On September 27, 2010, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung issued Resolution 35 on the establishment of Ha Giang City, the capital of Ha Giang province. From a small picturesque town, Ha Giang has today become a dynamic city with a more beautiful appearance and greater position. This is the outcome of a long journey, inspired by advantages but hindered by difficulties. Commercial tourism is defined as a major driving force to speed up and mobilise available resources for urban infrastructure development to pave the way for socioeconomic development.
As the junction of key traffic routes like National Road 2 from Hanoi to Thanh Thuy national border gate, National Road 34 linking to Cao Bang province, and National Road 279 connecting to Lao Cai province, Ha Giang City has many advantages for development. As economic, political and cultural centre of Ha Giang province, the city is a place where districts exchange economic activities. To deserve the status, the city will promote its internal resources, invest in urban development, and accelerate economic restructuring to create ripple effects in other localities in the province.
About 20 km from Thanh Thuy national border gate and 318 km from the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi along National Road 2, the city serves as a transit point for Hanoi and upland areas. This advantage enables Ha Giang City to expand exchanges with northwest and northeast provinces. Thanh Thuy Border Gate Economic Zone will be developed into a dynamic economic zone. This will be an opportunity for the city and the province to restructure the economy, and develop trade, tourism and services with other localities in the country and with border areas in China.
Defining tourism and services as leading economic sectors, Ha Giang is trying to become a tourist city in the mountainous border area. Therefore, the city has focused on exploiting its advantages of natural conditions, natural beauty and unique cultures of ethnic groups. Besides, it mobilises all resources for comprehensive tourism and service development, diversifies tourism and service activities, and combines tourism with services activities. It has completed overall tourism development plans, including Nui Cam, Mo Neo, and Suoi Tien tourist sites and Tay people cultural villages.
The city has just three international travel units, including one company branch and two state-owned enterprises; 36 tourist lodging establishments, including one 2-star hotel, six 1-star hotels and 29 hotels that meet minimum accommodation requirements. Mr Cao Thai Son, Chairman of Ha Giang City People’s Committee, said: The city has no high-grade hotel and restaurant. To exploit its advantages and develop tourism services, the city will create favourable conditions for companies to invest in accommodation establishments and tourist infrastructures. It will also create land funds to support tourism development.
To meet social and economic development requirements in international integration, the city will step up investment, trade and service promotion; bolster advertisement to introduce its strengths to attract domestic and international capital; and apply proper investment methods like BOT, BT and BTO for investors. By 2015, trade and services will account for 70.8 percent of the city’s GDP.
To create development breakthroughs, Ha Giang City is determined to continue stepping up administrative reform to provide a friendly investment environment; and decentralising administrative powers to subordinate units. It also invests in upgrading its facilities to partly apply one-door administrative mechanisms to support investors to deal with administrative procedures and advises provincial People’s Committee to apply specific investment policies.
Tran Trang
Vietnamese
