Party General Secretary To Lam speaks at the working session with the Cao Bang provincial Party Committee on January 28. Photo: VNA  

During his working visit to the northern border province of Cao Bang on January 28, Party General Secretary To Lam held a working session with the provincial Party Committee, stressing the need for the locality to transform its distinctive advantages into concrete and sustainable drivers of development.

General Secretary Lam underscored Cao Bang’s uniquely important position as a mountainous, border province of strategic significance to national defence, security and foreign affairs, as well as the cradle of the Vietnamese revolution where President Ho Chi Minh first returned to the country to directly lead the revolutionary cause, laying the foundations for decisive turning points in the nation’s history. From this land, the revolutionary path of Vietnam was shaped, the Party’s strategic mettle was forged, and the aspiration for independence and self-reliance was powerfully awakened.

He noted that history has bestowed upon Cao Bang a dual role: a solid frontier shield at the nation’s northern gateway and a birthplace of strategic thinking and self-reliant spirit that underpinned Vietnam’s revolutionary victories. Today, alongside its historical pride, the province bears a major responsibility in safeguarding border stability, strengthening national defence and security, and charting an appropriate development path in the new context.

Therefore, the working session aimed to thoroughly grasp the spirit of the 14th National Party Congress and to clarify a development trajectory suited to a mountainous, border province with a rich revolutionary tradition, translating central strategic orientations into practical, feasible tasks and solutions aligned with local realities.

Acknowledging Cao Bang’s low development starting point, difficult natural conditions, limited infrastructure and high connectivity and production costs, the Party leader stressed that the province cannot pursue a scattered development approach or mechanically replicate models from more advantagous localities. Every development decision must stem from Cao Bang’s specific conditions, turning challenges into motivation, transforming its border position into a strategic advantage, and converting cultural and historical values into tangible development resources.

While recognising the province’s efforts and achievements in recent years under difficult circumstances, General Secretary Lam pointed out that approaches and mindsets, once suitable, are no longer sufficient to help it accelerate growth and narrow development gaps. He emphasised the decisive importance of renewing the growth model, promoting technological application and digital transformation, improving the business environment, and fostering a leadership style that is closer to reality and more action-oriented.

For a province like Cao Bang, development should be measured not only by scale or growth rates, but by improvements in people’s livelihoods, access to essential services in remote and border areas, sustainable livelihoods, and the consolidation of public trust, he stressed.

The province was advised to restructure its development model toward “efficiency, productivity and happiness,” shifting from growth driven mainly by capital and labour to one centred on efficiency, total factor productivity, income and quality of life. This direction, he said, is correct and should be institutionalised through concrete indicators, clear task assignments and accountability mechanisms.

The Party leader agreed that border-gate advantages should go beyond customs clearance to focus on value-added services, trade support, standardisation, traceability and digitalised processes. He also called for tourism to be developed into a truly spearhead economic sector, based on product-oriented thinking, destination branding and integrated service chains, while avoiding unchecked commercialisation that could harm natural resources and the province’s image.

Commending its choice to place the happiness index at the heart of policymaking, General Secretary Lam urged the province to translate this approach into concrete programmes with clear outputs and robust supervision, aligned with central resolutions on education, health care and culture. For Cao Bang, this is not only a social policy but also a foundation of political and social stability, public trust and national defence in the new situation.

The top leader further stressed the need to link human resources development closely with the new growth model and the province’s priority sectors, such as border logistics and trade, quality tourism, distinctive agriculture combined with processing, and grassroots digital governance. Training must be demand-driven, tied to employment outcomes and conducted through innovative “order-based” mechanisms in close cooperation with businesses.

He also emphasised building a streamlined, effective administration and a contingent of capable, dedicated officials, while ensuring national defence, security, border management and foreign relations are conducted proactively, thus firmly safeguarding sovereignty and national interests. Party building, he noted, must be regarded as the fundamental guarantee for all breakthroughs, with public trust as the highest measure of leadership capacity.

Expressing his confidence in Cao Bang’s revolutionary tradition and aspirations, the Party chief said the province is well positioned to turn its distinctive advantages into substantive development momentum, contributing to national goals while steadily improving people’s lives./.