Developing Do Luong with a regional center vision

Fundamental changes in rural life

“Want to eat taro with sugar/Come down here and go upstream on the Luong ferry with me/The Luong ferry has clear blue water/Good rice, good rice, going upstream and downstream”.

The old song has always been the pride of generations of Do Luong people about a land of boats and wharfs, a symbol of the urban area, a bustling and prosperous trading scene.

Surely, therefore, Secretary of Do Luong District Party Committee Ngoc Kim Nam emphasized that building and developing the district to its full potential is a great responsibility.

Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Thai Thanh Quy visited agricultural models in Do Luong district. Photo: Thanh Duy

It must be said that the old Luong land, Do Luong today, has always been the central area, favorable for trade in the Southwest of the province. Through many changes, Do Luong still maintains that position.

There are few localities in Nghe An like Do Luong, which has administrative boundaries with all 6 districts, and is the convergence point of important road traffic routes, located at the gateway to the fertile Southwest region of Nghe An and to neighboring Laos.

Not only has a favorable location, Luong land has long been famous as a land of studiousness and excellent learning.

Especially, in the current period, along with the development of the country and the province, Do Luong is having very positive movements which show the dynamism and innovation in business thinking of the people.

That is the model of farmer Dang Anh Tuan in hamlet 7, Xuan Son commune. On a hilly area of ​​15.5 hectares of barren and rocky land, after nearly 25 years of hard work, Mr. Tuan has a dream property. The comprehensive model of planting forests, dragon fruit, sweet tangerines, and raising pigs brings in billions of dong in revenue each year for the family.

Or like the model of raising chickens and growing seedless lemons of Mr. Tran Trong Binh's family in hamlet 7, Thuan Son commune with a total herd of up to 13,000 chickens on the hill, everyone is surprised and excited for him and his wife after 8 years of hard work turning barren land into a billion-dollar farm.

That success is not only due to diligence and hard work but also creativity and quick adaptation to market factors.

Do Luong has 97 farms, accounting for about 1/10 of the province. Photo: Thanh Duy

Talking with the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Thai Thanh Quy, both Mr. Tuan and Mr. Binh said that they both pay great attention to the application of science and technology in cultivation and animal husbandry, even linking with partners inside and outside the province, so the development has been as deep and solid as today.

Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Van Lap said that Do Luong district has 97 farms, accounting for about 1/10 of the province.

Not only turning the land into “pure gold”, Do Luong hometown is now gradually taking shape as an industrial zone. Route N5 connecting from National Highway 1A to Hoa Son is becoming a new “industrial highway” of Nghe An, and the localities that directly benefit are Nghi Loc and Do Luong.

Large industrial parks have been and are being formed along this traffic artery in Nghi Loc section, and in Do Luong, seizing the opportunity, a group of Vietnamese expatriates in Germany has invested in a garment complex which has so far created jobs for 2,300 workers, and in 2019 it is expected that there will be 4,500 workers working here.

Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Thai Thanh Quy highly appreciated Minh Anh Group's determination to invest in rural areas and the social security values ​​the project brings.

The Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee also agreed with the proposal of the group's leaders to expand the existing garment complex and build a washing factory to serve garment export products. When completed, this complex will turn Do Luong into a large garment center, creating jobs for over 10,000 workers.

Today's movements have fundamentally changed people's lives and local appearance.

17/32 communes have met new rural standards, Do Luong town has also been recognized by the Provincial People's Committee as a type V urban area.

The whole district has only 1,579 poor households, accounting for only 2.81% and 3,882 near-poor households, accounting for 6.91%; average income reaches more than 45 million VND/person/year.

Keyword "planning"

However, if we consider the location and tradition of Luong as a mirror, the reflection of Do Luong today does not satisfy or fulfill expectations.

Deputy Director of the Department of Planning and Investment Nguyen Huu Mao gave some thought-provoking figures: in 2018, Do Luong's production value only ranked 7th in the province and accounted for only 5.3% of the total production value of the whole province, although the industrial and construction production value rate reached more than 26%, the highest among 21 districts, cities, and towns...

At the meeting with the leaders of Do Luong district, the leaders of the provincial departments and branches all expressed their belief that the district will continue to have stronger development steps in the coming time. But the question is what should Do Luong do to create that breakthrough?

Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Thai Thanh Quy visited industrial production establishments in Do Luong area. Photo: Thanh Duy

The opinions, in summary, first of all lie in the keyword "planning". Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Hong Vinh said that although Do Luong has many advantages, it has not been able to fully exploit them, especially the geographical location factor for commercial development.

Therefore, according to comrade Le Hong Vinh, it is necessary to first calculate so that the district has a master plan with a regional linkage vision and identifies Do Luong as a regional center, creating a premise for breakthrough development based on the "three-legged tripod": urban - trade, services - tourism.

From there, we can calculate an urban planning worthy of a town and an industrial development planning, especially linked to the N5 road, and at the same time plan tourism development, especially historical, cultural and spiritual tourism, based on the key destination of Truong Bon Historical Relic Site and Qua Son Temple - one of the four most sacred temples in Nghe An.

Based on the strengths of Luong region, there is enough basis for Do Luong today to demonstrate a greater role and contribute more to the development of the province. "Why is Do Luong still developing but not making any breakthroughs"? - Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Thai Thanh Quy wondered and suggested that the leaders of Do Luong district raise this question to reposition the position and direction of the district.

Produced at Minh Anh Garment Factory - Do Luong. Photo: Thanh Duy

Accordingly, first of all, Do Luong must focus on planning work, in which urban space planning is very important.

"Only then can we identify what needs to be done and plan other development issues" - the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee suggested, on that basis, the district focuses on attracting investment, especially attracting strategic investors in industry, agriculture, tourism and services.

All the factors of favorable weather, favorable terrain, and favorable people are fully converging on the land of Luong, the problem now is the need for a more reasonable and systematic step with a long-term vision. And as someone said: When "there is enough sunshine, flowers will bloom again" on the land of Luong.