Thoroughly grasping viewpoints and new thinking on “closely and harmoniously combining economic, cultural, social development and environmental protection with consolidation of national defence and security, and enhancing the effectiveness of diplomacy and international integration” as set out in the Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress, Quang Ninh province has been concretising their implementation through synchronous guidelines and solutions tailored to local conditions, thereby creating a solid foundation for rapid, sustainable development and making positive contributions to the cause of national construction and defence in the new era.

Outstanding achievements: A solid foundation for a new stage of development

As a border and coastal province at the north-eastern gateway of the Fatherland, once described by the late Prime Minister Pham Van Dong as “a miniature Viet Nam,” Quang Ninh holds a strategic position in terms of the country’s economy, national defence, security, and diplomacy. Being fully aware of this special position and thoroughly grasping the Party’s viewpoints on the two strategic tasks of national construction and defence, in recent years the Party Committee, authorities, armed forces, and people of all ethnic groups in Quang Ninh province have proactively and creatively manage to overcome difficulties in order to build the province towards comprehensive development.

Consistently implementing the viewpoint that “socio-economic development is central, party building is key, and the assurance of national defence and security is essential and regular” as stated in the documents of the 13th National Party Congress, the province has steadfastly adhered to the orientation and objective that “socio-economic development must be placed within the overall tasks of national construction and defence; all strategies and plans must be closely linked with the requirements of consolidating national defence and security and expanding diplomacy.” During the 2020-2025 tenure, the Provincial Party Committee, the People’s Council and the People’s Committee of the Province have promulgated many important guidelines and policies to promote socio-economic development in tandem with strengthening national defence and security and international integration, notably Resolution No. 06-NQ/TU, dated 17 May 2021, of the Provincial Party Committee on “sustainable socio-economic development associated with firmly ensuring national defence and security in communes, villages and hamlets in ethnic minority, mountainous, border and island areas for the period 2021-2025, with orientations towards 2030” and Decision No. 409-QD/TU, dated 01 November 2021, of the Standing Board of the Provincial Party Committee approving the scheme on “firmly ensuring national defence and security, maintaining national border sovereignty, and serving rapid and sustainable socio-economic development in Quang Ninh province for the period 2021-2025”. These have formed a comprehensive legal corridor, creating a unified basis for leadership and direction, and ensuring close coordination among all levels, sectors and the armed forces in advising, policymaking and implementation, thereby achieving many notable results.

Comrade Quan Minh Cuong, Secretary of Quang Ninh Provincial Military Party Committee, chairs the meeting on resolution for task implementation of 2026

In 2025, the province’s economy continued to maintain two-digit growth. The GRDP growth rate reached 11.89%, ranking first nationwide. The size of the economy reached nearly VND 368.445 trillion, ranking 7th among 34 provinces and centrally-run cities. Alongside economic development, the province has consistently attached special importance to consolidating national defence and security, building the all-people national defence posture in conjunction with the people’s security posture and increasingly solid defensive zones at all levels. Diplomacy and international integration have also achieved positive results. Quang Ninh has proactively expanded cooperation and strengthened connectivity with partners in Northeast Asia and ASEAN. Party external relations, economic diplomacy and people-to-people diplomacy have been implemented in a flexible and effective manner, contributing to enhancing its position and prestige in the region and the world.

In recognition of these achievements, on 21 January 2026, immediately after the great success of the 14th National Party Congress, a working delegation led by General Secretary To Lam visited and worked with the province, noting that the results achieved by Quang Ninh are highly commendable. They are not short-term outcomes but the crystallisation of a process of persistent and consistent renewal, characterised by a spirit of daring to think, daring to act and daring to take responsibility for the common good, forming the foundation for its mettle, prestige and standing in the new stage of development. These results constitute an important basis for the central authorities’ confidence in assigning Quang Ninh higher targets and more demanding requirements in the time ahead. The requirements set for the province are not only to achieve rapid, sustainable development, but more importantly to effectively assume a pilot, pioneering and leading role in a number of strategic areas, thereby contributing practical arguments to the refinement of the Party’s and the State’s guidelines and policies.

Strategic orientations and key solutions in the new period

Building on the foundation of the achievements attained and thoroughly grasping the directions of General Secretary To Lam, the Provincial Party Committee, the People’s Council and the People’s Committee of the Province will continue to lead and direct efforts to intensify the combination of economic development with the strengthening of national defence, security and diplomacy, striving to become a centrally-governed city before 2030, one of the country’s key economic growth poles, a hub for economic and trade connectivity between Viet Nam and China, Northeast Asia and ASEAN, and at the same time a strategically important and firmly secured area in terms of national defence and security of the Fatherland, maintaining an environment of peace, cooperation and development.

