The northeastern coastal province of Quang Ninh held a big ceremony to mark the 50th founding anniversary and the 20th anniversary of Ha Long city on October 19.

The province has achieved robust socio-economic development over the past 50 years due to its strong solidarity, creation and renovation.

Quang Ninh province was integrated by Hai Ninh province and Hong Quang area under the approval of the National Assembly on October 30, 1963.

Quang Ninh, contiguous to Red River Delta provinces and the Gulf of Tonkin to the east, has a long common borderline of 132.8 km with Dongxing city and Fangcheng county in the Chinese province of Guangxi , creating a system of bustling border gates including Mong Cai, Bac Phong Sinh and Hoanh Mo.

Located in a strategic position in terms of politics, business, and military, the province can connect with Hai Phong city to establish an international seaport cluster, with Hanoi and other localities to create a regional transit route to ship Vietnamese commodities to international markets, especially the Northeast and Southeast Asian regions.

The locality is also part of the “two corridors, one belt” economic cooperation between Vietnam and China , the Pan- Tonkin Gulf economic cooperation , the bridge between ASEAN and China and the Nanning-Singapore Economic Corridor.

Home to over 500 historical and cultural sites, especially Ha Long Bay that has been recognised twice by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage , Yen Tu mountain with ancient pagodas and hermitage. Yen Tu is recognised as the country’s leading centre for Buddhism. T he province is full of favourable conditions to develop ecological-cultural-historical tourism and entertainment industry.

Quang Ninh is also rich in mineral resources, namely coal, limestone and clay. Five coal fields, Mao Khe, Cam Pha, Ke Bao, Bao Dai and Hon Gai, exploited over the last 100 years, have contributed greatly to the province’s socio-economic development.

The coastal province has been home to 22 ethnic groups for a long time, helping create the unity of the civilisation of the Red River .

To date, Quang Ninh is the only province with four cities under its direct control, ranking fifth in contribution to the State budget last year.

The province has seen an average GDP growth rate of over 10 percent for the last 20 years and its GDP per capita is 2,910 USD, a 1.7-fold increase against that of the national average last year.
As a large economic hub, Quang Ninh is focusing on growing its three economic backbones.

Regarding industrial production, the province always maintains and promotes coal mining and the production of thermoelectricity and construction materials, serving the cause of national industrialisation and modernisation.

Quang Ninh has spared no effort to make it the country’s leading tourism centre by bringing into play the unique beauty and geological features of Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay. This effort has helped it attract millions of international tourists.

Economic activities in border areas have been boosted to expand the province into a trade and service centre. Notably, Mong Cai International Border Gate, an outstanding example of the effectiveness of Vietnam’s 1996 open door policy, now serves as a key gateway in the country’s international economic integration.

The province has multifaceted cooperation ties with many localities of countries and territories around the world such as Guangxi and Guangdong (China), Shizuoka (Japan), Santiago and San Francisco (the US ) and Gangwon (the Republic of Korea ).-VNA