develop the agricultural sector thanks to its advantages in climate and soil.

In addition, the forest area accounts for over 61% of the province’s natural area, which is a favorable condition for Cao Bang to develop agriculture and forestry in the direction of commodity production, associated with processing industry. Cao Bang also has beautiful tourist destinations such as waterfalls, lakes and diverse plants... In 2018, the Non Nuoc Cao Bang Geopark was recognized by the UNESCO as a Global Geopark. At the same time, it was voted by many reputed magazines as one of the 50 best places to visit in the world.

Along with the potential for tourism and agricultural development, Cao Bang also has international border gates, including the main border gates are Tra Linh, Soc Giang, Ly Van and many secondary border gates. In particular, it is located at the gateway for goods exchange from Guangxi and the Western and Southwest provinces of China to the sea and to Southeast Asian countries.

Cao Bang’s Development Planning Document for the period of 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050 has been approved by Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, at Decision No. 1486/QD-TTg dated November 24, 2023.

According to this plan, Cao Bang will become a province with a fast-growing, dynamic, green, sustainable and comprehensive economy by 2030, reaching the average level of development of the midlands and northern mountainous region; The infrastructure system will be improved, especially intra-provincial and inter-provincial transportation links; The mineral processing and exploitation industry will have new developments;

Cao Bang will develop new energy sources and renewable energy; form a number of agricultural areas applying high technology, organic, and specialties; Border gate economy and tourism will develop rapidly and sustainably; protect the ecological environment, water source security and proactively respond to natural disasters and adapt to climate change.

The fields of healthcare, education, culture and society will be comprehensively developed. The cultural identities of ethnic groups in the province will be preserved and promoted; The people's material and spiritual lives will be improved and enhanced; Social order and safety will be guaranteed. Foreign cooperation will be expanded; national defense and security, national border sovereignty will be firmly protected.

Specifically, the province aims to reach the average economic growth rate of 9.72%/year in the period of 2021 – 2030; the proportion of economic sectors in its GRDP would be - agriculture of about 12.5%, industry - construction about 21.7%, services about 63.3%;

Per capital GRDP of about 102 million VND/person (based on the current price).

The rate of multidimensional poor households in the period 2021 - 2025 will decrease by over 4.0%/year on average; maintaining a reduction in the poverty rate until 2030.

Key tasks

The planning specifically sets key tasks: attracting and releasing resources to invest in socio-economic infrastructure to ensure synchronization, modernity, and early dealing with bottlenecks in infrastructure;

Prioritizing the development of transportation infrastructure with external expressways and national highways connecting with neighboring localities and major urban and economic centers of the region and the whole country, connecting conveniently with other national transportation hubs (airport, seaport); Developing information technology and digital infrastructure to meet the requirements of building digital government, developing digital economy and digital society; developing modern, smart, and environmentally friendly urban infrastructure, border gate economic zone infrastructure, tourism infrastructure to promote the urbanization process, develop tourism and services associated with the development of border gate economic zones.

Developing services and tourism to become a key economic sector associated with the development of border gate economic zones, tourist areas and the Non Nuoc Cao Bang Global Geopark, creating motivation for growth and transformation of Cao Bang's economic restructuring; Promoting links in tourism activities with Hanoi and provinces in the Northern midlands and mountainous areas, especially Ha Giang, Lang Son and Bac Kan provinces; promoting cooperation with the Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guangxi (China).

Strengthening innovation and creativity, and issuing policies to create breakthroughs in agricultural economic development in the direction of commodity agriculture, high technology application, safe, organic, green, clean, and specialty production. Making rapid and breakthrough development in agricultural production with potential and strong crops and livestock, promoting the application of high technology in production; forming specialized farming areas associated with processing, promotion, branding of typical products.

To become a trade center, connecting the Chinese market and other countries in the region

Regarding the development of important industries: Cao Bang will develop trade, services and border gate economics, effectively exploit the Dong Dang (Lang Son) – Tra Linh (Cao Bang); Promote the development of border gate economic zones targeting the Chinese market and neighboring countries in the region, striving to turn Cao Bang province into a trade center of Vietnam and the Southeast Asian region with the Southwest region of China.

