An area of over 3,600 km across the southern part of Nghe An and the northern part of Ha Tinh provinces is set to become a key economic zone of the north central region by 2025, according to a plan ratified by the Prime Minister recently.

The plan gives priority to industrial development, including food processing, textile and mechanical industries, which will apply high technology in manufacture. The total area of land designated for the industrial zones will be 2,230ha.

In addition, a system of urban areas and infrastructure will be developed.

By 2015, all communes in the region will have a road leading to their centres. The percentage of concrete and asphalted roads in remote mountainous communes is set at 15 percent by 2015 and 20 percent in 2020.

Also, the road system will be upgraded, along with the railroad, waterway and Vinh City Airport, to turn the region into a centre of trade in goods and services.

About 40 percent of the region's population will live in urban areas by 2015, doubling the current rate. The proportion of urban residents in the region is expected to reach 60 percent by 2025, along with an expansion of urban land by 50 percent, compared with the target of nearly 20,000ha set for 2015.

The region also plans to develop tourism, based on the resources of sea, rivers, lakes and ecosystem as well as historical monuments.

The Huong Son and Thac Muoi hydroelectric plants are considered as strategic projects to be implemented to meet growing power demand.

The region includes Vinh City, Cua Lo town and Nghi Loc, Hung Nguyen, Nam Dan and Thanh Chuong districts in Nghe An province and Hong Linh town and Nghi Xuan, Duc Tho and Huong Son districts in Ha Tinh province./.