The International Investment Promotion Conference 2026 between Vietnam’s Dien Bien province, China’s Yunnan province and Laos’s Luang Prabang province was held in Dien Bien on October 19 to strengthen economic ties and mobilise resources for socio-economic development.
The conference focused on infrastructure, border trade, agricultural processing, energy and tourism. Investment approvals and cooperation agreements involving tens of trillions of Vietnamese dong were announced.
Secretary of the Dien Bien Provincial Party Committee Tran Tien Dung said Dien Bien is Vietnam’s only locality bordering both Laos and China. The economy grew 9.81% in the first nine months of 2026, while 31 projects with registered capital exceeding 54 trillion VND, or over 2 billion USD, were approved in principle.
The province identified priority areas including transport, logistics, border trade and processing; commercial agriculture and deep processing linked to the green economy; and historical, cultural, ecological and resort tourism. It also pledged to streamline procedures, make planning information transparent and improve the business environment.
Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Vu called for turning priorities into feasible projects linking infrastructure, border gates, logistics, production and markets. Approval decisions were granted to 20 investors for projects totaling over 7.5 trillion VND, while Dien Bien and six investors exchanged memoranda representing nearly 12 trillion VND.
The agreements covered industrial parks, renewable energy, mineral exploration and processing, urban development, resorts, tourism, trade, services and social housing. Five secondary investors joined Thanh An Industrial Park and Thanh Yen 2 Industrial Cluster, with more than 2 trillion VND in combined registered capital and plans for nearly 2,000 jobs. Proposed facilities include agricultural and medicinal herb processing plants, cold storage and post-processing facilities.
The conference established a cross-border tourism route linking Yunnan, Dien Bien, Laos and Thailand. Participants called for better transport, border-gate and logistics links. Sun Fenglei, Chairman of the Chinese Business Association in Vietnam, said the association would continue bringing Chinese companies to explore opportunities and establish long-term operations in Dien Bien.
Lao Ambassador to Vietnam Khamphao Enrthavanh said stronger coordination among authorities and businesses could expand border trade and turn memoranda into concrete programmes, projects and contracts, contributing to development, better livelihoods in border areas and stronger friendship between Laos and Vietnam.
Sources: VietnamPlus / Vietnam News Agency
