According to the plan to develop the Van Don SEZ, priority sectors for Van Don's development include hi-tech, hi-tech supporting industries, tourism services, and logistics.
Located near Ha Long Bay, Van Don itself has more than 600 islands and rich primary forests, surrounded by the market having a large population. Therefore, most investors are targeting tourism projects before Van Don became a SEZ.
Last week, Van Don Heritage Road Joint Stock Company reported on the Van Don Heritage Road project. The project has a planned area of 3,300ha, divided into seven functional areas including ocean-themed resort, high-end residential area, golf course, spiritual resort, shopping center, water park and adventure park. The project is located on the hills stretching from Dong Xa commune to Ha Long commune.
Besides, the Van Don Investment and Development Corporation has submitted its plan to develop the Sonasea Dragon Bay resort and tourism complex in Ha Long commune to the Quang Ninh provincial People's Committee.
SonaSea Dragon Bay is planned on a total area of 94ha in Ha Long commune, Van Don district with a total investment of about VND5,000 billion (roughly US$220.5 million). The project consists of five subdivisions including a hotel complex of 5,000 rooms, a water park, a shopping center, a pier, a public beach.
Vice Chairman of Quang Ninh People's Committee Nguyen Van Thanh concluded that this is an important project, supporting the synchronous development of Van Don in the first phase when Quang Ninh airport was put into operation. Therefore, the province’s authorities should focus on directing and actively supporting investors to accelerate the implementation of the project.
In addition, the Management Board of the Van Don SEZ and the Van Don District were assigned to analyze and evaluate the proposal of investors to develop the public bathing pond and report it to the provincial People's Committee for consideration. After the planned area is approved, the public bathing pond will be updated to the master plan for the socio-economic development and general planning of Van Don.
Thanh also asked the investors to determine the cross-section of road 334 when upgrading the road crossing the road into Quang Ninh airport to serve as the basis for determining the demarcation boundary of the detailed planning.
It is expected that Quang Ninh Airport invested by Sun Group will be put into operation in the first half of next year with the total estimated investment of about VND7,500 billion (roughly US$330.76 million) and a capacity of five million passengers per year.
In addition, Sun Group is also investing in a high-end tourism complex including casino on an area of 2,500 hectares, with a total investment of over US$2 billion on Cai Bau and Tra Ngo islands.
Quang Ninh is also promoting major tourism projects such as Furama Ha Long Viet Nam Resort & Villas with a total investment of over VND1,120 billion (roughly US$49.4 million), a high-end resort complex in Ngoc Vung island with a total investment of about VND46 trillion (roughly US$2.03 billion).