The province will develop e-commerce, shopping centers, exhibition centers, supermarkets, chain stores, market networks and other types of commerce in the direction of combining traditional forms and digital transformation; building border trade infrastructure and border gate economic zone according to the general planning of Cao Bang border gate economic zones;

Strongly developing domestic trade associated with promoting export and import and proactive international integration; Rapidly and synchronously developing logistics centers associated with international border gates to become a core service center in the circulation and distribution of goods; Developing warehouse systems at border gates in accordance with the needs, regulations and standards of the law.

Promoting specific tourism associated with historical and cultural traditions

Regarding the direction of tourism development, Cao Bang will develop green tourism associated with preserving ecological landscape and environmental protection, preserving and promoting the unique traditional cultural values of Cao Bang;

Developing specific tourism products associated with historical traditions, culture, and available natural conditions (such as Pac Bo Special National Monument Area, Ban Gioc Waterfall...), linking tourism activities with major tourism centers of the country, with neighboring provinces and with provinces in the southwest of China, striving to build Cao Bang province into a tourism attraction center of the midland and northern mountainous regions;

Developing natural landscape tourism, effectively exploiting the heritage values of the Non Nuoc Cao Bang Global Geopark associated with promoting the tangible and intangible cultural values of ethnic minorities;

Developing high-end resort tourism products combined with golf courses; adventure sports tourism, entertainment, community-based tourism; tourism associated with OCOP product development;

Develop support services to ensure that they meet the needs of tourists; Developing models of villages and cultural villages combined with tourism; Encouraging the construction of low-rise eco-resorts with local architectural nuances.

Forestry economy to develop based on 3 pillars

Regarding the direction of development of the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector, the province will develop the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector in an increasingly modern and sustainable direction, associated with transforming the labor structure in agriculture and rural areas, ensuring food security, environmental protection, ecology, organic, circular economy, low carbon emissions, environmentally friendly and adaptive to climate change;

Attracting investment and applying new and modern science and technology, especially digital technology and biotechnology to increase productivity, quality, and enhance competitiveness; Improving the efficiency of land, labor and capital use; Forming large-scale agricultural processing facilities to increase the output value of local agricultural products; Developing key products, specialties, endemics, characteristics and potential and strengths of Cao Bang province;

Promoting cooperation and association, and having policies to attract businesses and cooperatives to invest in agriculture to develop effective forms of agricultural production organization and deeply participating in domestic and global value chains;

Encouraging the formation of concentrated commodity production areas of appropriate scale associated with product storage, processing and consumption facilities; Researching and developing agricultural production areas applying high technology, preserving precious local genetic resources and contributing to creating sustainable and stable livelihoods for people; Building concentrated and encouraged agricultural and forestry production farms in the districts of Quang Hoa, Trung Khanh and Ha Quang;

Developing livestock production in accordance with the ecological conditions of each region; Promoting dairy farming according to the farm and ranch model, effectively exploiting local cow breeds concentrated in the districts of Bao Lam, Ha Quang, Trung Khanh, Quang Hoa; Developing pig herds, including hybrid pigs, foreign pigs and black pigs, indigenous breeds according to the strengths and conditions of each locality, focusing on the districts of Bao Lam, Ha Lang and some other districts such as Ha Quang , Quang Hoa, and Nguyen Binh;

Developing a modern, effective, multi-purpose and sustainable forestry economy associated with eco-tourism development, environmental protection, biodiversity and adaptation to climate change with three focuses:

(i) Developing the carbon credit market;

(ii) Developing biomass electricity;

(iii) Develop the processing industry of agricultural, forestry products, pharmaceuticals, medicinal materials, wood and other products; Protecting well the natural forest area, focusing on restoring natural forests; Developing the special-use forest system, conserving and promoting forest resources and biodiversity; Increasing the area of intensive cultivation of seedlings with high economic value, ensuring harmony between economic, social and environmental protection goals, creating jobs and income, and improving people's livelihoods; developing forestry along chain links from development, protection, and use of forests to processing and trading of forest products through encouraging models of production links along the value chain between forest owners and processing enterprises and traders of forest products.