According to the master plan for the Van Don Economic Zone's socio-economic development, Quang Ninh has received permission from the Prime Minister to develop Van Don economic zone (EZ) into a smart and green island urban area by 2030, as well as an economic and cultural center of the region with focus on services and new industries. In order to achieve this target, Quang Ninh has recently paid much attentions to facilitate Van Don to develop with high speed.
Under the master plan, by 2030, the total gross output of Van Don EZ must reach US$5.6 billion, contributing over 10% of the total export to the State budget. By 2050, Van Don EZ will be turned into one of the most dynamic econimic zones of Vietnam, inscribed in the list of livable cities in the APAC, and a dynamic economic hub focusing on tourism and hi-quality products and services.
With the aim to attract 2.5 million tourist arrivals to Van Don by the year 2030, Quang Ninh determines to develop tourism in line with properly tapping the potential of the world natural heritage site and tradtitional culural charateristics as one of the main development area of the locality in the future. Especially, Van Don will be the place to develop the airport bussiness activities, airport transport and logistics, becoming a gate transhiping commodities into Southeast Asia.
Also according to the overall plan, Van Don’s urban space is devided into 3 parts, namely Cai Bau Island urban area, Van Hai archipelago and the central urban space. Currently, Quang Ninh Provincial People’s Committee has been at burst of speed to fulfil all the procedures related to the Adjustment plan for Van Don EZ construction to submit to the Government by the second quarter of 2019.
It can be seen that in recent years, Quang Ninh has focused on improving necessary infrastructure system for Van Don EZ in the furture, in an effort to exploit all the oustanding potential of Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay, creating a motive force to develop and actively tap advantages in the development cooperation in the China – Vietnam coastal economic belt. It has put hight priority on calling for PPP investment and strategic investors into the province.
The country has seen breakthroughs of Quang Ninh in developing transport infrastructure. A series of the key works, such as Ha Long – Haiphong; Ha Long - Van Don expressways; Ha Long – Mong Duong 18 National Road Upgrading project; and Van Don International Airport have been operational while a wide range of other projects like the 53.6km Ha Long – Van Don highway invested with the total capital of nearly VND14,000 billion has just commenced in early February, and Van Don – Mong Cai highway with the total capital of VND12,650 billion that is planed to kicked of in 2019.
Not only transport projects but also construction ones have been implemeted in Van Don district. Particularly, some of the tourism projects are being conducted in the locality with a large amount of investment capital sources, including the first phase of the Sonasea Dragonbay tourist complex (invested with nearly VND5 billion); the 5-star Furama Ha Long Viet Nam Resort & Vilas (over 1,120 billion); Van Don tourism complex and heritage road (with the registered capital of VND5,000 billion); FLC’s Ngoc Vung luxurious entertainment resort (with around VND46,000 billion).
In 2015, Quang Ninh made great efforts to connect 5 island communes in Van Don district to the national power grid. With this achievement, Quang Ninh has almost entirely accomplished its target of bringing electricity to 100 percent of households in the country’s northeastern outpost islands, helping improve the living condition of the locals.
The development of the Van Don EZ into a smart and green island urban area plays a vital role in opening new chances for not only Quang Ninh but also the whole Northern part of the country in the orientation of economic integration with the East and North of Asia. It also helps creat new motivation of the development, stimulate growth so that Quang Ninh could become the economic hub of the Northern Vietnam.
Article by Hieu Tran
