During a meeting with the Con Dao Special Economic Zone on July 25th, the Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, Nguyen Van Duoc, requested the Department of Health to organize rotational doctor assignments to Con Dao, and to invest in equipment and hospital development to improve the quality of healthcare for the zone's residents. Mr. Nguyen Van Duoc also tasked the Con Dao Special Economic Zone authorities with researching long-term solutions such as seawater desalination plants, solar and wind power, and prioritizing investment in a new waste treatment plant as soon as possible. In particular, Con Dao will take the lead in transforming and developing green transportation, aiming for ecotourism and emission reduction, alongside focusing on the digital economy and circular economy…
With both immediate and long-term developments in social welfare policies and strategic investments, Con Dao is making the most fundamental and comprehensive preparations for a historic adjustment based on the 1-3-1 model, comprising: 1 space (overall Ho Chi Minh City) - 3 areas (the Ho Chi Minh City area, formerly the "financial and high-tech capital"; the Binh Duong area, formerly the "industrial capital," a center for high-tech manufacturing and industry; the Ba Ria - Vung Tau area, formerly the "maritime economic capital") - 1 special economic zone (Con Dao).
In the new format for Con Dao, the first priority must be to ensure a "conservation value chain," meaning development without encroaching on existing resources. The value of economic activities must be controlled and balanced with the conservation of biodiversity, natural resources, cultural heritage, and history of Con Dao itself. At the same time, it must be interconnected to facilitate the development of the special economic zone throughout the region, not only Ho Chi Minh City but also the entire Southeast region.
For example, maintaining Con Dao as a low-emission zone requires ensuring this advantage through four key projects: transportation, energy, marine economy, and tourism – which are also the four major emission groups that Con Dao must focus all its efforts on controlling, gradually moving towards net-zero carbon neutrality. Similarly, when connecting the mainland and the island is a significant obstacle, technology and high-speed internet connections will be the quickest and most timely solutions. Both "green" and "digital" are currently the optimal choices for the special economic zone.
This highlights the need for a commensurate "resource" in terms of mechanisms to preserve, exploit, and develop Con Dao's resources. This means leveraging and utilizing the advantages of special economic zone mechanisms in general (not only domestically) to create a sufficiently strong impetus. Due to its remote location from the mainland, investment and construction costs will be many times higher. Therefore, for key projects, allowing the designation of strategic investors with sufficient financial resources and experience is reasonable. Superior corporate income tax incentives are also a necessary tool to ensure the attractiveness and feasibility of large-scale infrastructure projects.
The demand for public investment capital for Con Dao over the next five years is enormous, estimated at around 16,000 billion VND, while local resources are limited. Therefore, allowing Ho Chi Minh City to retain 70% of the revenue exceeding the budget from shared revenue sources is a crucial mechanism, creating additional resources for infrastructure development, especially connectivity infrastructure. Alternatively, a separate mechanism for independent projects, such as compensation and resettlement for households moving out of Zone II of the Con Dao Prison historical site, or the proposal to build a public transport cable car connecting the airport to the city center to minimize the impact on the forest ecosystem of the National Park compared to expanding the existing road network, are all "challenges" that need to be addressed soon for Con Dao to take off.
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/dac-khu-con-dao-truc-cuoc-chuyen-minh-lich-su-post807368.html
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