Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has decided to recognise Vung Tau city in southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau province as a first-grade city, according to the Vietnam Government Portal (VGP).

Vung Tau city, about 120km away from Ho Chi Minh City and 95km from Dong Nai province’s Bien Hoa city, covers a total area of 15,000 ha, accounting for 7.31 percent of the natural land of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, and has a population of 400,777.

During the past three years, Vung Tau’s economy has grown over 17 percent annually. The GDP share of construction and industry reached 86.54 percent while service-tourism and agriculture made up 11.5 percent and 0.52 percent, respectively.

Per-capita income stood at 6,000 USD per year, ranking first among provinces and cities across Vietnam and about 5.2 times higher than the national average. The city strives to raise the figure to at least 10,600 USD per year by 2015.

A part from being a national oil and gas hub, Vung Tau is also home to beautiful landscapes, beaches and unique historical vestiges. Last year, the city welcomed more than 4 million turns of visitors, earning 4-5 trillion VND (190-238 million USD).-VNA