Harvesting tea in Tuyên Quang Province. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The economic scale of the northern midlands and mountainous region is expected to reach VNĐ2.1 quadrillion by 2030, according to newly approved regional planning.

It is set to become a region with high average income with some provinces classified as being well-developed and approaching the high income threshold.

The average Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) of the 2021-30 period will reach 8.5 to 9 per cent per year. Construction and industry will be the largest contributor to the region’s GRDP.

GRDP per capita at current prices is set at over VNĐ140 million per person per year, according to the plan.

By 2030, the northern midlands and mountainous area will become a green, sustainable and comprehensive development region.

It looks to develop internally-connected infrastructure and others connecting with the Red River Delta, Hà Nội and the north central sub-region.

Sectors to be developed are processing, manufacturing, energy; high-value, organic, specialty, green, circular agriculture; border gate economy and tourism.

By 2030, the region’s urbanisation is expected to reach 40 per cent. About 80 per cent of the communes will be classified as the new rural-style areas.

The plan also sets the target of 65 to 70 per cent of the region’s labourers having been trained. About 35 to 40 per cent of the labourers are expected to own degrees or certificates.

It also aims at universal primary school education with 100 per cent of children under the age of primary students going to school by 2030.

As forest protection and restoration have been identified as the region’s key tasks, especially watershed forests, to develop a sustainable forestry sector. The region's forest coverage rate will be about 54 – 55 per cent.

The regional planning said the northern midlands and mountainous region must focus on developing infrastructure, with priority given to the transportation system connecting with Hà Nội, the Red River, the North Central sub-region and with China and Laos.

Construction of Lạng Sơn – Hà Nội, Lào Cai – Hà Nội – Hải Phòng – Quảng Ninh high-speed railways will be accelerated as part of efforts to foster regional connectivity.

The region must also build and upgrade infrastructure including logistics infrastructure, infrastructure of border gate economic zones, tourist areas, information and communication infrastructure and digital economic infrastructure.

The region must establish industry clusters and regional product chains concentrated mainly in Bắc Giang – Thái Nguyên – Phú Thọ – Hòa Bình and expand regional growth poles in Thái Nguyên, Bắc Giang, Lào Cai, Sơn La, Lạng Sơn and Phú Thọ.

The northern midlands and mountainous region consists of 14 provinces, namely Cao Bằng, Điện Biên, Bắc Giang, Bắc Kạn, Hà Giang, Hòa Bình, Lạng Sơn, Lai Châu, Lào Cai, Phú Thọ, Sơn La, Thái Nguyên, Tuyên Quang and Yên Bái.

The region’s northern part borders with Guangxi and Yunnan, China. The western part borders Laos while the eastern and southern parts border the Red River Delta and the north central and central coastal regions. — VNS