A corner of Van Don. Van Don island district in the northeastern province of Quang Ninh will be developed into a multi-sectoral coastal economic zone and a centre for entertainment, high-end sea tourism and services. (Photo: tapchicongthuong.vn)

Van Don island district in the northeastern province of Quang Ninh will be developed into a multi-sectoral coastal economic zone and a centre for entertainment, high-end sea tourism and services, according to an urban development programme for the district recently approved by the provincial People’s Committee.

The focus will also be on developing Van Don into a city that is green, sustainable and adaptive to climate change with a synchronous infrastructure system by 2030.

Van Don will invest in upgrading infrastructure and urban development to meet the tier-3 standard by 2025 and the tier-1 standard by 2030 following the National Assembly Standing Committee’s Resolution No 1210/2016/UBTVQH13 on urban classification.

Under the current planning, the Van Don Economic Zone is divided into two spaces for development, of which Cai Bau Island will be for major functional areas of urban and economic zones and Van Hai Archipelago for high-end resort tourism, eco-tourism high-tech agricultural production associated with preserving with the ecological landscape and biodiversity in the area.

The planning of the Van Don Economic Zone covers the entire area of Van Don district of more than 2,171 sq.km, more than 1,589 sq.km of which is marine area.

The population of Van Don will be around 140,000 – 200,000 by 2030 and 300,000-500,000 by 2040.

If Van Don becomes a city, Quang Ninh will be the province with the most cities in Vietnam. Currently, there are four cities, namely Ha Long, Mong Cai, Cam Pha and Uong Bi.

Under the provincial master plan for the 2021-30 period, with a vision to 2050, the northern province will have seven cities.