Construction of major ecotourism site begins in Thanh Hoa

At the ceremony (Photo: VNA)

Thanh Hoa (VNA) – A ceremony to kick-start the construction of an ecotourism project worth more than 3.66 trillion VND (159.61 million USD) took place in Nghi Son township of the north central coastal province of Thanh Hoa on June 23.

The project, covering 84.8 ha, is invested by the T&T Group.

The site will have beachfront villas, a five-star hotel, a shopping area, a golf course, pedestrian zones and recreation facilities, among others.

It is hoped to become a driving force for socio-economic development of the locality and surrounding regions, especially in creating a chain of tourism sites along Thanh Hoa’s coastline.

The first phase of the project is set to complete in October next year and the entire project will be operational in May 2024.

Speaking at the ceremony, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Van Thi spoke highly of efforts and cooperation between the investor and relevant agencies in land clearance and meeting requirements to carry out the project against the backdrop of COVID-19.

He asked the local authorities to continue helping the investor address bottlenecks in terms of land and legal procedures, as well as support local people affected by the implementation of the project.

The T&T Group was requested to ensure progress and quality of the project in compliance with regulations.

Thanh Hoa has set a target of turning tourism into a spearhead economic sector by 2030.

Amid the difficulties posed by COVID-19, the province welcomed 7.3 million visitors in 2020, earning 10.394 trillion VND (over 453.6 million USD), representing 65.5 percent and 50.7 percent of targets, respectively.

Thanh Hoa’s tourism sector has posted impressive growth in recent years.

However, Thi said that its development is still not commensurate with potential.

Thanh Hoa lacks high-quality products to attract and meet the demand of international tourists, while its promotional activities remain ineffective and tourism human resources fail to meet requirements in the context of integration, he said.

The north-central province’s Sam Son beach is a familiar destination for many people. It is home to several hidden charms waiting for tourists to explore, including Van Chai ancient fishing village. The village is busy at dawn as fishermen returning shore with catches and those at home coming to help sort out the fish.

Sam Son town was promoted to a city in 2017, in a move which aims to meet the local urbanisation process and develop Sam Son into a national tourist city.

The province also looks to create a development triangle area, encompassing Thanh Hoa city, Sam Son city, and Nghi Son Economic Zone, which will be an important momentum for economic growth in the province and the north central region generally.

With the establishment of four wards and one city, Thanh Hoa still keeps the number of administrative units at 27 at the district level and 635 at the communal level.

The province is now home to two cities, one town, 24 districts, 34 wards, 28 townships, and 573 communes.

Sam Son city will cover 44.94 square kilometers with a population of 150,902 and 11 communal administrative units.

In addition to the renown Sam Son beach, Thanh Hoa is home to various charming others, namely Hai Tien in Hoang Hoa district; Tien Trang Quang Xuong in Quang Xuong district; Hai Hoa and Hai Thanh in Tinh Gia; Bai Dong (the East Beach); Vinh Son; Quang Nham, and Hai Binh.

According to the Institute for Tourism Development Research under the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, Vietnam is home to over 1 million sq.km of sea water surface, more than 2,770 islands and a number of beautiful beaches from the north to the south.

Coastal areas attract around 70 percent of foreign tourists and 50 percent of domestic visitors each year, contributing 70 percent of the country’s tourism revenue./.