The Vietnamese government will invest VND115 trillion dong ($5.1 billion) to boost transport infrastructure in the Central Highlands over the next four years, said the region’s Steering Committee. The Central Highlands is strategically important to Vietnam’s economic growth.
Known as Vietnam’s coffee belt, the region’s five provinces of Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Lam Dong, Gia Lai and Kon Tum supply 80 percent of the country’s coffee output.
Vietnam is now one of the world’s largest coffee exporter with its market share jumping from only 0.1 percent to 20 percent in just 30 years. This has helped to significantly transform the country’s economy.