First, to continue thoroughly grasping and improving the effectiveness of implementing the policy of combining economic development with the consolidation of national defence, security and diplomacy. Thoroughly grasping the Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress, the Resolution of the 16th Quang Ninh Provincial Party Congress for the 2025-2030 tenure, and Notice No. 14-TB/VPTW, dated 13 February 2026, of the Party Central Office on the conclusion of General Secretary To Lam during his visit and working session with the Executive Committee of the Quang Ninh Provincial Party Committee, the province focuses on enhancing the implementation capacity of all levels, sectors, localities and the armed forces in accordance with the principle of “clear assignment of personnel, tasks, timelines, responsibilities, outputs and authority” in which discipline in implementation and responsibility associated with results are identified as mandatory requirements and important criteria for evaluating cadres’ capacity.

On the basis of the Action Programme of the Provincial Party Committee’s Executive Committee for implementing the Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress, all levels, sectors, localities and the armed forces in the province proactively develop implementation plans in line with their assigned functions and tasks, regularly inspect and evaluate results in association with the responsibility of heads of agencies and units, ensuring that the Party’s guidelines are promptly translated into practical and effective action programmes and plans. In particular, 2026 is identified as a year of decisive action to create clear breakthroughs, with the requirement of early action, rapid implementation, matching words with deeds, and taking practical effectiveness as the primary measure. The focus is on urgently studying and proposing to the Central authorities the implementation of several “national-level tasks” of a pilot nature, aimed at maximising Quang Ninh’s geostrategic advantages in economic development associated with the consolidation of national defence and security and the expansion of diplomacy while emphasising the renewal of development governance methods based on data, especially in the fields of the marine economy and the digital economy, promoting cross-border economic cooperation and developing high-quality heritage tourism in association with preserving and promoting the value of the province’s natural and cultural heritages.

In the course of implementation, the province strengthens close coordination with central ministries and sectors, localities within the region, and the armed forces stationed in the area, ensuring consistency between economic development objectives and the requirements of consolidating national defence, security and foreign affairs. Thereby, it both creates new drivers for growth and enhances the effectiveness of implementing the Party’s guidelines and resolutions in practice, contributing to improving the capacity for managing and controlling borders, seas and islands, maintaining a peaceful and stable environment for rapid and sustainable development.

Comrade Quan Minh Cuong visits the locals and troops based in Hoanh Mo commune on the occasion of new year 2026

Second, to organise development planning on the basis of an integrated approach, ensuring the close linkage of the economy with national defence, security and diplomacy. It is necessary to continue effectively implementing the Quang Ninh Provincial Planning for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, organise development space in accordance with the orientation of “one centre, two multi-dimensional corridors, two breakthrough spearheads and three growth-driving regions”, gradually restructuring spatial organisation in line with the integrated mindset of “development and protection”, linking seas and islands, borders, heritage and urban areas within a unified ecosystem. Accordingly, to make a strong shift from a development model fragmented along administrative boundaries to one based on open ecosystems closely interconnected within the national and regional development structure, particularly the Northern coastal economic corridor and the Viet Nam-China-ASEAN connectivity chain. At the same time, there is a need to form chain-based development corridors, taking the modern transport infrastructure system as the axis connecting economic centres in the region, striving towards balanced development among regions and localities within the province, and associating economic growth with environmental protection, heritage conservation and improvement of the people’s quality of life.

On that basis, the province prioritises investment in the development of a synchronous, modern and dual-use system of strategic infrastructure, step by step forming economic corridors, logistics centres and coastal economic zones and border-gate economic zones. In the immediate term, focus is placed on accelerating the implementation of the pilot project on building a smart border gate at the Mong Cai-Dong Hung international border gate, with a view to forming the Mong Cai-Dong Hung cross-border economic cooperation zone, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of border management and promoting cross-border trade, logistics and services. The province seeks to continue developing Van Don Economic Zone into a multi-sector marine economic centre and a high-end tourism and services hub, in association with firmly ensuring national defence and security in the north-eastern maritime and island areas of the Fatherland.

Consistently adhering to the motto of “not pursuing economic development at all costs and placing sustainability as a top priority”, the province directs the thorough review, appraisal and supervision of development plans and schemes, assigns tasks and promotes the advisory role of military and public security agencies, with the Provincial Military Command and the Provincial Police as the core forces, in providing opinions and appraising development plans, programmes and projects, ensuring the full integration of national defence, security and foreign affairs requirements. It also strengthens measures for managing and properly using defence land, plans and utilises defence land in an overall and phased manner, prioritises land allocation for defensive works and headquarters of commune-level military commands, especially in near-shore island clusters and border areas, and step by step completes the planning system in accordance with an integrated approach, ensuring unity between economic development and the consolidation of national defence, security and diplomacy.

