The People’s Council of the southern province of Kien Giang has approved the construction of an international passenger port in Phu Quoc island district as proposed by the provincial People’s Committee.

The port will be built on 180 ha in the district’s Duong Dong town, including a 140m-long wharf, a passenger terminal, and other necessary facilities.

The project will be carried out between 2015 and 2017 at a total cost of over 1.64 trillion VND (76.6 million USD), with 647 billion VND to come from the local budget. The State budget will provide part of the investment and the remainder will be sourced from other legal sources.

The port will be designed to handle cruise liners carrying 5,000-6,000 foreign visitors and 15,000-tonne cargo ships.

By 2020, the port will serve 105,000-190,000 passengers and 350,000-550,000 in 2030.

As one of the major infrastructure projects in the province, the Phu Quoc International Passenger Port is hoped to stimulate socio-economic development in the locality and the Mekong Delta in general, especially in the fields of tourism and services.

Phu Quoc, also known as Pearl Island , is the largest island in Vietnam with a total area of about 580 square kilometers. It has become well-known for its stunning beaches, the untouched natural environment, its relaxed atmosphere, friendly and easygoing local people, and fantastic scuba diving and snorkeling.-VNA