Nature has endowed Cao Bang with many advantages, but it has also posed challenges. Pooling resources and joining hands with Lang Son and Thai Nguyen, is Cao Bang seeking to prove that geography does not hinder development if there is an open, connectivity-driven mindset?

All provinces, not just Cao Bang, need linkage. Documents of the 14th Party Congress clearly state the need for “strategic autonomy.” We understand that strategic autonomy does not mean asking for more authority nor asking for more money. Strategic autonomy means choosing, among many tasks, which ones to prioritize and carrying them through to completion. Second, it means autonomy in managing the linkages on which we depend.

Many people refer to Cao Bang as a “dead-end province.” I do not like that term. I prefer to say “Cao Bang is a house at the end of an alley.” We actually have the longest “frontage” among border provinces with neighboring China. If we are well connected, it becomes a house on the main road; if not, it remains a house at the end of the alley.

Cao Bang not only wants to link with the former Viet Bac provinces but also expand development space. For example, with the project marking 85 years since President Ho Chi Minh returned to Vietnam, we hope that heritage routes related to him can be linked: HCMC, where he departed to seek a path for national salvation; Hanoi, where he founded the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and Nghe An, where he was born and raised. At least these four localities should be connected through “red addresses” associated with President Ho Chi Minh to spread shared values. 

Through this, we can rely on institutions and foundations from more advanced localities to help Cao Bang boost tourism growth, cultural development, and deeper investment. As for provinces in the region such as Thai Nguyen and Lang Son, we value them greatly. 

Still on regional linkage within the Cao Bang – Lang Son – Thai Nguyen economic triangle, where do you position Cao Bang in this value chain? Is the province willing to be a hinterland supplying raw materials, or determined to become a high value-added transit hub?

We do not like the word “willing.” Among the neighboring provinces of the former Cao Bang – Bac Kan – Lang Son area, Lang Son is the frontrunner and leader in logistics and cross-border trade and import-export. Its first-mover advantage, experience, and scale are undeniable. Cao Bang does not seek to compete with Lang Son. We instead complement this multi-colored picture. We have the Ta Lung border gate, but more importantly, we have the Tra Linh – Long Bang border gate. This gate lies on the Dong Dang – Tra Linh corridor and connects to Long Bang (China), leading onward to Sichuan province, Chongqing - China’s fourth-largest industrial hub, then extending westward to western and southwestern China, reaching Khorgos, Urumqi, and onward to Kazakhstan. This will be a new economic corridor.

As for Thai Nguyen, once the Bac Kan – Cao Bang expressway is formed in the future, it is clear that major industrial production zones in Thai Nguyen will see two-way goods movement along this route.

Third is tourism development. Facing Cao Bang is Baise city, a populous city (4 million people) in Guangxi, associated with Leader Mao Zedong and the early Baise Uprisings; this is a "red address" of the Chinese revolution. If we do well with revolutionary tourism, and since Guangxi has many imprints of President Ho Chi Minh, all provinces will see the value brought by linkage.

How do you hope today’s foundational efforts will reposition Cao Bang on the national development map over the next decade?

At the recent 2025 achievement exhibition organized by the Government, Cao Bang had an exhibition area. A very good idea directed by the Provincial Party Standing Committee was to let people come and write on the walls about what they want for Cao Bang in the next 10-20 years. Some wishes were very simple, like hoping Ban Gioc Waterfall remains as clear as it is without waste. Some wished for children to go to school and be cared for so that "no one is left behind." 

The Resolution of the 20th Provincial Party Congress also clearly defined Cao Bang's strive for growth and economic indicators, joining the national roadmap for digital transformation and innovation. Aspirations for a digital economy and circular economy have also begun to appear. Some corporations have come to Cao Bang to start projects on low-altitude and sea-borne economy, which are very new concepts.

Doan Bong