Thua Thien– Hue also aims to make Chan May – Lang Co a modern marine urban zone, anecotourism site and a hi-tech centre, creating impetus for the development ofthe central key economic region by 2020.
Lang Co, in Phu Loc district, lying between twomajor central cities, Hue and Da Nang, plans to explore its favourablegeographical location and beautiful scenery to become an attractive destinationon the Central Vietnam Heritage Road, which includes the world heritages of PhongNha Ke Bang National Park, Hue ancient city, Hoi An ancient town and My Sonsanctuary.
It is home to Chan May deep-water port, one of the gateways to the sea for theEast-West economic corridor.
Over the pastyears, investment capital has been poured into developing infrastructure in LangCo, including Chan May port, the Hai Van Pass and Lang Co bridge, laying afoundation for socio-economic development in the locality and enhancing tradein the region.
Effortshave been made to develop infrastructurein the Chan May-Lang Co economic zone in order to make it a large and modern internationaltrade hub in the central region, as well as a tourism centre of regional and internationalstature.
The province has also built a modern Chan Mayurban zone with Hue-styled architecture, linked with the urban chain from Hue –Chan May – Lang Co – Da Nang – Chu Lai – Dung Quat – Nhon Hoi – Van Phong, witha view to turning Lang Co into a magnet to investors at home and abroad.
Chan May port, with an upgraded wharf at 12.5metres deep can now accommodate 30,000 - 50.000 tonne vessels and cruise shipscarrying over 3,000 passengers. In 2016, it welcomed 60,000 internationaltourists to Hue. It is expected to handle between 4.8 – 5.4 million tonnes ofcargo by 2020, and 8.9 – 10.2 million tonnes by 2030.
Director of the Chan May Port JSC Huynh Van Toansaid the port is among 46 sea ports selected by the Asia Cruise Association as astop for pleasure boats in Southeast Asia. Located between the central citiesof Hue and Da Nang, and near numerous local tourism landscapes, it connects thecentral Vietnam with Laos, Thailand and Myanmar.
Over the past five years, Lang Co has witnessedfast economic and social development.
The Lang Co touristsite has seen an annual increaseof 25 percent and 20 percent in tourist number and revenue, respectively. Thisyear, Lang Co aims to draw 700,000 tourists and generate around 1 trillion VND(44 million USD) in revenue.
According to Director of the provincialDepartment of Culture and Sports Phan Tien Dung, besides offering discounts,coastal resorts should expand sea-based tourism products, such as meetings,incentives, conferences and exhibitions tourism.
The province will continue connecting withregional localities to tap the potential of the Central Vietnam Heritage Roadand tourism sites along the East – West economic corridor to promote Lang Cotourism.
The locality also encourages investment in developinginfrastructure in Lang Co in order to form a cultural and ecological tourism triangletogether with Bach Ma National Park and Chan May port.
The tourism sector aims to focus on humanresources training while expanding and improving tourism services to lure moretourists, Dung said.
Lang Co is situated 45km from Hue and 55km fromDa Nang. Endowedwith blue waters and white sandybeaches and vast forests atop mountains, the bay is a prime tourist destinationwith many hotels, motels, and resorts.
Lang Co is Vietnam's third bay to be admitted to the World-Bays after Ha Longand NhaTrang.-VNA