Infrastructure boosts development of Hai Phong

Hai Phong (VNS/VNA) - Improved transport and tourism infrastructure has boosted the socio-economic development of Hai Phong city over the past five years.

According to Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Van Tung, in 2021-2030, the city plans to build more than 100 bridges with a total investment of some 83 trillion VND (3.6 billion USD).

In 2015-2020, Hai Phong built 45 bridges, including the Tan Vu-Lach Huyen bridge - one of the longest sea bridges in Southeast Asia with a length of about 16km.

The bridge not only shortens the travel time from Hai Phong to Cat Ba island but also serves as a trade connection between the city and other countries through Lach Huyen port.

Another bridge that has connected traffic between Hai Phong’s inner city and Thuy Nguyen district, as well as a tourist highlight of the port city, is Hoang Van Thu bridge belonging to the technical infrastructure project in the new urban area of northern Cam river.

This bridge is known as the most beautiful bridge in Hai Phong.

The Hoang Van Thu bridge’s operation is one of the steps contributing to the completion of the new city centre planning.

In addition to the outstanding development of its road transport system, Hai Phong has also strengths in terms of its seaports.

Lach Huyen deep-water seaport was put into operation in 2019 and became the first port in the northern region to receive large tonnage ships of 12,000TEU and 132,000 DTW transporting goods directly to Europe and the Americas instead of transiting via foreign ports as before.

Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vu Tien Loc said: “With the advantage of being the main gateway to the sea of the whole northern region, Hai Phong has a strategic location playing a vital role in the development of the northern key economic regions.”

“In particular, Hai Phong holds a key position in the 'Two Corridors - One Economic Belt' Co-operation between Vietnam and China as well as is an area with strategic relationships with major growth poles in East Asia and Southeast Asia,” Loc added.

The city’s economic indicators last year and the first four months this year, increased by 1.5 to 2 times compared to other localities nationwide despite the complex developments of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Minister of Industry and Commerce Nguyen Hong Dien said: “Hai Phong is currently a ‘fertile land’ for both domestic and foreign investors”.

A representative of the Hai Phong Economic Zone Management Board said that as of April this year, the city has 770 projects with a total investment capital of more than 20.669 billion USD.

From the beginning of this year, the city saw 12 new projects registered with a total investment capital of 87.81 million USD and 20 projects which increased their capital by a total of 914.55 million USD.

The projects are mainly in the processing and manufacturing industries.

In 2021-2025, the city plans to establish 15 new industrial parks with an area of more than 6,400 hectares.

In addition to attracting investment, the development of transport infrastructure has helped make tourism a key economic sector of the port city.

According to Vice Chairman of the city People's Committee Le Khac Nam, before 2012, Hai Phong's tourism industry always failed to meet its targets but from 2013, the number of tourists coming to the city has increased year by year, especially in 2016-2021, when the number of tourists increased by an average of 20 percent per year.

“In 2021-2025, Hai Phong identified tourism as one of the three pillars of the city's economic development,” said Nam.

“To develop the industry, the city focused on infrastructure to attract big investors in this field,” he said.

By the year 2025, there will be six more 5-star hotels put into operation, raising the number of 5-star hotels to 10.

Cat Ba island, coastal Do Son district and Vu Yen island are three key tourist destinations of the city, he added./.