Dat Do - a strategic destination in the heart of regional connectivity

If the Southeast region is considered the economic “locomotive” of the whole country, then Dat Do - a coastal commune of Ho Chi Minh City is asserting its role as a “golden link” in the chain of infrastructure connection and regional development. Located in a central intersection, Dat Do is only 15 minutes from Ho Tram, 40 minutes from Long Thanh International Airport and more than 60 minutes from Ho Chi Minh City.

From that advantage, Dat Do is entering a period of strong breakthrough when continuously receiving billion-dollar infrastructure projects - strategic "leverages" to expand development space and reshape the economic landscape of the Southern coastal region.

Billion-dollar infrastructure - leverage for breakthrough

First of all, Long Thanh International Airport - a national key project with a total investment of more than VND336,630 billion (about USD16 billion) is being accelerated. According to the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), more than 14,000 engineers, workers and 3,000 pieces of equipment are working in "3 shifts, 4 crews" to make it ready for the first technical flight in December 2025 and commercial operation in the first half of 2026.

A corner of Dat Do commune seen from above. (Photo: Vu Tan)

When completed, Long Thanh airport will have a phase 1 capacity of 25 million passengers/year, equivalent to 1/3 of Tan Son Nhat's capacity, becoming the new "commercial heart" of the Southeast. Dat Do and satellite cities such as Ba Ria and Phu My will be the areas that directly benefit from the influx of visitors, goods and investment.

In addition, the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway, 53.7 km long with a total investment of 17,837 billion VND, is being accelerated. The 19.5 km section through Ba Ria - Vung Tau has been technically opened to traffic since April 2025, helping to significantly shorten the travel time and transport of goods from Phu My - My Xuan industrial parks to Cai Mep - Thi Vai port.

The Government is requesting the completion of the remaining two sections through Dong Nai in 2025, in sync with the time Long Thanh airport is put into operation. When this expressway is open, the distance from Ho Chi Minh City to Dat Do will only take about 1 hour, opening up a seamless journey between the economic center - airport - seaport - coastal tourism .

Not only that, the Long Thanh - Ho Tram Expressway (42 km, total investment capital of more than 20,000 billion VND) is being completed by Ho Chi Minh City and localities, expected to start construction in the first quarter of 2026. This route helps form a new connecting axis between the Long Thanh international airport area and the Ho Tram - Long Hai - Dat Do tourist center, creating a driving force for outstanding growth in tourism and resort real estate.

In parallel, the nearly 65 km long Vung Tau - Long Hai - Loc An - Binh Chau coastal route is also being invested in, upgraded to a scale of 6 lanes, with a total investment of about 7,000 billion VND in the 2024-2030 period, aiming to become "the most beautiful coastal route in the South".

These projects are restructuring the development space of the entire region, putting Dat Do in the "connecting center" position between the growth triangle of Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh.

Dat Do - land of green tourism and high-class resorts

Dat Do is not only known for its infrastructure advantages, but also possesses pristine natural beauty and a mild climate all year round. With a coastline of more than 10 km, this place converges beautiful beaches such as Loc An, Phuoc Hai, Long My - considered one of the cleanest and most peaceful beaches in Ba Ria - Vung Tau province.

The number of domestic tourists to Dat Do is increasing rapidly thanks to the rapidly developing home resort, farmstay and community tourism models.

In 2024, the entire Ba Ria - Vung Tau province (old) will welcome more than 15.2 million visitors, of which more than 40% will choose coastal destinations Dat Do, Ho Tram and Long Hai. Tourism revenue will reach 15,000 billion VND, up nearly 20% over the previous year. In particular, the number of domestic visitors to Dat Do is increasing sharply thanks to the rapidly developing home resort, farmstay and community tourism models.

Besides the advantage of the sea, Dat Do also has a mangrove ecosystem, natural lakes and rich mineral resources, an ideal foundation for developing eco-tourism, hot mineral resorts and experiential tourism.

Currently, Dat Do has more than 40 tourist accommodation establishments with nearly 1,200 rooms, along with dozens of homestays and private resorts being invested in and expanded. Major projects such as Loc An - Ho Tram Tourist Area, Paradise Long Hai Resort, Phuoc Hai Coastal Urban Area... are being accelerated, contributing to shaping a new face for the coastal area of Dat Do.

Marine economic development and sustainable investment

Dat Do has a natural area of over 18,900 hectares, a population of nearly 80,000 people, of which more than 60% of the workforce works in the service - tourism and seafood exploitation sectors. Each year, the output of seafood exploitation reaches about 32,000 tons, with an export value of over 150 million USD.

According to the development plan for the period 2025 - 2030, Dat Do district sets a target of an average economic growth rate of 10-11%/year, in which services - tourism account for 50% of the economic structure, agriculture - forestry - fishery accounts for 25%, the rest is industry and construction.

The district is also implementing 10 key technical infrastructure projects with a total investment of more than VND5,000 billion, including upgrading Road 44B, Phuoc Hai - Loc An coastal road, and the drainage system - urban embellishment of Dat Do. Along with that, the local government is promoting digital transformation in urban management, encouraging the development of clean agriculture, circular economy and renewable energy projects such as coastal wind power and rooftop solar power.

Thanks to its strategic location, complete infrastructure and open-door policy, Dat Do is becoming a "golden destination" for investors. In the period of 2023 - 2025, the locality has attracted more than 40 investment projects with a total registered capital of nearly 30,000 billion VND, including many large-scale resort tourism projects from corporations such as Hung Thinh, Novaland, FLC, Danh Khoi, DIC Group...

Thanks to clear orientation, Dat Do is gradually transforming strongly, both promoting local identity values and integrating into the general development flow of the region.

Hoang Tho

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/dat-do-diem-den-chien-luoc-giua-tam-mach-ket-noi-vung-ar985452.html