Vietnam to establish 2 more centrally-run cities

Khanh Hoa province on the central coast and Quang Ninh in the north are set to become Vietnam’s sixth and seventh centrally-run cities by 2030.

The country’s five current centrally-run cities are Hanoi and Hai Phong in the north, Danang in the central region, and Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho in the south.

On the central coast, Khanh Hoa province is home to Nha Trang Bay, one of the world’s most beautiful bays. It is about 450 kilometers north of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s southern economic hub, and is well-known for its long beach and islands and islets.

As planned, Khanh Hoa as a centrally-run city would bring play the full potential of its location to become a smart, sustainable city seen as a center for international sea tourism and services.

In its master development plan until 2030 with a vision to 2050 approved on Wednesday by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Khanh Hoa would have two provincial-level cities – Nha Trang and Cam Lam.

Van Ninh district would become a high-class beach tourism town, while there are plans for Ninh Hoa town to become an industrial region. Dien Khanh district has been earmarked for ecological and traditional cultural purposes.

In June 2022, the National Assembly, the country's highest legislative body, issued a resolution on distinct mechanisms and policies for Khanh Hoa to be implemented on a pilot basis to attract only mega projects.

Quang Ninh, along the Vietnam-China border and part of the Hanoi-Hai Phong-Quang Ninh development triangle, is emerging as a new production base.

The province, as a new centrally-run city under its master development plan until 2030 with a vision to 2050 approved in February this year by the Prime Minister, would have seven suburban cities at a district level by 2030.

By 2025, the northern province, home to the globally famous Halong Bay, would have 13 administrative units with 13 urban areas. That will drop to 12 administrative units by 2030 after Mong Cai town is merged with Hai Ha district to form a new provincial-level city. As planned, the seven suburban cities would be Halong, Cam Pha, Uong Bi, Mong Cai-Hai Ha, Dong Trieu, Quang Yen, and Van Don.

Quang Ninh will focus on developing two economic corridors from Ha Long-Dong Trieu in the west and Ha Long-Mong Cai in the north. The development of the Van Don Economic Zone and the Mong Cai Border Economic Zone is also on the cards.

In industrial development, Quang Ninh is focusing on high-tech sectors like automobile and electronics manufacturing. To attract investors, the province is prioritizing infrastructure development, including building an expressway running across the province to the Mong Cai Border Gate on the Vietnam-China border.