With the characteristic of a province with a long border adjacent to 02 provinces: Luang Prabang and Hua Phan province - Lao PDR, up to now Son La has comprehensive cooperation relations with 09/18 provinces of Lao PDR, including: Hua Phan, Luang Prabang, Bo Keo, Udom Xay, Phong Sa Ly, Luang Nam Tha, Xay Nha Bu Ly, Xieng Khouang, Xay Som Bun. Son La province is maintaining a good friendly relationship between Son La province and the northern provinces of Laos and has had many diplomatic activities, exchanges in the fields of culture, economy, trade, services, education, ... some investment support activities, cooperation in trade development are gradually taking shape and initially have many good results.

In the leadership and direction of the implementation of cooperation contents with the Northern Lao provinces, the Provincial Party Committee, the People's Council and the People's Committee of Son La province have paid close attention and directed. Maintaining cooperation agreements, support and assistance activities between levels, sectors and border districts of Son La province such as: Training and fostering Vietnamese language, expertise and skills for cadres, soldiers, police, students; technical training, model transfer in the field of agricultural production... Closely coordinating in implementing commitments and reaching consensus in multilateral cooperation frameworks on issues related to the two countries in order to gain support and assistance from countries, organizations in the region and internationally with the goal of promoting and creating changes in economic cooperation between Vietnam and Laos in general and Son La province and the Northern Lao provinces in particular.

Foreign cooperation and international integration have been given attention and have become the central content in the forums of cooperation activities between Son La province and the provinces of Northern Laos in particular and in the region in general. In particular: strengthening cooperation with foreign diplomatic missions and regional cooperation; improving the business environment, creating a favorable business environment for enterprises of Son La province and the provinces of Northern Laos to invest together.

In addition, the province has implemented the planning for the construction of the border gate area and Long Sap border gate economic zone (issued a Decision allowing the establishment of zoning plans and detailed plans in the Long Sap international border gate area, Moc Chau district); directed the implementation of investment preparation for infrastructure projects in the border gate area, including: Investment project to build Long Sap main border gate into Long Sap international border gate; Investment project to build Long Sap international border gate has been added to the Medium-term Public Investment Plan for the period 2021 - 2025 (2nd time) and has been approved by the National Assembly in Resolution No. 29/2021/QH15 dated July 28, 2021 (up to now, there has been no Decision on assigning the Medium-term Public Investment Plan for the period 2021 - 2025 of the Ministry of Planning and Investment); Allocate funding to support the implementation of the project "Working house of the Pa Hang border control force" to ensure conditions for upgrading Long Sap border gate into an international border gate; Invest in the construction of a medical station in Phieng Sa village, Xieng Kho district with funding from the Vietnam Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Industry and Trade, amounting to VND 1,964,848,000.

Son La province and the provinces of Northern Laos regularly contact, grasp information, and coordinate closely to implement agricultural and rural development cooperation programs; Forest protection programs between the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Son La province and the Department of Agriculture and Forestry of the provinces of Northern Laos on forest protection, forest fire prevention and fighting in border areas with high efficiency. Agricultural production models have been deployed in Muong La district, Udomxay province - Laos: supporting the GL4 Taiwanese mango planting model: 03 ha; supporting the peanut planting model: 01 ha; supporting the cowpea planting model: 01 ha.

At the same time, organize the Vietnam - Laos Tourism Trade Fair 2017 in Son La city and Moc Chau district with a total scale of over 250 booths, receiving the attention and participation of domestic enterprises as well as enterprises from Hua Phan, Bo Keo, U Dom Xay provinces - Lao PDR, contributing to promoting and introducing potential products and goods of Son La province to the Lao market, creating opportunities to meet, exchange, cooperate in promoting investment, promoting trade and tourism between enterprises of the two countries. Discussing the mechanisms and policies to attract investment, develop production and business of the Party and State of the two countries and two provinces. Experiences in state management of the field of Industry and Trade, investment needs, linking production and consumption of products and goods of the two provinces, creating favorable conditions for developing trading, import and export activities of traders and border residents.

In order to effectively carry out the tasks of cooperation, friendship, and neighborliness between the two countries, from the perspective of investment cooperation connection activities, promoting trade of goods, exchanges and promoting tourism and service activities with the goal of fully promoting the investment promotion project between Vietnam and Laos, in the coming time, Son La province will continue to strengthen cooperation in all fields, continue to maintain regular visits, contacts, and work; strengthen and improve the effectiveness of defense and security cooperation, cooperation between localities of the two countries...; affirm the determination to raise the level of economic cooperation commensurate with the overall special relationship between the two countries, especially promoting border trade. Continue to pay attention to planning and investing in infrastructure between Son La and provinces of Laos, especially the commercial transport infrastructure system in border areas, integrating investment in essential infrastructure with the stable construction of people's lives in border areas.

Nhu Thuy