Lao Cai (VNA)🍰 – The northern mountainous province of Lao Cai held a ceremony on October 1 to mark the 25th anniversary of its re-establishment (October 1, 1991 – 2016) after the former Hoang Lien Son province was split into Lao Cai and Yen Bai provinces.

Nguyen Van Binh, Politburo member, Secretary of Party Central Committee (PCC) and Head of the Party Central Committee’s Economic Commission, attended the event and presented the Labour Order, first class, to the province. Addressing the ceremony, Binh, who is also head of the Steering Committee for the Northwestern Region, appreciated the achievements that the province has gained in socio-economic development, defence, security and Party building over the past 25 years. He emphasised that the province plays an important role in linking the economic corridor from Kunming to Lao Cai, Hanoi and Hai Phong as well as a bridge connecting Vietnam with China and the ASEAN – China free market. Binh urged Lao Cai to seize opportunities and make full use of advantages to enhance northwestern regional links. The province should focus on making the border economic zone into a large economic centre as well as create attractive policies for investment on infrastructure and cooperation between domestic and foreign enterprises and organisations to comprehensively develop local tourism, added Binh. He asked Lao Cai to continue to consolidate local defence and security and maintain political security and social order and safety as well as actively prevent and handle arising problems in localities, particularly those related to religion and border areas. The province needs to pay ample attention to Party building and accelerating the campaign ‘Studying and following President Ho Chi Minh’s moral example, he said. Also the same day, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in collaboration with the Lao Cai provincial People’s Committee held the Northwestern Region Ethnic Minorities Festival with a ceremony held in Lao Cai city. This year’s festival sees the participation of eight provinces including Lao Cai, Hoa Binh, Son La, Dien Bien, Lai Chau, Yen Bai, Phu Tho and Ha Giang.-VNA