Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has given the northern province of Quảng Ninh the go-ahead to develop the Vân Đồn Economic Zone as a special administrative-economic unit.— Photo quangninh.gov.vn

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has given the northern province of Quảng Ninh the go-ahead to develop the Vân Đồn Economic Zone as a special administrative-economic unit.

The province has been asked to use the local budget and other sources to fund and implement the project.

The PM has also agreed in principle to selecting and hiring foreign consultants for the project, in line with the Law on Bidding and Decree 30/2015/NĐ-CP, dated March 17, 2015.

The Quảng Ninh People’s Committee will discuss and negotiate the contract value and payment with foreign consultants.

Vân Đồn District comprises over 600 islands, and is located around 175km from Hà Nội, 80km from Hải Phòng City and 50km from Hạ Long City. The district encompasses the World Heritage site Hạ Long Bay. It covers a total area of 2,171sq.km, of which natural land is 551sq.km.

The district is sparsely populated and its total population is 41,645 people. With the variety and uniqueness of the archipelago, rich ecosystems and beautiful beaches, the islands have the potential to become a world-class maritime tourism destination. Its favourable transport infrastructure, much better compared to the country’s 14 coastal economic zones, is an added benefit.

The province’s leaders have also asked the government to promulgate the circular on casinos, which will lay guidelines for Vietnamese citizens, and contribute towards attracting more investments into Vân Đồn, where luxury resort complex projects and a casino are being planned.

Quảng Ninh is working towards developing the required infrastructure for the special administrative-economic unit, even as it draws up detailed plans of the project.

The unit will also help in the development of the Móng Cái-Hải Hà border economic area and Đình Vũ-Cát Hải Economic Zone.

Vân Đồn (Quảng Ninh), Bắc Vân Phong (Khánh Hòa) and Phú Quốc (Kiên Giang) are all to be developed as special administrative-economic units, once the draft law is passed by the National Assembly (NA), according to the Government Office.

Special administrative-economic units are magnets for investment, high technology and advanced management, becoming high-growth areas that generate more resources and motivation and accelerating the development and economy of the province, the region and the country.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment expects that the three special administrative-economic units of Vân Đồn, Vân Phong, Phú Quốc will contribute billions of dollars annually to the local GDP from 2020.

The average income per capita in the units will be $12,000 to $13,000 per person per year after 2030. — VNS