My Thuy shines brightly.

In the final days of 2024, the construction site of the My Thuy deep-water port in Hai An commune, Hai Lang district, was bustling with activity. The contractor mobilized maximum machinery and manpower to accelerate construction, striving to put one wharf into operation in 2025 as planned. After nearly four years of inactivity, the My Thuy port area project has been restarted and construction began in March 2024, promising to attract investment, exploit potential strengths, and act as a driving force for the socio-economic development of the province.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the My Thuy Port area took place in March 2024 - Photo: TT

With the people's hearts united, even the most difficult tasks can be accomplished.

In the coastal village of My Thuy these days, the main concern of the residents is the land clearance and relocation of the village shrine to hand over the land to the construction unit for the My Thuy Port area.

When this project was restarted and construction began around the beginning of the year, the local authorities diligently carried out land clearance to reclaim 133.67 hectares of land, affecting 56 households and requiring the relocation of one village shrine. Elderly villagers said that the shrine is 600-700 years old, dating back to the village's founding, and disturbing it has been taboo. When the government decided to relocate the shrine to make way for the seaport, everyone was apprehensive, as it was an unprecedented spiritual undertaking.

Mr. Dang Minh Canh, Head of the village and Chairman of the My Thuy Village Council, recalled that making the decision and signing the minutes of the meeting with the local authorities regarding the relocation of the village shrine was a difficult task, and no one dared to make the decision. Prior to that, there had been nearly 10 meetings between district and commune leaders and the village council members, clan leaders, and patriarchs to discuss this issue.

In late October 2024, a meeting of the Council of Clan Elders of My Thuy village was held to finalize the relocation of the My Thuy village shrine to the location of the shrine for wandering souls, until the spiritual resettlement area is completed, at which point both shrines will be moved there. The villagers have agreed on the relocation of the village shrine, awaiting a consensus on the financial support plan to carry out the spiritual rituals according to the customs of the coastal residents.

During the implementation of phase 1 of the project, 54 households had to relocate due to land acquisition, of which 52 were allocated resettlement land with land use fees. The People's Committee of Hai An commune organized numerous dialogues to persuade 15 households to accept land in the resettlement area.

Overview of the construction site at My Thuy Port Area - Photo: TT

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Trung, over 70 years old, has spent almost his entire life working in the fishing industry and on the ancestral land in Moi hamlet, My Thuy village. As a household subject to relocation, Mr. Trung has accepted the policy and received over 6.3 billion VND in compensation for land clearance. "The people have handed over the land and received the compensation."

"Our greatest wish now is to be allocated land soon so we can build houses and settle down in the resettlement area to make a living," Mr. Trung shared. Sharing the same sentiment, Mr. Le Van Thuyet from My Thuy village expressed: "For generations, our people have lived by the sea, familiar with the land and our village. Now, due to the general policy, we are complying and moving to the resettlement area. We hope that in the near future, when the project becomes operational, it will create more jobs for our children."

To facilitate the relocation and land clearance for the project, the Provincial People's Committee has issued decisions approving the Hai An Commune Resettlement Project, including Phase 1 with an area of ​​approximately 16.5 hectares, a total investment of over 71 billion VND, and 278 land plots; and Phase 2, with an area of ​​43.6 hectares, a total investment of over 268 billion VND, and 222 land plots. To date, the Hai An Commune Resettlement Area (Phase 1) has been completed.

According to Le Duc Thinh, Chairman of the Hai Lang District People's Committee, the district has directed the Department of Natural Resources and Environment to review, appraise, and submit for approval detailed land allocation plans for resettlement cases that meet the criteria, implementing a phased approach. This means that cases that meet the criteria will be submitted for approval first to ensure timely land allocation procedures and issuance of land use right certificates to the people. At the same time, the Hai An Commune People's Committee is required to coordinate with the Land Clearance Council to specifically identify other cases with legally owned land and houses in the commune to facilitate the preparation of resettlement land allocation plans in accordance with regulations.

The "gateway to the sea" has opened...

On August 23, 2008, Quang Tri province organized a workshop to discuss, clarify, and finalize the project proposal, creating a basis for submitting it to the Government for approval. On September 22, 2008, during a meeting with the leaders of Quang Tri province, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung agreed in principle to the construction of the My Thuy deep-water seaport and the development of the Southeast Quang Tri Economic Zone.

