KIÊN GIANG – Kiên Hải island district in the Mekong Delta province of Kiên Giang has called for an investment of more than VNĐ230 billion (US$10.12 million) in several new projects.

The aim is to boost the district’s tourism industry.
According to Ong Văn Ngay, Secretary of the district’s Party Committee, Kiên Hải will focus on making tourism a spearhead industry this year to tap its huge maritime potential. To this end, the district will work to remove barriers to the development of transportation, electricity and water supply and to attract investment in key projects.
The district is urging firms to invest in Bãi Bộ, Bãi Cây Mến Lớn and Ba Hòn Nồm resort complexes and Nam Du sea encroachment urban area, Ngay said.
It also wants investors to continue developing tourism services in the complexes of Bãi Cây Mến and Bãi Đất Đỏ in An Sơn and Hòn Mấu in Nam Du, Ngay said, adding that these complexes will provide a variety of tourism products, including eco and community-based tours as well as coral reef sightseeing. The district wants to develop fish farming along with tourism.
The district plans to mobilise resources to develop infrastructure in Lại Sơn, An Sơn and Nam Du islands and fast-track key infrastructure projects, such as Bãi Nhà reservoir and a market in Lại Sơn commune, Bãi Cây Mến reservoir and a shopping centre in An Son commune and Hòn Tre sea encroachment project.
At the same time, environmental and natural resource management will be strengthened with a focus on management of freshwater supply in the island. The district will raise public awareness of environmental sanitation, especially waste treatment in residential areas.
Kiên Hải, one of the two island districts of Kiên Giang, consists of four communes – Hòn Tre, Lại Sơn, An Sơn and Nam Du – with a total area of 2,460ha and population of more than 20,350 people.
The island is blessed with crystal blue waters, pristine beaches and large primeval forests and is renowned for its production of fish sauces.
Kiên Hải has seen a rise in tourism over the past few years. In 2017, the district welcomed more than 194,290 tourists, up 71.5 per cent from 2016, earning a total revenue of more than VNĐ200 billion ($8.8 million).
Some 26,000 tourists visited the district in the first two months of 2018, a year-on-year increase of 13.8 per cent, with Lại Sơn, An Du and Nam Son being the most popular destinations. – VNS