Post date: 08/10/2014

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POTENTIALS AND ADVANTAGES FOR DEVELOPMENT

POTENTIALS AND ADVANTAGES FOR DEVELOPMENT

1. Development of tourism

With a coastal line of 116 km with many estuaries and beautiful beaches such as Vung Chua - Yen Island (the resting place of General Vo Nguyen Giap), Da Nhay, Nhat Le and Hai Ninh, Quang Binh has favorable conditions for development of sea tourism and international-level recreational facilities. Especially, Quang Binh has the world natural heritage Phong Nha- Ke Bang National Park with a total area of 120,000 hectares. With the outstanding universal values of geology and karst geomorphology, Phong Nha - Ke Bang is endowed by famous spectacular caves such as Phong Nha, Thien Duong and Son Doong - the world’s largest cave (ranked in the list of the 12 most remarkable caves in the world by the Business Insider magazine of the US).

Known as a “Kingdom of Caves”, Quang Binh is attracting local and international tourists to visit the caves, such as Phong Nha, Tien Son, Thien Duong, Toi, En and Son Doong. Especially, Phong Nha cave with the length of nearly 8 km, is known as one of the most beautiful landscapes with its unique features such as the longest underground rivers, the largest caverns and passageways, the widest and prettiest sand banks, and the most astonishing rock formations in the world.

Besides, Quang Binh also has Bang mineral hot spring with the temperature of 105oC, very suitable for making mineral drinks and a ideal destination for resort and wellness tourism development.

Quang Binh is the rendezvous of cultural history of the North and the South. This area is the place of the tomb and temple of royal mandarin Nguyen Huu Canh who expanded territorial sovereignty for Vietnam to the south, the rest of General Vo Nguyen Giap and other well-famous historical sites such as Truong Son legendary road, Heaven gate, Khe Gat, Tam Co cave, Xuan Son, Long Dai, Quan Hau, Thach Ban - Ban crossroads, Lieu Hanh princess temple...

Quang Binh lies in the axis of the East-West Economic Corridor from the East Sea to Laos, Thailand northeastern and countries in Asian south-central region. With this convenient geographic location, Quang Binh has great potential for tourism development.

Recently, Quang Binh, Vietnam has been placed at the 8th position out of 52 ideal destinations for tourists in the world and the most attractive destination in Asia in 2014, according to the New York Times. This is a remarkable acknowledgement to Quang Binh tourism in the future.

With the population of sea and coastal tourism, Phong Nha - Ke Bang region and Bang spring need to have a connection to develop tourism effectively, bringing visitors exciting experiments.

2. Forest and forest land resources

There are over 632,000 hectares of forest land, making up 78.5% of natural area, of which over 310,000 hectares of forest land for production activities, rate of forest cover reaches over 70%.

Quang Binh is regarded as one of the provinces that has the biggest forest reserves in Vietnam (with wood reserve of about 32.3 million m3). Quang Binh has an advantage of planting forest for manufacturing and processing woods and forest products.

3. Building materials and electricity

Quang Binh has the abundant and diversified mineral resources. Especially, there are a big volume of lime stone (about 5.4 billion tons) and quartz white sand (30 million m3) which are favorite to develop the building material industry.

Quang Binh also has big potential for development of electric power, including thermoelectricity and wind power. Quang Binh is projected by the Government to invest in construction of thermoelectric plants with the capacity of 2,400 - 3,000 KW in Hon La Economic Zone.

Sources of renewable power having the potential for development, consist of wind power and thermoelectric power. According to preliminary survey, the speed of wind along the coast of Quang Binh is favorite to build a system of wind power with a total capacity of 600-1,000 MW.

4. Aquatic potentials

Quang Binh has a big source of aquatic products with 60,000 tons a year, not including production of cultivated fishery. This is the best conditions for investors to build aquaculture establishments and seafood processing plants.

5. Human resource

The province has abundant labour force with high qualification, labor force at working age accounts for 64.47% of total population (the estimated population of Quang Binh province is over 860,000 people). Rate of trained labour force is higher and higher. Quang Binh people are hard working, intelligent, studious and progressive.

