Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc said he hopes Quảng Bình Province to bring a new strong wind of change for the tourism sector.– VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

QUẢNG BÌNH – Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc said he hopes Quảng Bình Province to bring a new strong wind of change for the tourism sector.

Phúc shared his expectation at a working session with authorities of the central province yesterday.

The PM said that with its advantage of natural conditions and cultural heritage, services and tourism should be the foundation and the road to prosperity for Quảng Bình.

Discussing specific solutions for the province’s development, Phúc asked the province to improve its planning quality by seeking advice from foreign experts.

Improving the business climate and capacity of human resources is also necessary, he added.

PM Phúc wants Quảng Bình to focus local resources on developing a sustainable tourism management mechanism and building a professional strategy to promote the Phong Nha – Kẻ Bàng National Park and Sơn Đoòng Cave, which are unique to Quảng Bình.

At the session, most participants agreed that Quảng Bình has the potential to develop tourism as its spearheaded sector.

A representative from the Việt Nam National Administration of Tourism asked the PM to approve the building of a cable car route into the planning of the Phong Nha – Kẻ Bàng National Park. The cable car route is set to span 5.2 kilometres from the Hồ Chí Minh road to Én Cave.

Others suggested enhancing the tourist link between Quảng Bình and Đà Nẵng and Thừa Thiên-Huế, while forming an industrial connection between Quảng Bình and the Vũng Áng Economic Zone.

Quảng Bình has a 116.04km coastal line and a 201.87km border line with Laos. The province is famous for its cave systems, incredible mountain scenery and sprawling beaches. It is home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Phong Nha – Kẻ Bàng National Park and the world’s largest cave Sơn Đoòng.

PM hails commune’s efforts

During a visit to the province’s Đức Trạch Commune, PM Phúc hailed the coastal commune for its achievements in new rural development and recovery from the marine pollution incident last year. 

More than two thirds of the population in Đức Trạch Commune are of working age, mostly earning a living in the fishery and seafood processing industries. 

The commune is one of the leading localities in terms of receiving compensation for the marine incident caused by Taiwan’s Hưng Nghiệp Formosa steel plant.

During a local working session yesterday, the PM suggested the commune consider switching to other trade sectors, especially tourism and fishery logistics.

According to the PM, the government is interested in building a coastal road in the locality and connecting coastal localities to facilitate socio-economic development and ensure national defence-security. 

The leader asked the provincial Party Committee, People’s Committee and political system to continue upgrading infrastructure and fully tapping fishery processing. 

In the first half of this year, the commune contributed nearly VNĐ4.7 billion (US$204,000) to the local budget, or nearly 73 per cent of the estimate. It has only 42 poor households, accounting for 2.26 per cent of the total, and 453 fishing vessels with a total capacity of 155,300 CV, including 229 of more than 90 CV. 

It also pushed forward new rural construction at a total cost of over VNĐ34.2 billion, 59 per cent of which was sourced from the local budget. Though recognised as a new-style rural area last year, it is working to continue meeting criteria on cultural and school infrastructure, among others. 

He called further attention to compensation for victims of the marine incident in the central region in line with legal regulations and the government’s policy. 

The commune has so far spent more than VNĐ171 billion ($7.6 million) on compensation for victims of the incident. As many as 182 fishing households are expected to receive nearly VNĐ21 billion in aid. 

Earlier the same day, Phúc attended a ceremony to open Nhật Lê 2 Bridge to traffic. With a total length of 2,298m, the bridge was built at a total cost of more than VNĐ936 billion. 

On the occasion of the 72nd anniversary of August Revolution (August 19) and National Day (September 2), he also visited and presented gifts to heroic Vietnamese mothers. — VNS