The promising forecasts have become a reality. The My Thuy Port Area project received investment approval from the Prime Minister in Decision No. 16/2019, with My Thuy International Port Joint Venture Company (MTIP) as the investor. The project covers an area of ​​685 hectares, with a total of 10 berths (developed in 3 phases), a total investment of VND 14,234 billion, and an implementation schedule from 2018 to 2035, ensuring the capacity to receive ships with a tonnage of up to 100,000 tons. Phase 1, from 2018 to 2025, includes 4 berths and an investment of VND 4,946 billion.

The contractor mobilized machinery to expedite construction, ensuring the project is completed on schedule - Photo: TT

According to Pham Ngoc Minh, Head of the Provincial Economic Zone Management Board, the contractor has completed the construction of the eastern breakwater, storage yard, casting yard, roads, and the 1A, 1B, 2B, and 2A graded temporary wharf sections. Simultaneously, other items such as the breakwater, weighing station, concrete mixing plant, roads, yards, and boreholes are being implemented on schedule.

The project has completed many related legal procedures such as: detailed construction planning, land use planning, basic design approval, feasibility study (F/S) approval, technical construction design approval, sea area allocation, construction permit for the first phase (approximately 320 m) of the western breakwater, removal of the project from the national mineral reserve area, and conversion of forest land use. The dredging plan for the water area and turning basin has been agreed upon by the Ministry of Transport.

According to research by Dr. Bui Quoc Nghia, Director of the Vietnam Institute of Logistics and head of the "Southeast Quang Tri Economic Zone, My Thuy Deepwater Port" project, the port, once completed, will be Vietnam's first inland port. The location of the My Thuy sea area is favorable for building a deepwater port for large vessels. Currently, seaports in Central Vietnam, such as Da Nang and Chan May, only have sufficient depth for ships with a maximum tonnage of 50,000 tons. The offshore area of ​​My Thuy, just 1 km from the shore, already has a depth of 17-18 meters, ensuring that ships with a tonnage of up to 100,000 tons can dock.

For the land clearance area in phase 1 and phases 2 and 3, after completing the surveying and land acquisition procedures, the Hai Lang District People's Committee will implement land clearance and acquisition procedures to hand over a clean site to MTIP in the second quarter of 2025.

Mr. Doan Danh Tien, Head of the Investment and Construction Project Management Board of My Thuy Port Area Phase 1, shared that in 2025, the unit will implement the construction of 1,400 meters of breakwater, along with the construction of berths No. 1 and No. 2, striving to complete and put berth No. 1 into operation in 2025.

The My Thuy Port Area project is considered a crucial project serving the socio-economic development of Quang Tri province and the region. It serves as the closest gateway to the East Sea on the East-West Economic Corridor, possessing a strategic location for cargo transportation. In the near future, the formation of the My Thuy deep-water port and a convenient transportation system connecting it to the Lao Bao International Border Gate via the Trans-Asian Railway, National Highway 15D connecting to the La Lay International Border Gate, and the North-South Expressway will significantly shorten the sea transport distance from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.

This advantage helps My Thuy Port become an important transportation hub, meeting not only the needs of the Southeast Quang Tri Economic Zone but also having the potential to expand internationally to become a center for inter-regional and transit cargo to countries in the region such as Laos, Northeast Thailand, and Myanmar.

On the other hand, the project opens up opportunities to create jobs and generate stable income for tens of thousands of direct and indirect workers in various industries, contributing to boosting exports and imports, expanding international economic relations with countries around the world, and creating a breakthrough to shift the province's economy towards industrialization and modernization.

Implementing this key project, along with other key projects such as the Quang Tri Industrial Park, Quang Tri Airport, the National Highway 15D project connecting the La Lay International Border Gate to the My Thuy deep-water port, and the Cam Lo - Lao Bao expressway project currently under survey and investment research, are crucial technical infrastructures and prerequisites for building the Southeast Quang Tri Economic Zone into a dynamic, modern, and significant economic zone in Central Vietnam, as well as the entire country and region.

Aquarius

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/bung-sang-my-thuy-190776.htm