Thua Thien Hue - Towards Centrally Governed City

Developing Thua Thien Hue province into a centrally run city was defined at the Resolution of the Eighth Congress. In 1996, the Party Central Committee and the Government initiated this plan. Then, Conclusion 48-KL/TW of the Politburo also defined that the Party and people of Thua Thien Hue must strive to build Thua Thien Hue into a centrally governed city in a few years.

 

So, we have had a long preparatory process to gather necessary and sufficient conditions for Thua Thien Hue to become a centrally governed city. We now have three years left to improve infrastructure, create a favourable, fair business environment, and enhance social security.

 

The first foundation is the relatively fast urbanisation, with particular projects being Huong Thuy, Tu Ha, Thuan An, and townships along National Road 1A and surrounding Hue City. Hue City, the provincial capital, and satellite towns are also being invested for better urban infrastructure systems. The province is building new urban zones like An Van Duong, Phu My Thuong and Truong An.

 

The second foundation is the well-connected transport system. The traffic system linking Hue City with urban zones is being actively built into a cohesive, organic, province-wide system. Inner-city traffic network and traffic routes to tourist sites, industrial parks and economic zones have been invested to speed up socioeconomic development and economic restructuring.

 

The third is the ongoing upgrading, construction, repair and maintenance of locally and centrally managed medical, educational and cultural infrastructures like specialised hospitals, polyclinics, international hospitals, dormitories for students, etc.

 

Thua Thien Hue province is in much need of support from central agencies to complete some planned artery projects like the traffic route that links Thua Thien Hue urban zones with major cities in the region, in the country and in the world (key projects include Phu Bai International Airport, Chan May Deepwater Seaport, the upgrading of National Road 1A - Thua Thien Hue section, Cam Lo - Thuy Loan Highway, etc). Investment and completion of these projects are for the sake of connection, common development and prosperity of the country and the region.

 

In a bid to execute Conclusion 48 of the Politburo, Thua Thien Hue province has worked out the scheme called “Building Thua Thien Hue province into a centrally governed city.” I would like to talk about some key contents.

 

In terms of function, centrally governed Thua Thien Hue City is the centre of the central region and one of major centres of unique culture, tourism, science, technology, in-depth medicine and high-quality education in Vietnam. By 2020, Thua Thien Hue strives to become a leading urban zone in the country, in the region and in the world and one of major centres of economy, culture, science, technology, health, education and training in Vietnam, in the Southeast Asian region and in the world.

 

Thua Thien Hue is being built and developed into a city of ecology, landscape, heritage, history, culture and environmental friendliness. The model is a “multi-centre urban cluster” - to be specific, the complex of heritage, historic, cultural and landscape towns in the space of Thua Thien Hue City.

 

With such central urban areas as Hue, Huong Thuy, Huong Tra, Thuan An and Binh Dien, the population is expected to reach 500,000 people by 2015 and 600,000 people by 2025. In the southernmost area, the Chan May - Lang Co urban zone, a so-called satellite urban zone, will serve as an important growth engine of Thua Thien Hue. Satellite towns which are the centres of suburban districts like Phong Dien, Sia, Phu Da, Phu Loc, Khe Tre and A Luoi; new urban zones like Dien Hai, An Lu, Phong My, Vinh Thanh, Vinh Hien , Son La, A Dot and Hong Van will be built. Satellite towns will play a support function and reduce burdens and pressures for central urban zones.

Countryside residents are distributed in deltas, coastal lagoons and mountainous areas. The development of rural residences will be attached to the development of small-scale cottage industries like handicrafts, processing of agricultural, forest and aquatic products; service centres and border markets; and military economic zones, border posts and islands. Urban zone-surrounding countryside will be facilitated to develop ecological tourism.

 

In terms of economic space, the coastal plain is the driving force for development of Thua Thien Hue City. In the future, this will gather economic zones, industrial zones, resorts, social service centres, major technical service zones and big urban zones. The upland will develop cottage industries, resorts, border gate commercial centres, farms, commercial forests, specialised forests, protective forests, ecological forests and western urban zones.

 

We know where we are on the road of development in the context of the country. We know what we have: potential, advantages and different development criteria from other cities. We also know which development model will make us develop reasonably and sustainably in the future. With what we have prepared, we believe that our goal to become a centrally governed city by 2015 is realistic.

 

The National Tourism Year - Northern Central Coast 2012 not only facilitates the development of the tourism economy but also strengthen regional linkage in this economic field. This is an opportunity for enterprises to promote trade, tourism and branding and introduce its products to the local people and tourists.

 

For years, Thua Thien Hue has been voted a safe, attractive and friendly destination in Vietnam. We are always ready to welcome and serve domestic and international visitors. On this occasion, I would like to have the attention of domestic and foreign investors, particularly companies in the northern central region in general and Thua Thien Hue province in particular.