Khanh Hoa seizes its seas for growth

A corner of the coastal city of Nha Trang in Khanh Hoa Province.-VNA/VNS Photo Ngoc Ha

Nha Trang Bay has made the city of the same name famous for tourism and as such, become the centre of Khanh Hoa Province.

Meanwhile, Cam Ranh Bay plays an important role in terms of national defence and security. Furthermore, the northern Cam Ranh peninsula tourism area is also making strides towards becoming a national tourism site.

Located in the north of Khanh Hoa, Van Phong Bay has become a key economic zone of the locality. However, its impact on local economic development remains limited.

Hoang Dinh Phi, head of the management board of the Van Phong Economic Zone, said the area has attracted more than 150 investment projects with total registered capital exceeding US$4 billion.

Of these, 42 projects have specialised in shipbuilding, seaport construction, aquaculture, and tourism services.

The zone contributes about VND4.8 trillion ($206.4 million) to the State budget each year, generating stable jobs for over 6,000 labourers, Phi said, citing several outstanding projects such as Hyundai Vinashin and the Ninh Thuy Industrial Park.

However, most of the projects are located in the south of Van Phong Bay, leaving room for potential as the strength of the bay’s northern side remains untapped.

With 46,000ha of water surface area and an average depth of 20-30m, Van Phong Bay boasts several favourable conditions for the development of international seaports, logistics services, and tourism and maritime urban areas meeting international standards.

Hon Gom Peninsula and the islands of Hon Lon and Diep Son have the potential to house large-scale leisure and entertainment projects.

The Bac Van Phong (Northern Van Phong) area sits near the intersection of major maritime routes – such as Europe-North Asia, Australia-Northeast Asia, and Southeast Asia-Northeast Asia – and serves as a gateway to the East Sea of the Central Highlands in particular and the Indochinese Peninsula in general.

For this reason, the Van Phong Economic Zone is targeted to become a gateway to the sea and part of cooperation along the East-West and North-South economic corridors under Decision No 1353/QD-TTg, dated September 23, 2008.

Acknowledging the favourable infrastructure of the Bac Van Phong area in terms of transport, water, electricity, and telecommunications, foreign investors have proposed developing the area into a special administrative-economic zone.

During its regular meeting in November 2016, the Government agreed on the principles for the establishment of three special administrative-economic zones, namely in Van Don in the northern province of Quang Ninh, Bac Van Phong in Khanh Hoa, and Phu Quoc in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang.

Opinions of voters, the general public, various organisations, experts and scientists are being collected for the draft Law on Special Administrative-Economic Zone.

During its fifth meeting, the sixth People’s Council of Khanh Hoa province approved a resolution on a project for the establishment of the Bac Van Phong special administrative-economic zone, which covers the entire Van Ninh District with an area of 111,000ha and a population of over 128,000 people.

The zone prioritises sectors such as IT, electronics, and precision mechanics; seaports; tourism and hotels; and commercial and financial centres.

Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Le Duc Vinh said the zone will require an estimated VND53 trillion ($2.2 billion) by 2025 for technical infrastructure, VND46.5 trillion ($1.9 billion) for social infrastructure, VND15 trillion ($645 million) for land clearance, and VND80 billion ($3.4 million) for planning.

It’s hoped that the zone will yield breakthroughs in Khanh Hoa’s development.