Party General Secretary Tô Lâm greets officials of Quảng Bình and Quảng Trị provinces during his working visit on Wednesday. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

QUẢNG BÌNH — The merger between Quảng Bình and Quảng Trị will continue their shared historical legacy while opening up a vast space and resources for development, said Party General Secretary Tô Lâm as he led a high-level delegation on a working visit to Quảng Bình Province on Wednesday.

The trip was made ahead of the official merger between Quảng Bình and Quảng Trị provinces, as per the pivotal resolution recently approved by the National Assembly in mid-June.

The two localities are considered rich in tradition and share many similarities in geography, history and culture. In recent years, both provinces have made significant progress in shaping sustainable development models.

In the first half of 2025, Quảng Bình’s GRDP (gross regional domestic product) is estimated to grow by 7.74 per cent, exceeding its planned target of 7.7 per cent. Quảng Trị’s growth is estimated at 7.16 per cent.

Socio-cultural development has been made a priority alongside national defence and political stability. Administrative reforms and digital transformation are driving innovation in the investment environment, public service, and administration quality.

Thorough preparations on legal and organisational frameworks have been made for the new province, which will take the name of Quảng Trị.

The new Quảng Trị Province will have 78 commune-level administrative units, with major potential from a long coastline, numerous historical and cultural sites, a world heritage site (Phong Nha–Kẻ Bàng National Park), international border gates (Lao Bảo, La Lay, Cha Lo), deep-water ports (Hòn La, Mỹ Thủy), a modern and interconnected road network, and two airports.

Addressing the working session, Party chief Lâm said that, with a diverse and well-connected inter-regional transportation system, the new province will have favourable conditions for integrated planning and robust growth of key sectors such as the maritime economy, border trade, logistics, and international commerce.

The merger will allow for the formation of value chains from production to consumption, he said, which maximises the potential of deep-water ports like Hòn La and Mỹ Thủy, coastal economic zones, and raw material sources along the country’s east-west corridor.

This lays the groundwork for better regional competitiveness, large-scale investment attraction, and the emergence of a new growth pole in the north-central region.

With a population of nearly two million and abundant natural and cultural resources, the new Quảng Trị is well positioned to build a modern, autonomous and innovative local government capable of leading socio-economic development amid ongoing growth model transformation and increasing integration, Lâm said.

To unlock the mutual strengths of the newly formed province, the Party leader stressed that the restructuring must be comprehensive, transparent and consistent across all levels.

Special attention must be paid to merit-based appointments as well as benefit policies for relocated officials, especially in remote areas, and to developing a new generation of reform-minded, strategically capable leaders.

The province must review all its legal, policy and planning systems to ensure transparency and alignment with regional development strategies, prioritising digital transformation in key sectors, and fostering a digital startup ecosystem in Đồng Hới and Đông Hà cities, according to the Party chief.

Support should be given to young people, women and farmers to promote innovation and entrepreneurship. Special mechanisms are needed to support ethnic minority youth in remote areas, helping them access soft skills and vocational training aligned with labour market demands.

In preparation for the new provincial Party Congress, General Secretary Tô Lâm urged rigorous, logical and coordinated planning. The congress documents must go beyond merging two separate strategies to reflect renewed thinking, an inter-regional outlook and a shared aspiration for a larger, stronger locality with more diverse resources, strengths and potential.

Given the new province’s broad geography and uneven population distribution, Party chief Lâm underscored the need to communicate accurate information and build public consensus, especially in ethnic, religious and border areas.

Socio-political stability and national defence-security are a prerequisite for strong development and integration, he added.

The Party leader expressed confidence that this merger would mark a strategic turning point that would propel Quảng Trị into a new growth engine for the north-central region.

As part of the working visit, the Party chief and the delegation also paid tribute at a memorial for President Hồ Chí Minh and martyrs in Quảng Bình. — VNS