Cua Tung expands its development space from the sea.

QTO - Following the merger, Cua Tung commune has become one of the largest commune-level administrative units in the coastal region of Quang Tri province, covering an area of ​​nearly 60 square kilometers and with a population of nearly 30,000 people, stretching from the coastal sand dunes to the pepper and rubber plantations in the west. Beyond its expanded administrative boundaries, Cua Tung is poised to develop a multi-sectoral marine economic space, connecting tourism, services, fisheries, agriculture, and processing industries, creating new impetus for development in the southern coastal area of ​​Quang Tri province.

Standing on the coastal road connecting the gradually developing East-West Economic Corridor, one can gaze into the distance towards Vinh Giang, bustling with fishing boats; and towards Kim Thach and Hien Thanh, the green of pepper and rubber plantations stretching to the horizon... Along the coast, facilities processing fish cakes, fishmeal, and frozen seafood operate continuously.

After merging with the former communes of Vinh Giang, Hien Thanh, and Kim Thach, Cua Tung commune now has 69 businesses, over 1,800 individual business households, and 16 active cooperatives. By 2025, the total value of products in the commune is expected to reach over 2,518 billion VND, with a growth rate of 8.55%, and average per capita income is projected to reach approximately 68 million VND per year. The lives of the people have seen many positive changes.

Ms. Hoang Thi Thu from An Hoa village shared that after the merger, a new wave of change has transformed Cua Tung not only on the administrative map but also in every meter of coastal land that is increasing in value, in the newly opened cafes near the beach, in the new homestays springing up in Vinh Moc and An Duc, and even in the mindset of many young people who had left their hometowns but are now returning to seek business opportunities.

In many previously neglected coastal sandy areas, people are now renovating their houses, preserving their land, opening businesses, and investing in services. Just a few months after the coastal road connecting the East-West Economic Corridor opened, the business atmosphere in Cua Tung has completely changed.

Cua Tung Beach attracts many tourists - Photo: NTH

The development story of Cua Tung today is no longer limited to seasonal beach tourism but is shifting towards a comprehensive coastal economic model. The Kim Thach and Hien Thanh areas continue to play a key role in agricultural production, developing hundreds of hectares of industrial crops such as pepper and rubber, as well as rice cultivation and livestock farming. Meanwhile, the Vinh Giang-Cua Tung area continues to strongly develop aquaculture, fisheries, and marine trade and services. Currently, the entire commune has 237 fishing vessels with approximately 575 workers directly involved in seafood exploitation; the aquaculture area covers more than 212 hectares. The Cua Tung fishing port remains bustling with boats and people buying seafood, meeting the consumption and service needs of the entire region.

But amidst the hustle and bustle, there are still concerns. Many boats are docked due to a shortage of young labor. The fishing industry is becoming increasingly difficult because of rising costs and declining profits... Cua Tung has great potential but still lacks a strong enough impetus to form a modern marine economic chain.

Chairman of the People's Committee of Cua Tung commune, Vo Duc Dien, acknowledged that after the merger, the most important thing is to change the development mindset. The locality's orientation in the coming time will focus on developing a comprehensive marine economy, with marine tourism and services as the driving force; linking tourism development with the exploitation of the cultural and historical values ​​of the land, which has two nationally ranked historical sites: Hien Luong-Ben Hai and Vinh Moc tunnels, along with other famous beautiful landscapes and characteristic OCOP products; and simultaneously forming concentrated production areas linked to processing...

"Cua Tung has great advantages in terms of its sea, location, and development space. But development must be sustainable, with comprehensive planning and attracting strategic investors, and possess its own unique identity in order to go the distance," Mr. Dien emphasized.

Interestingly, in today's development story, Cua Tung has not only changed in terms of infrastructure or economic space, but also in the mindset of its people. Many young people who worked far from home are starting to return to open cafes, homestays, sell goods online, process local specialties, and put their products on e-commerce platforms...

The entire commune currently has 79 mobile phone base stations, including 3 5G stations; the high rate of online applications and digital payments in the province is a sign of positive change in the digital age. A coastal rural area is quietly but noticeably transforming into a true coastal growth hub, where people can make a living from the sea, prosper from it, while still preserving the essence of a coastal countryside.

Thanh Hai

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/kinh-te/202606/cua-tung-mo-rong-khong-gian-phat-trien-tu-bien-8714431/