Distinctive impression
Not only tourists but also local residents are always delighted and proud of the beauty and luxury that is changing daily in Hue’s coastal areas recently. The white sandy beaches bathed in golden sunshine, interwoven with green corridors connected to wide-open transportation routes, create picturesque watercolor paintings.
In the city’s south coastal area, marine tourism urban hubs have gradually formed. The most notable landmark is the Chan May - Lang Co Economic Zone, which is established on an area of 28,000 hectares, with an integrated nature clearly showing tourism urban areas, industrial zones, customs areas, and port services. Currently, the technical infrastructure and transportation in this zone are synchronized and cleared off. Chan May Port, considered the “heart” of this Economic Zone, conveniently welcomes ships with a tonnage of over 70,000 tons specializing in transshipping goods in the region to neighboring countries. Moreover, logistics projects with large-scale warehouse infrastructure are being implemented in this area, aiming to form a major logistics center in Central Vietnam. The Chan May - Lang Co Economic Zone has attracted 56 projects with an investment capital of 83,671 billion dongs. Among these are international-scale coastal tourism and service development projects that elevate Hue to the map of world-class destinations.
Following the city’s policies and development orientations, many people can sense that besides the strategy to create attraction for the southern coastal area, there were methodical plans in districts of Thuan Hoa and Phu Vang to develop Hue city seaward to exploit the potential and advantages in this space. As evident, several major roads now extend from the city center to the coastline, linking with coastal highways and the nearly 2.4km-long Thuan An bridge spanning the sea gate, which is nearing completion and will establish an eastern inter-regional corridor connecting Hue City's northern and southern regions. In this area, many advantageous land funds are forming, attractive for investors to exploit marine tourism services, port logistics, high-tech aquaculture...
The coastal area of Phu Vang district no longer has small fishing villages. Moreover, Vinh Thanh and Vinh Xuan communes are planned to form urban areas specialized in marine tourism services. The transportation infrastructure in this area has been connected with a comprehensive lighting system. On the coastal side, international brand resorts have appeared, such as the high-end resort in Vinh Thanh and Vinh Xuan communes of BRG Group Corporation and Hue Amusement & Beach Park project - a high-end villa service area.
During a recent field trip, we also saw new movements in Phong Dien town, especially the transportation system, which was invested in quite modernly connecting the town’s center and the coast. With clear roads, communes and wards identified as coastal villages, such as Phong Thanh, Phong Phu, and Phong Hai, now bustle with business activities and convenient goods exchange. Phong Phu ward (formerly Dien Loc and Dien Hoa communes) has taken on the appearance of a Type V urban area, connected to the Dien Loc industrial cluster and seaport, and commercial area, promising to become a bustling coastal urban area in the north of the city in the future.
New momentum
According to the Prime Minister’s Decision 1745/QD-TTg, dated December 30, 2023, approving the Planning of Thua Thien Hue Province (now Hue City) for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, the eastern region, encompassing coastal plains and seaside municipalities, is strategically designated for green corridor development to advance the marine economy, industry, commerce, services, andtourism.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Dinh Thien, former Director of the Vietnam Institute of Economics, who has closely followed Hue City’s planning, also affirmed in a recent city planning conference that among the city’s development corridors, the coastal corridor adjacent to the Tam Giang - Cau Hai lagoon is a key space with potential and advantages for economic development.
According to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Dinh Thien, considering completed, ongoing, and planned infrastructure developments and the mobilization of resources from the centrally-governed municipality, multiple catalytic factors will expand new development spaces along Hue's coastal corridor. The central urban area of Hue is extending seaward, while Phong Dien town to the north and Phu Loc district to the south, connected with satellite urban centers in Quang Dien and Phu Vang, will form an integrated network of marine tourism hubs, industrial zones, and high-tech districts. This network, linked to seaports and Phu Bai International Airport along the western corridor, will drive Hue's rapid and sustainable growth. This structural model remains open and multidirectional, creating interconnected linkages throughout Central Vietnam and beyond, extending to Indochina through the maritime gateways of Chan May, Thuan An, and Dien Loc ports.
I agree with the recent assessment of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Chu Hoi, former Deputy Director General of the Vietnam Administration of Seas and Islands, on the sidelines of the “Marine Conservation” workshop in Da Nang City. As for him, what exists in the marine space of the Central region is the foundation for localities to develop strongly towards the sea and reach out to the sea to prosper. For Hue City, the existing marine spaces with historical factors and cultural spaces are considered “rare”, which is not common in other localities. Therefore, this expert recommended that when building tourism and service architectural works in those spaces, it must ensure harmony, methodical, and careful planning to create a unified and attractive landscape.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Chu Hoi further shared that the Central Government has identified Hue City, as one of the localities in the Central region, with a focus on strong marine development. Therefore, the City must eliminate the mindset of only revolving around the coastal area. To advance far out to sea, it is necessary to reorganize the marine economic space, strengthen regional linkages, and connect coastal areas with the sea.
Hue City is facing many opportunities to open up development spaces in various fields. It is these existing marine spaces that, with an open, multi-dimensional view, will contribute to better socio-economic development.