In 1998, the government signed a decision on shifting Ha TienTownship to a trade-service-tourism and aquaculture zone. For recent years, Ha TienTownship has been an experimental border economic zone during the time the township has changed radically. Its infrastructure has grown and life for local people has improved immeasurably. The township has gained several remarkable economic achievements including an annual GDP growth rate of 15.38% on average.
Key Economic Sectors
With a land border of 13.5 km and marine border of 26km with Cambodia and a national border gate Xa Xia, Ha Tien Township has great potentials for commerce and tourism. The trade and service sector has contributed a proportion of 52% of economic structure and recorded an annual growth of 20%. Total export turnover reached US$33 million in the past five years while import value was estimated at US$33.113 million during the time.
Famous for its heroic history and attractive landscapes, Ha Tien township has defined tourism as a key economic sector, facilitating others to develop. To this end, the tourist sites of Mui Nai and Thach Dong are soon to be launched in the wake of large investments. Capitalized at VND150 billion, the Mui Nai covers 17 hectares of land while the Thach Dong was built on an area of five hectares with total investment of VND9 billion. There have been an increasing number of tourists flocking to the township over recent years. In 2001, the township received 368,400 arrivals. The figure increased to 562,300 in the first eight months of this year. Total revenue from tourism-service sector rose from VND39.5 billion to VND66.74 billion during the time, seeing an annual growth of 16.6%.
Aquaculture is considered one of key economic sectors. Total aquatic output was reported at 86,000 tons over the past five years, of which more than 3,814 tons including 1,547 tons of shrimps were harvested from the local aquaculture farms. The province has, to date expanded its total aquaculture area to 1,438 hectares, including 1,230ha under shrimp breeding.
Targeting Ha Tien township as a hectic economic zone
Kien Giang province set to turn Ha Tien Township into a tourism city, belonging to the Rach Gia – Ha Tien – Phu Quoc economic triangle. There are several attractions in the area: Dong Ho, Den Mountain, Ta Lu, and Hai Tac islets. The township has recently kicked off construction on a 97-hectare new urban area and a 100-ha sea encroachment zone in an effort to form up a residential-trade-tourism service complex. The township is now submitting a project on upgrading the Mui Nai seaport for the government’s approval.
Other key development projects like the Ha Tien Commercial Centre, which is scheduled for completion next year, and a port system, have opened up trade opportunities for people living along the Cambodian border.
Local authorities will this year continue investing hundreds of billions of dong in major infrastructure projects such as a project to establish the 140-ha Thuan Yen Industrial Zone.
The development plan also includes the upgrading of the Xa Xia border gate into an international border gate, in hopes of tripling the volume of cargo and tourists in the next few years.
Minh Phu
Vietnamese
