The French Development Agency (AFD) contributed 22.8 million euro to the project while the rest has been sourced from the French Fund for World Environment (FFEM) and the Government of Vietnam.

The project will support the upgrade of 305 km of rural roads in the four districts of Sa Pa, Bat Xat, Bac Ha and Si Ma Cai to facilitate local socio-economic development.

The project will also help Lao Cai to develop tourism, particularly eco-tourism and adventure tourism, along side the protection of wildlife, the environment and the cultural identities of local ethnic minority groups.

AFD has provided a total of around 870 million euro to Vietnam since it began working in the country 14 years ago.