The Kim Thanh trade and industrial zone in northern border Lao Cai province, the biggest one in the country’s northwest region, was put into operation on Oct. 24.

The zone’s operation will help not only promote the strong development of the Kunming-Lao Cai-Hanoi-Hai Phong economic corridor but also Vietnamese goods easily penetrate China’s market, especially the two countries’ goods showcase at the Vietnam-China international tourism and trade fair slated for November 2 in Lao Cai province.

The 156ha zone encompasses seven small zones, including a management zone, an exhibition-fair and complex trade zone, an entertainment area and a warehouse.

Deputy Director of the Border Economic Management Board and Director of the zone’s Management Centre Nguyen Duc Loi said that so far 32 work items of the zone were built at a total cost of almost 200 billion VND. The zone has to date had 14 domestic and foreign invested projects licensed worth almost 800 billion VND in total, he added.