Van Don 'boost'

Recently, on May 15th, the People's Committee of Quang Ninh province held a ceremony to announce Government Resolution No. 102/NQ-CP on the pilot establishment of the Van Don Economic Zone Management Board under the Quang Ninh Provincial People's Committee. This is considered a new impetus for Van Don's stronger development in the coming time.

A series of major projects are ready.

According to the plan, Van Don is designated as a multi-sectoral, multi-field marine economic zone, a center for entertainment industry with casinos, high-end marine and island tourism, and comprehensive services; a gateway for international trade, creating unique, distinctive, modern, high-quality products with international brands and competitiveness. Van Don is identified as a green, modern, smart, and sustainable island and coastal city, and a strategically important area for national defense and security.

The spatial development structure of the Van Don Economic Zone will be divided into two areas, including Cai Bau Island and the Van Hai archipelago, with a focus on five development zones: High-end ecological resort zone; Ecotourism zone associated with the protection of natural heritage; Urban zone for services, culture, and entertainment (eastern area of ​​Cai Bau Island); High-tech industrial, commercial, and logistics zone (western area of ​​Cai Bau Island); and Western expansion reserve zone (within the administrative boundaries of Cam Pha City and Tien Yen District).

However, the story of developing Van Don into an economic zone had been discussed much earlier. In 2007, the Prime Minister approved the establishment of Van Don as a coastal economic zone. This is the only economic zone located within the "Two Corridors - One Belt" economic cooperation area between Vietnam and China, the expanded inter-regional cooperation in the Gulf of Tonkin, a bridge connecting ASEAN and China, the Nanning-Singapore Economic Corridor, and within the Northern Key Economic Zone of Hanoi - Hai Phong - Quang Ninh.

The entire area of ​​the economic zone is located within the administrative boundaries of Van Don district. When deciding to establish the Van Don Coastal Economic Zone, the Prime Minister allowed the application of preferential mechanisms and policies to develop Van Don into a high-quality marine and island eco-tourism center, an international aviation center, a high-end service center, and a hub for international trade.

At that time, the island was desolate and deserted, leading to skepticism and reluctance to invest money and effort. However, Quang Ninh province changed these perceptions and proved that Van Don possesses exceptional strengths, attracting the attention of many domestic and foreign investors. According to statistics, from 2012 to 2019, Quang Ninh mobilized and attracted over 57.600 billion VND (equivalent to 2,62 billion USD) to improve infrastructure and invest in key projects serving the development of Van Don.

As soon as Van Don was approved to become Vietnam's third economic zone, alongside Van Phong and Phu Quoc, many expressed concerns that China would invest, or invest secretly under the guise of Vietnamese entities. Perhaps this concern is entirely justified, as numerous businesspeople with Chinese investment have already acquired prime land in localities with economic zones, leading to unhealthy competition.

However, to date, Van Don has not had a single Chinese enterprise register for investment. Only a few corporations from Japan, South Korea, France, and Germany have come to explore investment opportunities, aiming to build high-tech zones such as those for electronics, biotechnology, and pharmaceuticals.

Large domestic enterprises have also implemented several projects focusing on tourism services, commercial services, and high-tech agricultural production. Some notable companies that have invested in Van Don include Sungroup, which has invested in the Van Don International Airport project, the Ha Long-Van Don expressway project; the Van Don I high-end resort and entertainment complex project; and the high-end resort complex with a casino in the Van Don economic zone... with a total registered capital of approximately 72.000 billion VND; the Furama Ha Long Vietnam Resort & Villas project; the Sonasea Van Don Harbor City tourism and resort complex project by CEO Group; the golf course, 5-star hotel, and high-end resort complex project in the Ao Tien area invested by Hai Dang Construction Investment Joint Stock Company; and the Ao Tien Urban Area project...

In the coming period, many large investors will continue to research and register investments with capital exceeding 56.000 billion VND to develop Van Don, such as: the high-end resort and entertainment complex project on Ngoc Vung Island proposed by FLC Group; the Van Don Heritage Road project proposed by Van Don Heritage Road JSC; the planning project for the northern area of ​​Cai Bau Island researched by a consortium of investors including Vision Transportation Group (VTG), Hai Dang Construction Investment JSC, and Sunny World Investment and Development Company; the Van Don high-tech, free trade and smart city complex researched by Sungroup; subdivisions 2 and 3 of the Cai Rong urban area researched by DOJI Gold and Gemstone Group JSC; and the high-tech pharmaceutical industrial park researched by FLC Group...

