The area consists of ten provinces, including four Central Highlands ones (Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Đắk Lắk, and Đắk Nông) and six southwest ones (Bình Phước, Tây Ninh, Long An, Đồng Tháp, An Giang and Kiên Giang). It covers a natural area of 73,369.5 km 2 and has a population of 12.65 million, which is estimated to increase to 16.51 million by 2020.

This will be Việt Nam’s major economic zone, especially in agriculture, forestry, hydroelectricity, and irrigation. It serves as a transport gateway in the western and southwestern parts of the country.

In the Mekong Sub-region, the area is a hub for commercial and tourist exchange.

The Việt Nam-Cambodia border area will be converted into a national and international-level economic zone. This is also the country’s largest biodiversity reserve and a major tourist center of ASEAN.

By Phương Uyên