Government wants heliports built near Sa Pa

The plan released on March 29 tasks the northern province with studying the feasibility of building them in Bac Ha, Bat Xa, Sa Pa and Lao Cai towns.

The government also wants the Noi Bai – Lao Cai Expressway, connecting the province with Hanoi, to be built before 2030.

Lao Cai will get a railroad section linking with the China border that will stretch south to Hanoi and Hai Phong Province.

The government aims for tourism to be the main driver of Lao Cai’s economic growth, and requires the province to build resorts of international standard to compete with other countries.

It wants Sa Pa to become an international tourist hotspot with at least three premium resorts with casinos and four golf-amusement complexes, including in Lao Cai and Sa Pa towns.

Lao Cai is expected to grow at 10% a year annually until 2030 when it will have a per capita income of over VND260 million (US$11,080).

The government plan seeks to make the Lao Cai Border Economic Zone one of the largest and most important logistics hubs in the country and facilitate trade with ASEAN, China and Europe.

Lao Cai Province spreads over 6,300 square kilometers and shares a border with China’s Yunnan Province.