Lang Son: Elevating foreign relations and integration, optimising border advantages
WVR - In the context of the country entering a new stage of development with increasingly deep integration requirements, Lang Son is comprehensively leveraging its foreign relations strength, transforming its geoeconomic and geopolitical advantages into a driving force for development, while contributing to building a peaceful, friendly, cooperative, and developing border.
Latest
 |
| Huu Nghi (Friendship) International Border Gate , a symbol of the longstanding traditional friendship between the peoples of Vietnam and China, is also one of the busiest and most modern border gates along the Vietnam–China border. (Photo: Tong Thoan) |
Looking at Viet Nam's map, Lang Son appears as a “ gateway” to the North, with a 231.74 km-long border with the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (China) and a system of international border gates, bilateral border gates, and vital transportation routes.
Aspiration to reach further beyond the border
The Lang Son Provincial Party Committee has determined that foreign relations work must be implemented proactively, comprehensively, and in a coordinated manner, maximizing the potential and advantages of the locality; Effectively leveraging favorable conditions from the international environment to serve rapid and sustainable socio-economic development, improve people's lives, while ensuring national defense and security, maintaining national border sovereignty, and promoting the province's image to the world.
Lang Son continues to effectively maintain the three pillars of foreign relations: Party diplomacy, State diplomacy, and people-to-people diplomacy, with a focus on economic diplomacy, cultural diplomacy, external information, and border management. Foreign relations work is not the sole activity of the foreign affairs sector, but is closely linked to each socio-economic development goal of the locality, from attracting investment and expanding markets to promoting culture, developing tourism, and building a peaceful, friendly, cooperative, and developing border.
Lang Son's efforts in foreign relations over the past six months are evidence of a shift in thinking from “expanding relations” to creating development value. Across all three pillars, activities are implemented synchronously, closely linked to the requirements of socio-economic development, ensuring national defence and security, and enhancing the province's position in the context of increasingly deep international integration.
 |
| Mr. Hoang Quoc Khanh, Member of the Party Central Committeey, Secretary of the Lang Son Provincial Party Committee met with Mr. Chen Gang, Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Secretary of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Party Committee in February 2026. (Photo: VNA) |
One of the outstanding highlights is the province's continued deepening of friendly relations and cooperation with the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region – a partner of significant importance to the province's development. Alongside strengthening relations with Guangxi, Lang Son continues to expand cooperation with other localities in China and many traditional and new partners such as Japan, Republic of Korea, France, Italy, Thailand, Singapore, the US... and many international organisations, spanning various fields from human resource training and vocational education to sustainable tourism development, trade, investment, and climate change response. This approach shows that the province's foreign policy is not only aimed at expanding relations but also directly serves long-term development goals.
Local-level foreign relations activities have also been vibrant and increasingly large-scale. In the first six months of the year, the province sent 40 delegations with 312 officials to China, the US, Brazil, Chile, Greece, and other countries for work, discussions, and training. Simultaneously, it welcomed 72 delegations comprising 395 international visitors from various countries to conduct surveys, work, attend events, and explore opportunities for cooperation and investment in the locality. These figures demonstrate Lang Son's attractiveness to international partners.
Another notable achievement is the continued focus on signing and implementing international agreements. In the first six months of 2026, the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee signed four cooperation agreements with foreign partners, and authorised specialised agencies to sign four international agreements in various fields. More importantly, the agreements clearly assign implementation responsibilities, aiming for tangible results rather than mere signing.
 |
| General Secretary and President To Lam arrives at Dong Dang International Railway Station in Lang Son after successfully concluding his state visit to China in April 2026. (Source: VNA) |
In the overall picture, economic diplomacy is a bright spot. This is a key area identified for mobilising resources for development. Investment promotion activities, OCOP product promotion, business networking, and market expansion are implemented in parallel with major foreign affairs programs. Along with attracting foreign investment, the province continues to effectively utilise ODA funds and foreign non-governmental aid to serve sustainable development.
Simultaneously, foreign relations have contributed to spreading the image of Lang Son as a province rich in cultural identity. Cultural diplomacy continues to be advanced through the UNESCO Global Geopark Lang Son, the development of cross-border tourism, the creation of publications and videos introducing the locality in multiple languages, and the promotion of people-to-people exchanges with other countries.
It can be seen that, from seemingly isolated foreign relations activities, Lang Son is gradually forming a multi-layered, multi-sectoral network connecting with international partners. This is not only an expansion of the scale of relations but, more importantly, a process of transforming border advantages into development resources.
Creating a new development space
Past achievements not only reflect the effectiveness of foreign relations work but also lay a foundation for Lang Son to enter a new phase of development with a longer-term vision. In the coming period, the province has determined that foreign relations should not simply be an activity to expand relationships. Still, it must truly become one of the important driving forces contributing to the achievement of development goals established in the Provincial Planning for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050.
 |
| Deputy Secretary of the Lang Son Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Lang Son Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Canh Toan receives a delegation of businesses from China's Anhui Province on an investment survey visit to the province in July 2026. (Photo: Lang Son province) |
Following this orientation, Lang Son will continue to steadfastly implement the three pillars of foreign relations: Party foreign relations, State diplomacy, and people-to-people diplomacy; strengthen the “leading and pioneering” role of economic diplomacy, while promoting the role of defense diplomacy and People's Public Security diplomacy, creating a comprehensive strength in protecting sovereignty, maintaining a peaceful and stable environment, and expanding international cooperation. The overarching focus is on closely combining socio-economic development with international integration, consolidating national defence and security, maintaining national border sovereignty, and building a peaceful, friendly, cooperative, and developed border region.
In the new phase, the province aims to strengthen the transformation of its geographical advantages into new competitive capabilities through economic diplomacy and international integration. Building on established cooperation mechanisms, the locality will continue to research and promote cooperation models suitable to new development requirements; deepen friendly relations and comprehensive cooperation with the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region; and expand relations with other localities, organisations, and international partners.
 |
| Deputy Secretary of the Lang Son Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Lang Son Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Canh Toan and Wei Tao, Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Chairman of the People's Government of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, announce the inauguration of the dedicated freight transport route between Border Markers No. 1119 and No. 1120 under the pilot Smart Border Gate project along the Vietnam–China border in November 2025. (Photo: Lang Son province) |
Economic diplomacy continues to be identified as a key focus to realise the long-term goals set out in the Provincial Planning: by 2030, to build Lang Son into a border province with a developed economy, one of the growth poles of the Northern Midlands and Mountains region, and a centre for economic and trade connectivity between Viet Nam, ASEAN, China, and Europe. Aiming to become a key regional connectivity hub by 2050, with a modern, green, smart, safe, and efficient border gate system.
In addition, Lang Son hopes to continue receiving support in promoting the UNESCO Global Geopark Lang Son and the unique cultural values of Lang Son to international friends, thereby creating greater impetus for sustainable tourism development and enhancing the local image on the international stage.
 |
| Dong Lam Grassland, located within the UNESCO Lang Son Global Geopark. (Photo: Lang Son province) |
In Lang Son's journey to transform its geographical advantages into development advantages, foreign relations are not only a bridge between the locality and the world, but also a driving force for expanding development space, deepening Lang Son's integration with the country's overall development in the new era.
