Information and communication technology (ICT) is helping to transcend geographic boundaries across the Greater Mekong Subregion.
More and more people have access to phones and the internet, enabling individuals, communities, and businesses to connect and collaborate as never before. The countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) recognize the importance of investing in ICT to improve productivity and efficiency, build knowledge-based economies, and reduce poverty.
Under the GMS Program, cooperation in this sector has contributed to a subregional “information superhighway” based on interconnected telecommunications infrastructure. The countries are now leveraging ICT to make the GMS more economically integrated and competitive.
In 2015, the GMS Cross-Border E-Commerce Cooperation Platform was established, followed a year later by the GMS E-Commerce Business Alliance. Together, these two initiatives are boosting intraregional trade through policy exchanges, enterprise interaction, and capacity building.
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Focal Persons at the Asian Development Bank
Pinsuda Alexander
Regional Cooperation and Integration Unit
Southeast Asia Department
Arun Ramamurthy
Transport Sector Office
Sectors Group
Other Concerned Staff & Consultants
Lucia Martin Casanueva
Regional Cooperation and Integration Unit
Southeast Asia Department/GMS Secretariat
Send inquiries to GMS Secretariat.
A smart border gate will be built at the Huu Nghi (Viet Nam) – Youyi Guan (PRC) border gate by the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Viet Nam’s Lang Son Province.
Photo via Vientiane Times
Lao People’s Democratic Republic Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone urged for intensive action to bolster the country’s digital pillars. Developing the country’s digital economy, digital government, and digital community will help bolster Lao PDR’s socio-economic development.
The Kim Thanh International Border Gate between Lao Cai (Viet Nam) and Yunnan Province (PRC) plays a vital role in the GMS northern corridor. Photo by ADB.
The Asian Economic Integration Report 2023 highlights the continued growth of integration in subregional initiatives and programs in Southeast Asia, including both in the GMS and the ASEAN, from 2006 to 2020.
Building digitally-connected Greater Mekong Subreion Economic Corridors
Photo by Jacques Beaulieu/Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)
The Urban Management Platform of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) aims to tackle urban development policies and issues in Vientiane, such as land administration, investment in urban development, and revision of the transport master plan. The first meeting reviewed current land management practices. Government officials and JICA specialists attended, reported the Vientiane Times on 18 February 2022.
The Viet Nam Industry 4.0 Summit 2021 highlighted the creation of a sustainable socioeconomic recovery and growth in Viet Nam in the post-COVID-19 era, and promoted industrialization and modernization in the digital age.
Mr. Andrew Jeffries, Country Director for ADB Viet Nam Resident Mission, joined the plenary discussion on post-pandemic economic recovery and digital transformation as a new vehicle for green recovery on 5 December 2021.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation and the Ministry of Economic and Finance of the Government of Cambodia, held a virtual discussion on the status of Cambodia’s fourth industrial revolution (4IR) and pathways for the country’s transformation to this new industrial model by 2030 on 7-8 December 2021.
This joint publication explores how big data and digitalization can support sustainable tourism development and help revitalize and reshape the sector as it emerges from the pandemic.
Chay Lap Farmstay in Phuc Trach commune, Bo Trach District, Quang Binh Province. The community-based tourism area was first supported by the GMS Sustainable Tourism Development Project funded by ADB. The People's Committee of Quang Binh province allowed it to partner with Oxalis Adventure Tours in order to upgrade the Farmstay to a four-star service. Photo by ADB
Viet Nam is eyeing the development of rural tourism—such as community-based tourism, agricultural tourism, and ecotourism—backed by digital transformation.
Viet Nam has around 365 rural tourism spots and more than 2,000 traditional craft villages with potential for development under rural tourism.
Trade promotion agencies of Cambodia, India, Thailand, and Viet Nam held an event promoting cross-border trade connectivity between India and countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) on 19 August. Representatives from each country gave briefings on their business environment and exchanged experiences in facilitating trade and investment cooperation. Noting challenges caused by COVID-19, they urged governments to take measures to help their small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) move beyond national borders and expand markets.
Greater Mekong Subregion Secretariat
Regional Cooperation and Operations Coordination Division,
Southeast Asia Department, Asian Development Bank
Address: 6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City 1550, Metro Manila, Philippines
Telephone: +63 2 8632 4444 Fax: +63 2 8636 2226