The province has 01 university with the training scale of 2,020 students/year, many vocational training establishments and technical secondary schools. Each year, about 11,000 - 12,000 labourers are trained.

6. Infrastructure

- Post and telecommunications network has developed rapidly and thoroughly, mobile phone wave system has covered most areas in the province.

- The 220KV and 110 KV national electricity network has fully been provided, ensuring electric power supply for the industrial parks and urban areas.

- Water supply system according to national standards has been installed as far as the hedge of the projects and industrial parks.

- Banking system has met all transactions and demand of payment. Activities such as foreign exchange, foreign currency transaction and international payment have incessantly developed and expanded.

- Trade and tourism infrastructure has focused on comprehensive investment and gradually modernized to meet the demand of infrastructure of tourist sites, such as Phong Nha - Ke Bang, Vung Chua - Dao Yen and My Canh - Bao Ninh, and system of 3-4 star hotels, such as Sunspa Resort, Saigon - Quang Binh, Tan Binh...

- Health: there are 01 first-grade hospital managed by the Ministry of Health and system of general hospitals with the scale of 100-150 beds and over. System of medical stations has fully covered with communes, wards and town, ensuring healthcare and medical treatment and examination for people in the province.

7. Economic zones, Industrial parks

Economic zone: the province currently has two economic zones (EZ), namely Hon La seaport EZ and Cha Lo border gate EZ, of which:

- Hon La seaport EZ: Situated in the north of Quang Binh province, Hon La seaport EZ has an area of 10,000 ha, of which 8,900 ha of mainland and 1,100 ha of islands. Apart from construction and commercial operation of the non-tariff area, Hon La seaport EZ along with the National Highway 1A, 12A and the international border checkpoints of Cha Lo, Cau Treo and Lao Bao form up an important gateway to the sea for the eastern of central region of Laos PDR, North - Eastern Thailand and Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) countries. At present, Hon La port allows the circulation of 15,000 ton ships and can be developed to receive 30,000-50,000 ton ships.

- Cha Lo border gate EZ: the province is now focusing on investment in Cha La border gate EZ with an area of 538 km2 to develop Cha Lo EZ to become an economic center and urban area in the west of the province. It would be a transshipment junction and center for export-import products and activities in areas of Central Laos, North - Eastern Thailand and GMS countries, associating economic development with residential and labor redistribution for livelihood improvement, ensuring national security, defence, and strengthening the international cooperation with neighboring and international countries, especially with Laos PDR.

Industrial Parks: According to the master plan through 2020, there are 8 industrial parks in Quang Binh province with the scale of about 2,000 ha located in different districts and city, of which 3 industrial parks have been invested infrastructure comprehensively, including: North-west Dong Hoi industrial park, North Dong Hoi industrial park and Hon La seaport industrial park.

The southern region of the province has big area of sand land which is favorite to build a deep-water port for the circulation of 200.000 - 300,000 ton ships together with industrial park with an area of 2,000 - 3,000 ha.

8. Investment and Business Environment

Quang Binh is regarded as one of the provinces that has a transparent and good investment and business environment in Vietnam with simple, quick and convenient administrative procedures which are processed by one agency. The Department of Planning and Investment is the main receiving agency for investors to Quang Binh.

Investment incentives: Quang Binh has adopted incentive investment policies of the Government in favoring and supporting investors at the maximum level. Besides, Quang Binh province issues other incentive investment policies for the projects and fields calling for investment such as: support to site clearance and site leveling, support to labor training, support to building technical infrastructure reaching as far as to the hedge of the industrial parks and economic zones.

Stabilization of political security, social safety and order of the province makes investors feel secure to do business in Quang Binh. Quang Binh is now an attractive destination for investors inside and outside the country.

Up to now, the province has 267 investment projects with registered capital of nearly VND100,000 billion in total, of which 158 projects are approved and carried out investment with a total registered capital of 78,900 billion.

Source: Yearbook of the 1st investment promotion conference of Quang Binh province 
(www.quangbinh.gov.vn)

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