Participants to a September 16 seminar emphasised the importance of transforming Phu Quoc island district in the southern province of Kien Giang into a special administrative-economic zone with a high level of development to serve the national industrialisation.

The event, which took place in the island, aimed to finalise a project on the specific mechanism for Phu Quoc and turn it into a dynamic and self-reliant economy, and a regional and global centre of tourism, technology, finance, trade, and entertainment.

Chairing the seminar, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh, head of the Steering Committee for the Southwestern Region, asked the provincial authorities to acquire opinions devoted at the event to complete the project.

He noted that the project should prioritise the sustainable development of industries and products that are the island district’s strengths, and make clear the locality’s special features on economics, trade, tourism, administrative management, national defence and security.

To successfully build a special administrative and economic zone, policies applied in Phu Quoc need to be more competitive than those in other localities, said participants.

The island posts an annual economic growth rate of over 24.5 percent, a 5.2-fold increase from 2004 when the Prime Minister approved its overall development plan. Its per capita income in 2013 is estimated to reach 70.3 million VND (3,500 USD).

Phu Quoc has so far attracted 206 investment projects valued at over 4 trillion VND (190.5 million USD). Of the total, 13 projects have already been put into operation.-VNA