Phuong Dong Company has invested over 3.000 trillion VND to complete the infrastructure in the Phuong Dong Urban Area, covering 171 hectares and located in the most prime location in Van Don. Currently, Phuong Dong is ready to welcome secondary investors for projects such as 5-star hotels, shopping centers, hospitals, schools, and entertainment areas, with all necessary permits issued by the province.

There will be a surge in tourists and investors.

One very special thing about Quang Ninh is that: Before Van Don was approved to be developed into an economic zone, many investors had already boldly "poured money" into building Van Don International Airport, clearing land, and developing the Phuong Dong urban area; they also dared to invest with the province in building the Hanoi - Hai Phong - Quang Ninh expressway and directly to Van Don…

As these ambitious projects are implemented, many express concerns about whether the investment capital in Van Don will be lost if the locality is not designated as an economic zone. However, it can be seen that whether Van Don becomes an economic zone is not too important to investors, because they have already seen the potential of Van Don in particular and Quang Ninh in general.

And there's a piece of information that not everyone knows: To date, no Chinese investor has come to Van Don. This is simply because Vietnamese private businesses are "dominating" the area, and they have sufficient resources to invest without needing to cooperate with Chinese companies.

Furthermore, Quang Ninh's policies towards investors are also one of the factors that make businesses favor this locality. This favoritism from investors stems from Quang Ninh's own efforts to gradually shift from a "brown" economy to a "green" economy, meaning it does not rely on coal mines but develops based on tourism, trade, high-tech agriculture, and industries aligned with Industry 4.0 trends. Importantly, there is no bureaucratic obstruction of businesses by the government, nor is there a situation of "enthusiasm at the top, indifference at the bottom" regarding investment projects.

Quang Ninh is also a locality with many groundbreaking "firsts," such as: being a pioneer in implementing many new models in administrative reform management; being the first province to establish and operate a Public Administration Center; and being the first province to have an international airport built by a private company. At the same time, Quang Ninh is also a leader in building and publishing the competitiveness index for departments, agencies, districts, and towns; and a leader in using social media to interact with citizens and businesses…

It can be said that the Prime Minister's approval of the revised master plan for the Van Don Economic Zone until 2040 provides a foundation for Van Don in particular and Quang Ninh in general to fully exploit its existing potential and strengths, preparing for a surge in tourism and investment in the near future.

On May 15th, the People's Committee of Quang Ninh province held a ceremony to announce Government Resolution No. 102/NQ-CP on the pilot establishment of the Van Don Economic Zone Management Board under the People's Committee of Quang Ninh province.

On November 14, 2019, the Government issued Resolution No. 102/NQ-CP on the pilot establishment of the Van Don Economic Zone Management Board under the Quang Ninh Provincial People's Committee. The Prime Minister also issued Decision No. 544/QĐ-TTg on April 21, 2020, stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Van Don Economic Zone Management Board.

Accordingly, the Van Don Economic Zone Management Board is an agency directly under the Quang Ninh Provincial People's Committee. The pilot implementation period is 3 years, starting from April 21, 2020.

The Van Don Economic Zone Management Board performs the function of direct state management over the Van Don Economic Zone in Quang Ninh province; manages and organizes the provision of public administrative services and other support services related to investment and production and business activities for investors in the Van Don Economic Zone, Quang Ninh province, in accordance with the law.

The Management Board has legal personality, its own bank account and a seal bearing the national emblem; its administrative management, operational expenses and development investment capital are provided by the state budget according to the annual plan, and other funding sources as prescribed by competent state agencies…

The organizational structure of the Management Board includes: the Office, the Professional Department, and the Investment Support Services Center. The Investment Support Services Center is a public service unit that is autonomous in terms of recurrent and investment expenditures.

The staffing of the Management Board is decided by the Quang Ninh Provincial People's Committee within the total administrative staffing allocated by the competent authority, ensuring that it does not increase the total number of civil servants in the province and implements the staff reduction roadmap as prescribed.