Song Cau sets out plan for city status

Xuan Dai Bay is a magnet for both international and domestic visitors

In recent years, Phu Yen has become famous nationwide for its natural beauty, with Song Cau town being one of the most alluring locations. In Song Cau, Xuan Dai Bay is the most attractive location, situated 45 kilometres north of the province’s Tuy Hoa city.

The government has adopted a master plan on developing Xuan Dai Bay as a national tourism area until 2030. Accordingly, by 2025, the bay will become a hub for sea-based tourism and entertainment of not only Phu Yen but also the south-central coastal area. By 2030, the bay is planned to meet almost all standards set by the province and become a national tourism area.

Song Cau is blessed with natural beauty and is ripe for marine-based tourism

In March, Minister of Construction Pham Hong Ha signed Decision No.134/QD-BXD, recognising Song Cau town as a third-level urban area as defined by Phu Yen province’s standards.

Dang Cao Khai, Secretary of Song Cau Party Committee, said that although the town has been recognised as a third-level urban area, much remains to be done for it to become a city under the municipal management by 2025.

“In order to reach this target, Song Cau Party Committee has issued Directive No.18/CT-TU on continuing to construct, consolidate, and perfect all standards of the third-level urban area, and developing Song Cau to become a city by 2025,” he said.

According to Khai, the directive is aimed to get the provincial authorities’ support in the form of resources, infrastructure development, and a master plan on urban area zoning.

“All relevant agencies in the province must strengthen their urban development and management, invest more in urban infrastructure, and further develop residential areas under the province’s programme on urban development,” Khai said.

The biggest hurdle for Song Cau now is its population density, which is not large enough for it to meet the definition of an urban area. However, with great advantages in tourism, Song Cau has sufficient potential to attract large-scale funding projects, which can help the town lure in labourers from other localities to live and work. Many major financiers have been operating in the town, such as VinaCapital and FLC Group, which helps the locality to attract more projects and resources for urban infrastructure development.

Tran Du Lich, member of the Economic Advisory Group to the government, said the central region will not be able to develop strongly without tapping into its tourism potential, which must be used as a key economic sector for development. In this trend, Song Cau is not an exception.

Talking about the trend, Khai ensured that in the future, Song Cau will become a tourism city, with Xuan Dai Bay becoming a magnet, attracting many domestic and foreign tourists.