Third, it is essential to closely and harmoniously combine economic development with national defence, security, and diplomacy. Thoroughly grasping the guiding principle that “each step of economic development is a step towards strengthening national defence, security and foreign affairs,” the province continues to promote internal strengths and effectively tap into its distinctive potential and advantages, with the goal of achieving rapid, sustainable and long-term development, thereby creating a foundation for enhancing defence and security potential and raising the locality’s external standing. Accordingly, in the coming period, the province focuses on making breakthroughs in new growth drivers, particularly promoting green transition, and energy transition, the development of the circular economy, the digital economy and the urban economy, step by step building a modern digital society. It also accelerates the restructuring of industry towards modernity and sustainability, prioritises the development of foundational industries, emerging industries, and green, clean processing and manufacturing industries associated with renewable and new energy, thereby improving competitiveness and enhancing industrial self-reliance in service of national defence and security. In particular, the provinces focuses on developing marine economic sectors, forming multi-sector marine economic clusters in association with building the all-people national defence posture at sea, and enhancing the capacity to manage and firmly safeguard sovereignty over seas and islands. Importance is attached to development of ecological agriculture and modern rural areas, ensuring harmony between economic growth, social stability and environmental protection.

Alongside promoting development, the province strengthens strict management of investment activities, particularly projects involving foreign elements in areas sensitive in terms of national defence and security, such as border areas, islands, border-gate economic zones and coastal areas, ensuring both the effective attraction of resources for development and the firm maintenance of sovereignty and national security. The province continues building and developing the militia and self-defence forces to be “strong and widespread”, with high overall quality and combat strength, especially self-defence forces in enterprises, maritime militia and standing militia forces along the border, in accordance with the scale and nature of each type; combines the organisation and training of self-defence forces with production and business activities and the requirements of ensuring national defence and security in each locality and field. There is a need to promote programmes on arranging and stabilising population in border, maritime and island areas, in association with developing sustainable livelihoods and improving the material and spiritual life of the people, especially in localities such as Mong Cai, Binh Lieu, Hai Ha, Co To and Van Đon, thereby contributing to firmly consolidating the all-people national defence posture associated with the “people’s hearts and minds posture” on the front line of the Fatherland.

Promoting its advantages, the province proactively intensifies diplomacy and international cooperation across three pillars, including Party external relations, friendly cooperation between authorities, and people-to-people diplomacy. In this regard, it continues to maintain and attach importance to relations with traditional partners and localities such as the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (China), Laos, Japan and the Republic of Korea, in the direction of substantive, diversified, multilateral and in-depth cooperation. The province promotes its role as an active member in multilateral cooperation mechanisms such as the East Asia Inter-Regional Tourism Federation (EATOF), the Ha Long Bay-Luang Prabang-Ban Chiang Heritage Triangle, and the Club of the World’s Most Beautiful Bays, step by step participating more deeply in regional value chains and enhancing Quang Ninh’s position within the Northeast Asia and Gulf of Tonkin cooperation space.

At the same time, the province actively participates in regular defence external relations and border diplomacy activities, maintains effective coordination mechanisms, information exchange, joint patrols and border management with the competent forces of China, and promotes cooperation in combating transnational crime, smuggling and trade fraud, as well as in responding to incidents, natural disasters, and search and rescue. Thereby, it continues to contribute to building a border of peace, friendship, stability and development, creating a favourable environment for expanding economic cooperation, people-to-people exchanges and promoting sustainable development.

Closely and harmoniously combining economic, cultural and social development and environmental protection with the consolidation of national defence and security, and enhancing the effectiveness of diplomacy and international integration is a correct line of thinking that reflects the Party’s strategic vision and consistency in ensuring rapid and sustainable national development. For Quang Ninh province, thoroughly grasping and effectively implementing this policy is of particularly important significance, serving as a fundamental basis for realising the goal of becoming a centrally governed city before 2030. To achieve this goal requires the concerted and resolute engagement of the entire political system, as well as the consensus and joint efforts of all strata of the people in the province, with high political determination, innovative thinking and creative, effective approaches.

Upholding the tradition of “discipline and solidarity,” the spirit of self-reliance and the creative labour ethos of the heroic mining working class, Quang Ninh is determined to make strong breakthroughs, affirming its role as one of the country’s key economic growth poles and a solid defensive stronghold on the north-eastern frontline of the Fatherland, together with the whole country firmly advancing into a new era of development.

Doctor QUAN MINH CUONG, Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Quang Ninh Provincial Party Committee