Having sought a suitable pathway which suits local conditions and Governmental preferential policies, supports from Central agencies and Provincial Party’s Committee, Phu Yen Provincial’s People Committee has created basic conditions for Song Cau Township to make social-economic breakthroughs. Song Cau has now seen remarkable changes by actively exploiting all strengths and potentials, conducting effective measures to make up a favourable environment for economic sectors, reforming administrative procedures, and fostering investment attraction in economic growth.
Being the northern boundary district of Phu Yen province, Song Cau Township is located at the geographically and economically preferential centre of Central Region coastal provinces and economic zones. The north-south running National Highways 1A, 1D link Song Cau with Tuy Hoa City, Quy Nhon City (Binh Dinh) while east-west running provincial roads 642, 644 connect Song Cau with western mountainous districts of Phu Yen province and Central Highland ones.
Song Cau has an approximately 80 km long coast with a lot of pools, lagoons and bays which make up favourable conditions for fishery raising and catching as well as tourism development. Notably, in 2011, Ministry of Culture-Sport and Tourism certified Xuan Dai Bay as the national vestige. It is expected that Tourism Directorate will prepare planning for Xuan Dai Bay to become one of 10 key national sites, help to attract investment in infrastructure, communicate and promote competitive tourism products. In addition, to effectively exploit local tourism potential, the township has supported and facilitated investors to implement tourism projects on large scale, complete and uphold operation efficiency of tourism service units; promoted investment in planned visit sites; and paid attention to developing new tourism service forms in Xuan Dai bay, expanding forest eco-tourism to the West. At the same time, focus has been laid on connections with regional localities such as Quy Nhon City, Tuy An, Tuy Hoa City, Dong Hoa etc, formation of resort tourism packages, closed forest and sea eco-system sightseeing tours. Sharing with us, Chairman Pham Kien indicated: ”Song Cau gathers all advantages and conditions to become a tourism city which will be an ideal destination for national and international visitors. At present, the Township is concentrating on exploiting its strength of service-tourism and has received support from domestic and foreign investors to promote this field”.
Apart from abundant tourism potentials, Song Cau Township also has plentiful natural resources with nearly 16,000 ha water surface in Cu Mong Lagoon and Xuan Dai Bay. Given this, aquaculture has quickly become the township’s key economic sector, which has witnessed success with orientation of diversifying fisheries such as lobster, prawn, white leg shrimp, grouper, discus, milkfish, giant seaperch, sweet snail and tortoise, of which prawn is the spearhead with high economic value. Besides, there are some mines and ores such as: mineral sand ilmennite, granite stone, coral stone, ashlar, sand, gravel, bauxite, iron and tin. The Township has conducted exploitation and manufacturing to serve local demand and for export.
Orienting to develop Song Cau Township in the direction of urbanization-modernization, becoming the one of services, tourism – industry – handicraft, Phu Yen province has made investment into Song Cau Northeast Industrial Zone on the area of 300 ha. In Song Cau 1 IZ (area of 105 ha), there are 16 projects which have proceeded with production and trading; attracted local labourers, helping create jobs for people and make contribution to state budget. Song Cau 2 IZ has had its detailed design 1/2,000 approved by the Government and is underway to call for investment.
In the coming time, to foster economic growth, Song Cau Township will emphasize exploiting its sea potential and strengths with an orientation to promote sea economy as the spearhead; focusing on development of services, especially tourism. It is targeted that by 2015, service sector will share 40 percent in local economic structure; create motive to shift economic pattern from Agriculture – Industry – Service to Service – Industry – Agriculture. Furthermore, the Township will pay attention to the construction of urban technical infrastructure with core of urban infrastructure, target to meet criteria of urban category IV by 2015, gradually promoting Song Cau Township to become the economic, cultural, tourism centre in northern area of the province.
Vietnamese
