An overview of Hạ Long International Passenger Port in the northeastern province of Quảng Ninh.—VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Vân

QUẢNG NINH — The transport infrastructure of Quảng Ninh has been completely changed after more than 35 years of innovation, creating momentum for the province’s economic growth.

The northern-eastern province of Quảng Ninh now has five modes of transport: road, inland waterway, railway, seaway and airway.

Quảng Ninh is the locality with the most diverse and synchronous transport infrastructure in the country, with a total of more than 6,399km of roads, 64km of national railways, 6 maritime areas, 37 inland waterways with a length of 838km and an international airport.

In only four years, the province consecutively inaugurated three important expressways, Hạ Long - Hải Phòng Expressway connecting to the Hà Nội - Hải Phòng Expressway, Hạ Long - Vân Đồn Expressway connecting to Vân Đồn International Airport, and Vân Đồn - Móng Cái Expressway connecting to Móng Cái International Border Gate.

The province also inaugurated Vân Đồn International Airport and Hạ Long International Passenger Port.

The dynamic transport infrastructure has boosted the growth of the province, creating a new look for the province’s traffic infrastructure in the direction of modernity, convenience, efficiency and safety, ensuring faster connection with the other localities of the country as well as other countries.

When development of transport infrastructure is believed to be the priority of inter-regional areas, the province, which was only connected with other provinces by National Highway 18 in the past, has now emerged as the leading province in comprehensive transport infrastructure to connect with other provinces and countries.

To do that, the local administration has mobilised the private sector to develop the infrastructure system while the local budget to develop infrastructure in the province is limited.

Impressively, Quảng Ninh Province's transport infrastructure projects were carried out mainly with private sector resources. The private sector creates a model of public service structure with a more efficient hierarchy.

The highlight is the transport infrastructure projects implemented in the Public - Private Partnership (PPP) model, such as Vân Đồn International Airport, expressway axis along the province, Bắc Luân II Bridge’s approach, and a temporary pontoon bridge on Ka Long River with a total investment capital of over VNĐ43 trillion (US$1.77 billion).

They are all modern and vital transportation projects, playing an important role in shortening the time and distance to serve provincial development, promoting the potential of dynamic areas such as Quảng Yên, Vân Đồn and Móng Cái.

Hạ Long - Vân Đồn Expressway in the northeastern province of Quảng Ninh.—VNA/VNS Photo

Momentum for development

Transport development has been facilitating trade, economic development, improving people's lives, and contributing to the province's achievement of maintaining double-digit economic growth for seven consecutive years (2016-22); holding the province's first position in the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) Index for six consecutive years (2017-22).

The province is the only locality in the country leading simultaneously in four indicators: PCI, Public Administration Reform Index (PAR) Index, Satisfaction Index of Public Administrative Services (SIPAS) and Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI) in two years of 2020 and 2022.

With a synchronous and modern infrastructure system, the average economic growth rate in the period 2021 - 2023 of the province reached 10.4 per cent each year, higher than the average annual growth rate under targeted goals.

The scale of the economy has been increasing rapidly, by the end of 2022 it was estimated to reach VNĐ269 trillion (US$11.1 billion), 2.36 times higher than in 2015 and 4.88 times higher than in 2010.

The Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) per capita reached over US$8,200 in 2022, the highest rate among the provinces and cities in the northern region.

In the period 2021-30, the province plans to connect to the national transport infrastructure through three expressways: Nội Bài - Bắc Ninh - Hạ Long; Tiên Yên - Lạng Sơn - Cao Bằng; and Hải Phòng - Hạ Long - Vân Đồn - Móng Cái; along with national highways and seaports to serve transport connection with the northern region and foreign countries.

The province will soon establish inter-regional logistics centres, connecting domestic and international goods transportation activities; forming the most important connecting corridor of the province in the east-west direction, becoming a key inter-regional connection centre, the gateway connecting Việt Nam and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as China. — VNS