Over the past years, public investment capital has contributed to altering the face of Điện Biên. Transport systems have been step-by-step perfected, and numerous irrigation works, schools, medical facilities, urban infrastructure, and projects under national target programs have received investment. This has created favorable conditions to boost socio-economic development and improve public livelihoods, particularly in remote, isolated, and ethnic minority zones.

Entering a new development phase, Điện Biên faces immense investment demands to deploy the Provincial Planning for the 2021-2030 period with a vision to 2050, satisfying development requirements after executing the two-level local government model and materializing socio-economic goals. According to the province’s calculations, the total public investment capital demand for the 2026-2030 phase stands at approximately VND 65 trillion, with the central budget demand accounting for the majority and the remainder covered by the local budget. Although this represents a massive resource, it also demands rational allocation to ensure that every single dong of public investment exerts its maximum efficiency.

A novel feature in formulating the medium-term public investment plan for this period is the execution of a policy for stronger decentralization to localities, under the spirit of “localities decide, localities do, and localities take responsibility.” Localities proactively build allocation plans for their local budgets based on the Law on Public Investment and resolutions of the National Assembly and the Government, matching resource balancing capabilities while taking accountability for capital utilization efficiency.

Nguyễn Phi Sông, Director of the Department of Finance, stated: “The province’s investment demand in this period is exceptionally large and spreads across many fields, while resource balancing capability remains limited. Therefore, formulating the medium-term public investment plan must be executed based on careful calculations, closely boding with the province’s planning, development orientations, and budget balancing capacity. Each selected project must be truly urgent, possess spillover potential, resolve infrastructure bottlenecks, upgrade public investment capital utilization efficiency, and create room to attract social resources for development investment.”

Closely following central directives on formulating the medium-term public investment plan for the 2026-2030 period, which targets a minimum 30 percent reduction in project numbers compared to the previous phase to concentrate resources on key works, Điện Biên has proactively reviewed and rearranged its investment portfolio. According to reports from the Department of Finance, the total local budget capital expected to be allocated during this period is around VND 8,520 billion.

In terms of resource balancing capacity, during the 2021-2025 phase, the entire province logged 464 tasks and projects utilizing the local budget. Moving into the 2026-2030 period, the province plans to allocate capital to only 98 projects, representing a sharp decrease of nearly 79 percent. This reflects a firm determination to innovate the province’s investment mindset, showcasing a resolve to concentrate resources on truly urgent works.

This orientation is also demonstrated by the implementation results of the 2026 public investment plan. According to Report No.5765/BC-UBND dated July 5, 2026, of the provincial People’s Committee, as of June 30, 2026, the disbursement value reached over VND 2,377 billion, equivalent to 50 percent of the capital plan assigned by the Prime Minister. Điện Biên’s public investment capital disbursement rate currently leads the entire country, according to Report No.9091/BTC-PTHT dated June 30, 2026, of the Ministry of Finance. This outcome affirms that concentrating resources, selecting the right projects, and acting drastically in organization and execution are yielding high efficiency, creating a favorable premise for the province to deploy its 2026-2030 medium-term public investment plan.

According to the formulation scheme for the medium-term public investment plan, the province prioritizes resources for dynamic projects in transport, urban development, digital transformation, land management, tourism, and essential infrastructure. Multiple works carrying strategic significance have been included in the proposed capital allocation portfolio.

Among these key projects are site clearance for the Sơn La - Điện Biên - Tây Trang Border Gate Expressway section (Phase 1), building technical infrastructure for the provincial Political-Administrative Center zone, the May 7 Cultural Space Project, constructing land databases, and adjusting the Provincial Planning. Prioritizing these projects showcases an orientation to concentrate resources on works capable of leading development, creating spillover effects, and upgrading the province’s competitive capacity.

During the specialized meeting of the provincial People’s Committee on July 6, the report on the province’s medium-term public investment plan utilizing local budget sources for the 2026-2030 period received extensive discussion. Delegates unanimously agreed that selecting the right projects, allocating resources rationally, and executing drastically are the decisive factors behind the quality and efficiency of public investment. Resources only truly generate value when focused on urgent works that are carefully prepared right from the initial investment phase. Therefore, alongside selecting the right projects, project owners must elevate their accountability in execution, proactively untying difficulties, and accelerating construction and disbursement progress to ensure works are completed on schedule, soon entering operation to yield efficiency and generate a driving force to boost local socio-economic development.