From the beginning of the year, the Provincial People's Committee directed its subordinate agencies and units to continue maintaining the dissemination and implementation of central and provincial documents on economic diplomacy, such as: Directive No. 15/CT-TW dated August 10, 2022, of the Party Central Committee on economic diplomacy serving national development until 2030; Resolution No. 21/NQ-CP dated February 20, 2023, of the Government on economic diplomacy; Plan No. 132/KH-TU dated October 11, 2022, of the Provincial Party Standing Committee implementing Directive No. 15/CT-TW dated August 10, 2022, of the Party Central Committee on economic diplomacy serving national development until 2030... In particular, the focus is on promoting the pioneering role of economic diplomacy in mobilizing foreign resources, contributing to strengthening the potential, competitiveness, and adaptability of the economy; prioritizing national interests and tangible results, and placing people and businesses at the center.

Ambassador Ito Naoki, the Japanese Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Vietnam, and his wife visit a model plum orchard in the Na Ka plum valley. Photo: PV

Adhering closely to the principle of putting people and businesses at the center, in the first six months of 2026, Son La province's economic diplomacy work was implemented decisively, proactively, and substantively; expanding the scope of foreign relations through a series of diplomatic activities, such as: Last March, provincial leaders met and exchanged views with the Governor of Okayama province, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Vietnam, and leaders of corporations and businesses in Okayama province, within the framework of a working trip to attend the program of the Minister of Foreign Affairs meeting with the Governor of Okayama province - Japan. Through this, the potential and cooperation needs of Son La province in several areas where the province has advantages were introduced, such as: high-tech agricultural production, tourism, agricultural product processing industry, renewable energy, labor - employment... Subsequently, on June 6-7, 2026, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Viet, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, welcomed and accompanied the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Vietnam on a field visit to learn about the operations of several Japanese businesses operating in Son La province, including a branch of Takii & Co., Ltd - one of the leading corporations/companies in Japan and worldwide in the field of research, breeding, production and trading of vegetable and flower seeds; We visited the Satoen Vietnam tea farm and factory (the first tea farm in Vietnam to achieve GLOBALG.AP certification) and discussed the potential for further strengthening cooperation between Son La province and Japanese partners in the future.

Furthermore, the province's economic diplomacy is also linked to participation in the RCEP Local Government Cooperation Forum in Anhui (China); successfully coordinating the organization of International Yoga Day 2026 with the Indian Embassy; and working with major delegations from Finland... contributing to showcasing the potential and seeking cooperation opportunities between Son La province and partners attending the Forum.

Leaders of Son La province and the delegation from Pacific Construction Group pose for a commemorative photo. Photo: PV.

In particular, to address the challenge of developing high-quality human resources to serve the integration goals by 2030, the Department of Internal Affairs of Son La province successfully signed cooperation agreements to send workers to work seasonally with two Korean partners: Jeonju city and Boseong district. Simultaneously, the traditional, comprehensive friendship with nine provinces of neighboring Laos continues to be maintained and strengthened with a focus on equal cooperation and stable, sustainable development.

To boost agricultural exports, a breakthrough that directly supports economic diplomacy in the first half of this year has been the focused implementation of the Hoa Binh - Moc Chau expressway project, specifically the section passing through Son La province. Removing bottlenecks in transportation infrastructure and expanding the Hoa Binh - Moc Chau expressway are key to reducing logistics costs and enhancing the competitiveness of export businesses.

Opening Ceremony of Son La Safe Agricultural Products and Food Week 2026 in Hai Phong City

Thanks to timely support policies on market information, technical standards (SPS), and trade defense in FTAs ​​(such as EVFTA, CPTPP, RCEP), Son La's agricultural products continue to assert a strong position on the world map. By June 2026, the entire province maintained and effectively managed 216 export-oriented cultivation area codes, including 33 codes for the United States, 41 for Australia, 9 for New Zealand, and 3 for the EU. Simultaneously, 9 high-tech agricultural zones for tea, coffee, milk, plums, mangoes, etc., operate stably, supplying high-quality raw materials to large domestic and international processing plants.

Besides the achievements, the Provincial People's Committee has pointed out obstacles such as: the distance from economic centers; border logistics infrastructure, although receiving investment, is still small-scale; and the professional capacity and especially the foreign language proficiency of a portion of officials and civil servants have not kept pace with the rapid rate of international integration. To overcome these obstacles, the province is focusing on realizing human resource development plans, most notably the Plan for Training High-Quality Human Resources from Ethnic Minorities in the period 2026-2035 and the Project to Send Citizens to Study in Developed Countries.

Customers shopping at the Son La Safe Agricultural Products and Food Week 2026 in Hai Phong city.

In the final months of 2026, a pivotal year for achieving the socio-economic development goals for the 2026-2030 period with the aim of maintaining a high growth rate, the Provincial People's Committee has determined to continue implementing comprehensive solutions to maximize the role of economic diplomacy; further strengthen close coordination between Party diplomacy, State diplomacy, and people-to-people diplomacy; link economic diplomacy with cultural diplomacy to strongly promote tourism and agricultural products; and actively reform administrative procedures, simplifying residency and investment procedures for foreign partners. Son La is steadfast in its goal of putting people and businesses at the center, transforming external resources into a powerful driving force to realize the aspiration of green, rapid, and sustainable development by 2030.

Quynh Ngoc