Quang Tri

Quang Tri exists because the 17th parallel divided Vietnam from 1954 to 1975—creating the DMZ (demilitarized zone) that made this province the war's most contested ground—and because the same latitude positions it at the center of the East-West Economic Corridor connecting Vietnam to Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar. The province converting war heritage into logistics infrastructure has emerged as a renewable energy center generating 1,559 MW from 22 wind, 11 hydro, and 1,200+ solar installations.

The formation story bridges conflict and commerce. The Vinh Moc Tunnels—where villagers lived underground for years during American bombing—now anchor DMZ tourism drawing international visitors, especially American veterans. Highway 9 that once carried tanks to Khe Sanh now carries trucks through Lao Bao International Border Gate: 900 vehicles daily, $2+ billion in trade (2024), processing 3,100+ declarations worth $186 million in early 2025 alone.

The logistics infrastructure scales. The Lao Bao-Densavanh Cross-Border Economic Zone (3,224 hectares split between Vietnam and Laos's Savannakhet) formalizes border commerce. VSICO Dry Port (3.5 million tonnes/year capacity) broke ground in March 2025. The VND 14,000 billion My Thuy deep-water port (10 wharves, 100,000-tonne ships) targets Phase 1 completion by 2026.

The energy strategy is explicit: the 2025-2030 Party Congress Resolution identifies "Energy-Logistics-Tourism-Green Agriculture" as four development pillars, with energy leading. The 500kV Lao Bao transmission line connects wind farms to national grid. By 2030, the province aims to become the central region's energy hub.

By 2026, Quang Tri demonstrates that former battlefields can become economic corridors. The tunnels tourists visit now sit adjacent to wind turbines generating power. The 17th parallel that once divided a nation now connects it to continental trade networks.