Northern Vietnam port city Hai Phong plans modern eco-economic zone

A 3.0 generation, multi-sector ecological economic zone focusing on hi-tech industries and modern logistics will be built on the southern coast of the northern port city Hai Phong, authorities say.

According to the Hai Phong Economic Zone Authority (HEZA), the Southern Hai Phong EZ will be a major pillar of the city’s efforts to join regional and world value and supply chains, becoming a key driving force of the municipal economy.

Le Trung Kien, head of the HEZA, said that the new economic zone, following an ecological model, will cover 20,000 hectares along the coastal highway in the Van Uc River area, the Nam Do Son port and logistics area, and the future Tien Lang airport.

From 2026 to 2030, relevant agencies will make and submit for approval the general plan for constructing the EZ, investing in building infrastructure facilities and functional areas to attract secondary projects.

The EZ will encompass the Tien Lang 1, Tien Lang 2, Tan Trao, Ngu Phuc and Tran Duong-Hoa Binh industrial parks as well as the Tien Lang airport, Kien said, adding that by 2030, it will become a key driving force of the local economy and contribute to strengthening national defence and security.

Kien also said that the EZ was part of Hai Phong’s economic zone development plan for the 2021-2030 period, which envisages a synchronous and modern infrastructure system, including the Lach Huyen international gateway port, Nam Do Son international transshipment port, Cat Bi international airport, and Tien Lang airport.

The EZ will be located on regional and international economic corridors including the coastal economic corridor; the Kunming-Lao Cai-Hanoi-Hai Phong-Quang Ninh economic corridor; and the Nanning-Lang Son-Hanoi-Hai Phong-Quang Ninh economic corridor, he added.

Notably, the Kunming-Lao Cai-Hanoi-Hai Phong-Quang Ninh economic corridor features the 392-kilometer Lao Cai-Hanoi-Hai Phong-Quang Ninh railway with a speed of 160 km/h and a capacity of 10 million tons of goods per year. Its construction is expected to start in 2025 with a total investment capital of VND100 trillion ($3.93 billion)

Many investors have showed their interest in the EZ which has a total expected investment of about $2.5 billion, Kien said, revealing that the city has also signed a memorandum of understanding with Los Angeles Port, New York Port and New Jersey Port to develop a complex of seaport, airports, urban, industrial, energy and logistics areas at a cost of $5-10 billion.

Currently, the city’s Dinh Vu-Cat Hai Economic Zone is one of the most successful economic zones in the country with a very high investment rate, averaging $12 million per hectare; going as high as $37 million per hectare at the Trang Due Industrial Park.