Foreign relations to improve Ha Giang's position and prestige in the world stage

Mr Loc Tam Xa, the Zhuang Autonomous Region Party secretary, Guangxi Province (China) welcomed Mr  Dang Quoc Khanh, the Ha Giang Provincial Party Secretary, and Ha Giang delegation visit to Guangxi. (Photo: Documentation)

The efficiency of foreign non-governmental capital

Quan Ba district is a border district of the Ha Giang province, inhabitants are mainly ethnic people with a high poverty rate. In 2016, ActionAid, a Foreign Non-Governmental Organization in Vietnam (AAV), started investment cooperation in projects on poverty reduction, clean water, gender equality, livelihoods for women, access to quality education for children, illiteracy eradication, and adaptation to climate change. Mr Sen Thang Long, Vice Chairman of Quan Ba District People's Committee, said: "The actions of AAV implemented in the district are practical activities, selected based on specific needs and surveys in the community." Therefore, they are designed to contribute to sustainable poverty reduction, and enhance the intellectual and socio-economic development in the district.

 Representative of the United Nations Development Program in Vietnam discussed with leaders of Ha Giang provincial people' committee. (Photo: Documentation)

Together with AAV, Plan International organization has 15 years of operation in Ha Giang. This is one of the NGOs carrying out many activities in the province with a grant amount of more than 500 billion VND. Plan signed a cooperation agreement for 2021 to 2026 with the Provincial People's Committee committing to support the province with 5 million USD, equivalent to 116 billion VND, to implement projects and programs in the fields of education, health, social security, women, children, and ethnic people. In particular, Plan has accompanied the ethnic minorities to overcome difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic, while the United Nations Development Program in Vietnam (UNDP) has supported projects for ethnic people in the highland districts of the country. Ms. Caitlin Wiesen, UNDP Representative, said: A survey in Ha Giang province showed that the COVID-19 epidemic caused cooperatives owned by ethnic people to reduce revenue by 50-80% and reduce household incomes from 50 to 60%. These impacts fall on poor and vulnerable households, micro, small and medium enterprises in Ha Giang, including ethnic women. In response to the impact of the pandemic, UNDP has provided a non-refundable grant of over USD 170,000 (equivalent to nearly 4 billion VND) for Ha Giang to implement 2 projects: “Leaving no one behind in response and COVID-19 pandemic recovery” and “Promoting human security – Leaving no one behind through an integrated response to COVID-19 in Vietnam."

The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the village road in Ngam La commune (Yen Minh) sponsored by the United Nations Development Program in Vietnam (Photo: Documentation).

Ha Giang has stepped up the work of attracting NGO capital. Up to now, Ha Giang has 39 NGOs registered to operate, of which 20 operate regularly. By the end of 2021, the province has negotiated, signed, and implemented 85 agreements and cooperation minutes in fields such as poverty reduction, new countryside construction, healthcare improvement, education, and patronage, children, women, environmental protection, climate change response, and livelihood enhancement for ethnic people. At the same time, receiving and implementing 242 programs and projects of non-refundable aid with an implementation budget of over 423 billion VND; receiving non-refundable international organizations aid to support medical equipment and supplies for COVID-199 prevention worth over 49 billion VND.

Now, 100% of the projects being implemented in the province are evaluated as good and well; many effective models and projects have been replicated. Especially, the support mechanism changes positively from "support, giving" to "cooperation for mutual development", promoting the dynamism and sense of responsibility of the locality and community. Mr Nguyen Van Doanh, Member of Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations Party, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations, during his business trip to Ha Giang, affirmed: “In the context of NGO aid to Vietnam facing difficulties due to the influence of Despite the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, Ha Giang continued to maintain and increase in aid quantity and value, being a "spotlight" in the work of attracting investment and mobilizing aid of the whole country.

Promoting and expanding cooperation relationship

In addition to comprehensive cooperation with the province of Chinese, Ha Giang has actively expanded and established cooperative and friendly relations with many foreign localities, such as: Establishing cooperative relations with Moriya city, Ibaraki Province (Japan); sister-city with Benguet province, Philippines and Boeun district, Chungcheongbuk province (Korea). It is developing a working program between leaders of Ha Giang province with embassies of countries such as the United States, India, Australia, Korea, Ireland, France, Germany, Azerbaijan, Japan, and the Philippines.

Ha Giang province regularly stays in touch, strengthens connections and Communication via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Vietnam Embassy in foreign countries; established cooperative relations with many international, intergovernmental, and non-governmental organizatios such as: Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), World Bank (WB), Asian Development Bank (ADB), Plan organization, Caritas (Switzerland); LOAN-Stiftung; Good Neibought International (Korea); Blue Dragon Children's Foundation (Australia); Fauna & Flora International (FFI); Vision Care. From 2015 to now, the total ODA capital for programs and projects implemented in the Ha Giang province is about 1,800 billion VND.

To implement Vietnam's cultural diplomacy strategy, Ha Giang has actively promoted on cultural values, opportunities, potentials and strengths of the province to international friends via political activities, conferences, online workshops and tourism promotion. In which the province focuses on introducing the Dong Van Karst Plateau UNESCO Global Geopark to embassy delegations, international organizations and foreign businesses to visit and work in Ha Giang, developing the province's unique characteristics from traditional products.

The promotion of the province is carried out by various ways. Ha Giang has actively participated in introduction and promotion programs that organized in abroad by agencies and Vietnam's representative agencies via events, such as: General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union IPU 132; Food Festival of ASEAN and other countries; performing ethnic musical instruments during the visit of Zhuang Autonomous Region Party secretary, Guangxi Province (China) in Ha Giang; Ha Giang cooperated with the US Embassy to organize activities to explore and experience the Dong Van karst Plateau UNESCO Global Geopark  on the occasion of the US Embassy delegation visiting and working in Ha Giang; organized the Conference "Introducing Ha Giang in 2018", the Workshop on Regional Linking in the economic development of tourism in Ha Giang and the East - Northwest provinces; organizing promotion and advertising on Ha Giang tourism in Japan, Thailand and China; introduced local products such as Lung Tam linen textile, Mint honey, Ha Giang green tea at the 2016 Winter Christmas Fair organized by Madrid City Hall, Spain; and exhibiting introductory photos about Ha Giang at the Consulate General of Vietnam in Kunming city, Yunnan province (China).

These activities make an important contribution to promoting and introducing the potential, strengths and incentives and policies of Ha Giang to attract foreign investors. The image of Ha Giang, amazing, poetic, hospitable and with potential for development, was implanted in the hearts of international friends.

News, photos: BIEN LUAN - THU PHUONG - LE HAI