Can Gio plays crucial role as HCMC gateway: official

With suitable investment, Can Gio will connect Ho Chi Minh City with the beach city of Vung Tau and other coastal localities, and with the world, Mai told a city's meeting on Wednesday.

Lying 50 km from downtown HCMC, Can Gio District spans 71,300 hectares and has a population of more than 70,000. It is the city's only district situated by the sea, and has a coastline of 23 km.

It is home to many rivers, canals and the first UNESCO mangrove biosphere reserve in Vietnam.

HCMC has proposed an international port worth $5.4-billion in Can Gio as the largest hub port in Vietnam.

The port in Can Gio will have a dock of more than seven kilometers long to receive 24,000-twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers, the world’s largest, with a throughput capacity of 10-15 million TEUs per year.

At the same time, HCMC is also working on a master plan to develop a seaside resort town in Can Gio.

As per a detailed 1/5,000 scale zoning plan rolled out in May, the resort town will spread over 2,870 ha and have a population of more than 228,000.

According to the latest comprehensive plan, around VND76 trillion (US$3.24 billion) will be needed for technical infrastructure and buildings to make it a resort town.

Of this, VND32.5 trillion is earmarked for infrastructure and VND43.7 trillion for refurbishment of building projects.

Truong Minh Huy Vu, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Development Research Institute, said that in the overall development of the city by 2030, with a vision to 2045, Can Gio needed to quickly implement the two master plans as proposed to create leverage to develop to its full potential.

"Can Gio will become a connection center in the production and export network of Ho Chi Minh City and the whole southern region," Vu said, adding that the coastal district will contribute to promoting fast and sustainable economic development, which is the basic foundation for the economic restructuring of the city.

Nguyen Ngoc Vinh from the Institute of Development Economics Research of the University of Economics HCMC said for Can Gio to thrive, HCMC must handle existing issues in the district first, especially those related to traffic infrastructure.

He also noted that the city should consider the environment impacts of the port hub and seaside resort town.

"It is not right to say if those projects won't affect the environment," he said.

According to the resolution on the development direction for Can Gio issued by the city’s Party Committee, the city plans to increase the district's total average production value in the period 2021-2030 by 20.7% per year. 

By 2030, the service sector will account for nearly 75% of the total production value of the district, all roads in the district will be equipped with a lighting system, all public transport will use clean energy and 100% waste will be treated.

Can Gio is on track to become a national key tourist area with a total of 49 million visitors in 2021-2030 and an average growth rate of 12.5% per year. 

In 2030, Can Gio will be a coastal resort and eco-tourism city with a per capita income of VND182 million per year.