Vinh Thuc: Developing a sustainable, multi-purpose marine economy.

Located in the northeastern sea region of Vietnam, Vinh Thuc commune, an island commune, holds a particularly strategic position in terms of national defense and security, and possesses numerous advantages for developing the marine economy. Operating under a two-tiered local government system, Vinh Thuc is entering a new phase of development with the goal of: developing a sustainable, multi-purpose marine economy, linking the advantages of tourism, fisheries, and marine services with environmental conservation and improving the lives of its people.

The Vinh Thuc lighthouse is not only an important "eye" watching over the sea but also a cultural highlight and a must-see check-in point for tourists visiting Vinh Thuc.

Vinh Thuc boasts a natural area of ​​over 49km² and a population of nearly 5,300 people. It is characterized by its expansive seascape, mild climate, and long coastline with many beautiful beaches, fine white sand, and clear blue water. The landscape retains its natural charm, is not noisy, and is not overcrowded with services, making it suitable for experiential tourism and eco-tourism.

With these advantages, tourism has been identified as the key economic sector of the commune. The crescent-shaped beaches, vast pine forests, and the Vinh Thuc Lighthouse – a unique viewpoint with a wide vista – are becoming major attractions for tourists. Many community-based tourism models, homestays, seafood fishing experiences, camping, and trekking are being initially implemented by locals and businesses, opening up new livelihood opportunities for the community.

From being just a potential area, tourism has gradually played a crucial role in the restructuring of the economy, forming services such as accommodation, food , and transportation, creating more jobs and income for the people.

Since the beginning of the year, the seafood production in Vinh Thuc commune has reached over 1,500 tons.

Furthermore, the fisheries economy is a traditional source of livelihood for the island's inhabitants. The sea around Vinh Thuc has many valuable seafood species such as crabs, sea worms, squid, mackerel, and scad, which are popular in the market. Besides natural exploitation, the commune is gradually orienting its development towards sustainable marine aquaculture, prioritizing cage farming and the cultivation of specialty species while protecting marine resources.

In particular, Vinh Thuc has a significant advantage in terms of seaports and fisheries logistics services. The implementation of the D1 sub-area planning under the General Planning for the Mong Cai Border Gate Economic Zone has created an important foundation for attracting investment in logistics, maritime trade services, port and terminal systems, cold storage, and cargo handling.

Van Gia Port contributes to promoting the socio-economic development of Vinh Thuc commune.

Along with the sea, the forest is a valuable asset of Vinh Thuc. The locality has over 2,700 hectares of forest, of which nearly 1,300 hectares are coastal protection forests. The forest cover rate reaches about 55%, helping to protect the environment, prevent erosion, and create ecological landscapes for tourism.

The commune has allocated land and production forests to 79 households, covering an area of ​​nearly 180 hectares, creating conditions for people to participate in managing, protecting, and developing a sustainable forest-based economy. Sustainable forestry development not only brings economic value but is also a key requirement for ecosystem conservation and attracting tourism in the future.

According to a report from the People's Committee of Vinh Thuc commune, the socio-economic situation of the commune has continued to show significant improvements since the beginning of the year. Agricultural, forestry, and fisheries production continues to develop steadily: the cultivated area reached over 417 hectares; the aquatic product output reached over 1,500 tons, creating stable income for many households.

Accommodation facilities serving tourists on Vinh Thuc island commune.

Trade and service activities experienced positive growth; budget revenue in the area met the set targets. Tourism recovered strongly, with the number of visitors to the island estimated at over 15,000; contributing to stimulating demand for services, consuming local products, and creating more seasonal jobs for the people.

The commune is implementing the "Green Island - No Plastic Waste" model, maintaining environmental sanitation campaigns, collecting waste, cleaning the coastline, and building a civilized lifestyle for tourism. Three temporary waste collection points have been put into use; the locality is promoting the construction of a small-scale incinerator to reduce the cost of transporting waste to the mainland.

The Party Committee of Vinh Thuc commune has set the goal for the 2025-2030 period to shift the economic structure towards services and tourism accounting for approximately 60%, and agriculture, forestry, and fisheries accounting for 40%. The locality strives to achieve advanced new rural standards by 2026 and model new rural standards before 2030; average per capita income reaching 180-200 million VND/year; and no more poor households or households falling back into poverty according to national criteria.

To achieve its goals, the commune focuses on attracting investment in ecotourism and community-based tourism; developing distinctive tourism products associated with the culture of fishermen; and improving transportation infrastructure and marine services. Simultaneously, the locality strengthens land and resource management, decisively addressing cases of encroachment on tidal flats and water surfaces for illegal aquaculture; and expediting the issuance of land use rights certificates for production purposes to stabilize livelihoods.

The "Green Island - Plastic-Free" model continues to be maintained as one of the key solutions. Organizations and associations actively encourage people to reduce the use of single-use plastics and protect the marine environment for sustainable development.

Residents of Vinh Thuc commune collect waste on the beach.

Mr. Tran Ngoc Trung, Chairman of the People's Committee of Vinh Thuc commune, said: "We are focusing on comprehensively reviewing the potential, finalizing the planning, attracting high-quality tourism and marine service projects, focusing on developing fisheries and seaports... in order to bring Vinh Thuc to rapid and sustainable development, improve the lives of the people while maintaining national defense and security."

Vinh Thuc is undergoing a strong transformation in socio-economic development. Infrastructure is gradually being invested in, tourism is flourishing, agricultural, forestry, and fisheries production is stable, and the environment is being preserved. With the determination of the government and the consensus of the people, Vinh Thuc is gradually building the image of a prosperous, beautiful, and civilized island commune with the goal of sustainable, multi-purpose marine economic development.

Huu Viet

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/vinh-thuc-phat-trien-kinh-te-bien-bien-ben-vung-da-muc-tieu-3384116.html