A young town and its "bright colors"...

(Baonghean) - Although newly established, Hoang Mai town possesses all the elements for rapid and sustainable development, becoming a growth pole of the province. Looking at its potential, achievements, and development orientations, we have the right to have high expectations for this land at the northernmost tip of Nghe An province...

Established in 2013, Hoang Mai faced relatively difficult beginnings due to natural disasters and a lack of synchronized infrastructure in the early stages. Furthermore, the need to restructure and innovate its growth model, focusing on quality, efficiency, and sustainability, presented Hoang Mai with many challenges in its development orientation. With its favorable geographical location and its orientation within the overall development space to become one of the three growth poles of Nghe An province and a driving urban center of the South Thanh Hoa - North Nghe An region, Hoang Mai has taken steps to welcome investment capital. Mr. Hoang Ngoc Thuy, head of the Economic Department of the People's Committee of Hoang Mai Town, said: “The town already has three industrial parks: Hoang Mai Industrial Park I, Hoang Mai Industrial Park II, and Dong Hoi Industrial Park, which have been merged into the Southeast Economic Zone of the province. Businesses receive many incentives if they invest in these industrial parks. This is a great advantage in the town's investment promotion and attraction efforts.”

Hoang Mai town has many advantages for developing its marine economy. Photo: Sy Minh

Therefore, after a period of quiet, the process of attracting investment into industrial parks in the area has shown signs of warming up with many projects with large total investment capital. A prime example is the investment project of Hoa Sen Group in Dong Hoi Industrial Park, covering an area of ​​35 hectares. The factory is equipped with a cold rolling line with a total designed capacity of 1 million tons/year, two galvanized steel sheet production lines with a total designed capacity of 500,000 tons/year, and one color-coated steel sheet production line with a designed capacity of 120,000 tons/year…

Mr. Le Phuoc Vu, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hoa Sen Group, highly appreciates the potential and investment environment in Hoang Mai. Therefore, within just over 20 days of receiving the investment decision, Hoa Sen Group commenced construction of its project in Dong Hoi Industrial Park. This is considered a record in attracting investment. Also in Dong Hoi Industrial Park, the Quynh Lap 1 Thermal Power Plant project will soon be launched by the investor, Vietnam Coal and Mineral Industry Group, and is expected to be operational in 2020. The Quynh Lap 1 Thermal Power Plant, with two units and a capacity of 1,200MW, has a total investment of up to 1.8 billion USD. These are just two of many projects preparing for investment in industrial parks in Hoang Mai town, creating a bright and promising industrial landscape.

Tourism is also a highly anticipated sector in the overall economic landscape of Hoang Mai. This coastal town possesses ample natural, cultural, and historical advantages to develop diverse forms of tourism, including beach tourism, cultural and spiritual tourism, and ecotourism. The most famous tourist attraction in this northernmost part of Nghe An province is the Corn Temple in Quynh Phuong ward, associated with the annual Corn Temple Festival. Beach tourism is also experiencing a boom, with bustling beaches in Quynh Phuong and Quynh Lien, especially during the summer months. The accommodation and dining facilities at these beaches have also been initially developed, basically meeting the needs of tourists.

And a highlight, a very promising point in the journey to Hoang Mai, is the tourist route on the Mai Giang River connected to Vuc Mau Lake. Based on these potentials, in order for tourism to become an important economic sector contributing more significantly to development, Hoang Mai Town has identified the need to strengthen investment in the rapid development of beach tourism and eco-tourism services. This includes linking the construction and consolidation of traditional craft villages and other recreational activities with tourism development. The town will continue its efforts in promoting and attracting investment, developing tourism infrastructure, and building a civilized, safe, and friendly tourism environment at tourist areas and destinations. It will also encourage all economic sectors to participate in tourism development. “By 2020, the town aims to welcome 150,000 to 200,000 tourists, making tourism a strong economic sector of the locality,” said Mr. Nguyen Van Binh, Head of the Culture and Information Department of Hoang Mai Town.

As a coastal town with a developed fishing, aquaculture, and fisheries logistics industry, Hoang Mai focuses on strongly developing this marine economy with its many potentials and advantages. In Quynh Phuong ward, where the people have a traditional seafaring occupation, in recent years, the people have actively converted and built many large-capacity fishing vessels, venturing further offshore and bringing high economic efficiency. According to statistics, there are 612 vessels in the ward, of which 202 are over 90 horsepower. Mr. Ho Xuan Huong, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Quynh Phuong ward, said: "With the development of the offshore fishing fleet, fisheries logistics services such as fuel, ice, and other necessities have developed, providing stable employment for many workers and making a significant contribution to the local economic development." Currently, there are 7 fuel tankers in Quynh Phuong ward, not including gas stations on land; There are 6 ice production facilities, 5 ice trading establishments; 25 fresh seafood purchasing facilities; and 55 seafood purchasing and processing facilities. Not only in Quynh Phuong, but the fisheries logistics service is also very developed and has become a livelihood for many people in Hoang Mai.

With that momentum, in the next term, the Party Committee of Hoang Mai town clearly stated: "Promote occupational transformation, invest in large-capacity fishing vessels capable of venturing far offshore to develop high-value seafood fishing. By 2020, strive to have over 500 vessels with a capacity of over 90 horsepower, including over 200 vessels with a capacity of over 400 horsepower." Inevitably, this will lead to even stronger development in the fisheries logistics service sector in Hoang Mai.

Furthermore, Hoang Mai Town has adopted a development orientation based on diversification, strongly developing trade and service sectors through planning and constructing a network of commercial centers, supermarkets, and standardized markets within the town. Attention is paid to investing in the construction of transportation networks and warehouses to ensure the smooth flow of goods. The town's bus station and parking lots are being completed in accordance with the construction plan. Investment in the development of seaports and river ports is encouraged. The quality, scale, and efficiency of service sectors are being improved. Emphasis is placed on developing credit services, transportation, postal and telecommunications services, banking, information technology, healthcare, and sports. From this overview, the overall economic picture of Hoang Mai Town in the coming years appears very bright. With what has been achieved, and given the new opportunities and prospects, it is believed that Hoang Mai Town will develop in line with expectations.

Nhat Le