Nha Trang in Khanh Hoa province will expand by 880 hectares by 2040 as local authorities aim to turn the town into an international and national marine tourism hub.
Under a proposal for the provincial People's Committee recently sent to the Ministry of Construction for appraisal, Dien An, Dien Toan and Suoi Hiep communes and Dien Khanh township in Dien Khanh district will be merged with the main town.
The expansion area is nearly 1.8 times larger than the size of the well-known Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park I (VSIP I), developed by Sembcorp and Becamex in Binh Duong province.
Nha Trang currently has an area of more than 26,600 hectares, including 19 wards and eight communes, with more than 330,000 people. After the mergers in 2040, its area will surpass 27,500 hectares with a population of 780,000, including about 570,000 permanent residents.
According to its master plan, Nha Trang will become a national and international marine tourism town and an administrative-political, economic, cultural, scientific and technical hub for Khanh Hoa. It is also expected to become an economic, scientific-technical, educational and healthcare center for the south-central coastal and Central Highlands regions.
Regarding its development strategy, Nha Trang will focus on environmental protection and climate change adaptation, conservation and promotion of natural heritage values, and smart city development, with tourism as the main economic sector.
Khanh Hoa is at the center of the south-central coastal region which is strategically important for national socio-economic development.
With special mechanisms approved for the province by the National Assembly in June and scheduled to take effect for five years starting August 1, Khanh Hoa expects to become a promising destination for both local and foreign businesses.
The mechanisms, to be implemented on a pilot basis, aim to attract only mega projects.
The beach town of Nha Trang will continue to be a nuclear urban area for provincial development and play a critical connecting role for the development of many projects in other localities like Dien Khanh district, Van Phong, the northern Cam Ranh peninsular, and Cam Lam.
Under a Politburo resolution dated January 28, 2022 on developing Khanh Hoa province by 2030 with a vision to 2045, the province will strive to become a centrally-managed city by 2030, joining Hanoi, Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, and Danang.