Expectations for Van Don economic zone

July 1, 2025. With its strategic geographical location and strong infrastructure investment, this place is expected to create a breakthrough growth momentum, bringing this area to international level and becoming a model for Vietnam's marine economic development.

Perspective of Van Don Casino planning area.

Van Don is located on a bustling international shipping route. From Van Hoa port or the northern seaport of Cai Bau island, tourists and goods can easily access major ports in the region: Hainan (China) only about 200 nautical miles, Hong Kong 580 nautical miles and Singapore 1,300 nautical miles. These are ideal distances for travel agencies to exploit international sea tours .

By air, with Van Don International Airport, this area is only 1-2 hours flight from major economic, financial and tourist centers of China and the capitals of Southeast Asian countries. Further, it takes only 3-4 hours flight to reach Beijing (China), Seoul (Korea), Tokyo (Japan) or Dubai (UAE), making Van Don a multi-dimensional, transcontinental connection point...

The aspiration to build a fast-growing, sustainable special economic zone with high-level production, high-end service system, streamlined management apparatus and increasingly better social security has been nurtured by Quang Ninh province for more than a decade. From the idea of a General Economic Zone in 2006, then a Special Economic Zone, and now officially a special economic zone, Quang Ninh has continuously organized specialized seminars, gathering many scientists, economic experts, politicians and businessmen at home and abroad to shape the optimal development roadmap for Van Don.

To seize this opportunity, Quang Ninh has devoted huge resources to investing in Van Don. Typically, the 176km long provincial highway, with a total investment of nearly 40,000 billion VND, chose Van Don as the vital connection point. In particular, Van Don International Airport - the province's first sky door connecting directly to the world, has also been invested in and built here. These key infrastructures have created a great driving force, helping Van Don welcome a strong wave of investment with more than 60 off-budget projects, with a total registered capital of about 63,000 billion VND. Among them, many high-end resort projects, large-scale urban complexes, and tourism services have been and are being formed, such as: Sonasea Van Don Harbor City resort complex, Van Hai high-end eco-tourism area, Crystal Holidays Harbor Van Don tourism, resort and entertainment complex. These projects not only bring a new, more beautiful, modern and synchronous look to Van Don but also consolidate the advantages to make this place become the most developed economic zone in the Northern region.

When Van Don officially becomes a special economic zone under the province from July 1, 2025, this area is expected to strongly attract investment capital, especially foreign direct investment (FDI), becoming an important growth driver for Quang Ninh. In addition, piloting specific policies in Van Don can create breakthrough mechanisms and policies, not only for Quang Ninh but also paving the way for new development models across the country.

Accordingly, Van Don is planned to become a multi-sector marine economic center, with a harmonious combination of many key fields. This is not only a place for effective seafood exploitation and processing but also an ideal destination for green industries related to the sea, aiming for sustainable development and maximizing natural advantages.

Sonasea Van Don Harbor City resort complex.

A special highlight in Van Don's development orientation is the convergence of the entertainment industry and casinos. Allowing a pilot casino business model along with international-class entertainment complexes is expected to attract a large number of tourists and potential investors, creating huge revenue and promoting the accompanying service industries.

With the beautiful natural landscape of Bai Tu Long Bay, Van Don is shaping up to become a high-end tourist center. Luxury hotel and resort projects, international standard golf courses and diverse, high-quality tourism services are gradually being completed, promising to bring high-class experiences to domestic and foreign tourists. The development of integrated resorts will elevate Van Don to become a leading island resort destination in the region.

One of the important factors that created a "boost" for Van Don is its role as an international trade gateway. With the ownership of Van Don International Airport - the first private airport in Vietnam - along with a deep-water seaport system and a modern highway network (such as the Ha Long - Van Don - Mong Cai highway), Van Don has full potential to become an important logistics center. This will strongly promote import and export activities, connecting goods and services from Vietnam to the world and vice versa, creating favorable conditions for cross-border trade activities.

It can be seen that the optimism about the future of Van Don is completely grounded. The strategic geographical location, located in the growth triangle of Hanoi - Hai Phong - Quang Ninh, along with a modern and well-invested transport infrastructure system, are solid premises. Moreover, the determination and breakthrough policies of the Quang Ninh provincial government in administrative restructuring, perfecting planning and attracting large investors are key factors. Many leading corporations have recognized the potential and invested in large-scale projects here, demonstrating the attractiveness of Van Don. However, for these expectations to become reality, Van Don needs to continue to improve the legal framework and reform administration more strongly to create an open, transparent and stable business environment.

With the right orientation and investment, Van Don Special Economic Zone is expected to not only be a new growth driver for Quang Ninh but also a model for developing Vietnam's world-class marine economy and tourism in the near future.

Hoai Anh

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/ky-vong-dac-khu-kinh-te-van-don-3365705.html