A coastal road of Quảng Nam Province. The province and Đà Nẵng plan to develop key infrastructure projects to boost traffic connection and growth. — Photo courtesy of Thanh Hà

CENTRAL REGION — The central province of Quảng Nam has proposed an urban railway route connecting Chu Lai Airport with Đà Nẵng International Airport and major eco-tourism destinations in the region. 

Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Lê Trí Thanh said the transport department has been assigned for building the plan.

He said the transit-oriented development (TOD) railway system will help promote smooth tourism traffic among hotspots in the province, including Đà Nẵng and two key airports in central Việt Nam.

Emerging tourist zones, including Duy Hải, Duy Nghĩa, Bình Minh, Núi Thành and Tam Kỳ City will also benefit from the developments, as part of the 'Master Plan 2021-30, Vision 2050' with a focus on infrastructure in the central region. 

The local authorities have planned a study on investment needs for a light rail transit (LRT) and mass rapid transport (MRT) system between the UNESCO-recognised world heritage site of Hội An and Đà Nẵng to serve locals and tourists. 

An expected fund of $596 million would be used to build the LRT/MRT project and mass transport infrastructure works from 2025.

A bridge linking Quảng Nam Province and Đà Nẵng. The two localities have been jointly building key traffic infrastructure for smooth connections. VNS Photo Công Thành

Quảng Nam and Đà Nẵng also began jointly building a bridge spanning the Yên River to serve the growing traffic between Hòa Vang District in Đà Nẵng and Điện Bàn Town in Quảng Nam. An express network from Đà Nẵng to Thạnh Mỹ Town (Quảng Nam Province) and Bờ Y border check-point in the Central Highlands Kon Tum province is also planned.

The two localities have been dredging a 28km section of the Cổ Cò River to facilitate a waterway between Hội An and Đà Nẵng.

It reported that around 10,000 vehicles travel from Đà Nẵng to Hội An ancient town in Quảng Nam each day during the high-season tourism time.

Quảng Nam Province put a coastal road from Tam Kỳ City to Chu Lai Airport to Chu Lai Open Economic Zone into operation, creating an economic growth axis of the Chu Lai Economic Zone, the Đà Nẵng-Quảng Ngãi Expressway and the Dung Quất Economic Zone in neighbouring Quảng Ngãi Province.

Chu Lai Airport will be upgraded to host five million tourists and five million tonnes of cargo a year, while Đà Nẵng will increase the airport’s capacity to 28 million passengers and 200,000 tonnes of cargo by 2030.

Meanwhile, Thừa Thiên Huế Province has included a construction plan for a sea bridge over part of the Tam Giang Lagoon to be built in 2024-28.

The bridge and entrance lanes will offer better traffic connections from Phú Đa Town to Vĩnh Xuân Commune of Phú Vang District and Huế City.

Last year, the province began construction of another coastal road and sea bridge in Thuận An Township that promotes links between key provincial economic zones and the national coastal highways.

The coastal road will help create smooth traffic between Quảng Trị, Đà Nẵng, Thừa Thiên Huế, and the East-West Economic Corridor that links Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Việt Nam.

Chân Mây Port in Thừa Thiên Huế Province handles large cargo ships in the central region. Thừa Thiên Huế, Đà Nẵng, and Quảng Nam have emerged as a key collective economic zone in central Việt Nam. — Photo courtesy of Thừa Thiên Huế provincial portal

The road will also help promote tourism, and seaport access, and help develop economic zones and industrial parks in the Chân Mây-Lăng Cô Economic Zone. 

The province put into operation terminal No 2 at the provincial Phú Bài International Airport to increase capacity to up to five million passengers per year. — VNS