Ninh Thuan will develop and form a range of coastal urban areas. (Photo: plo.vn)

In 1992 the transportation system in Ninh Thuan province included less than 500km of mostly old, narrow, and degraded roads.

Thanks to adopting mechanisms and policies on mobilizing resources for transportation development, Ninh Thuan now has a transportation network with a total length of 1,500 km, of which 174 km are national highways passing through the province and 324 km are provincial roads.

The 106-kilometer coastal road linking Binh Tien in Thuan Bac district to Ca Na in Thuan Nam district transformed Ninh Thuan. Completed in 2015, the road connects key economic areas, enabling better use of the local advantages of sea and coast, especially the potential of renewable energy and tourism.

Under its plan until 2030, with a vision to 2050, Ninh Thuan will develop 6 coastal urban areas in Vinh Hy, Thanh Hai, Khanh Hai, Phan Rang Thap Cham, Son Hai, and Ca Na.

Nguyen Nhu Nguyen, Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Construction, said that to achieve this goal, the construction sector has consulted with the provincial People’s Committee to adjust the provincial urban development program between 2021 and 2025, with a vision to 2030.

“We have also advised the provincial People's Committee and People's Council to promulgate a resolution on the province’s development plan until 2025, with a vision to 2030,” said Nguyen.

By 2030 Ninh Thuan aims to complete essential socio-economic infrastructure in a comprehensive, modern, and interconnected direction and promote its potential and advantages in seaports, transportation infrastructure, urban irrigation, and industrial clusters.

Ninh Thuan is building the Ca Na seaport complex, covering 108 hectares in Phước Diêm commune with a total investment of nearly 274 million USD. This will be a deep-water port with very favourable terrain, a transhipment point for the entire southcentral coastal region and the Central Highlands.

Ninh Thuan has approved a plan to build a road connecting the deep-water Ca Na seaport to the Central Highlands and is implementing the North-South Highway project.

The Prime Minister recently approved a master plan on national airport development until 2030, with a vision to 2050, which includes Thành Sơn airport in Ninh Thuan province.

Nguyen Van Vinh, Director of the provincial Department of Transport, said the decision will give Ninh Thuan five modes of transport – road, railway, seaport, inland waterway, and airway which will drive local socio-economic development and strengthen national defense and security.

“The Prime Minister’s decision to add Thanh Son airport to the planning will boost Ninh Thuan’s socio-economic development, especially in tourism, and open a new development direction for the locality,” said Vinh, adding, “The provincial administration has added Thanh Son airport into the national master plan to give the locality another mode of transport.”

Trung Nam wind and solar power complex in Bac Phong commune, Thuan Bac district, Ninh Thuan province. (Photo: qdnd.vn)

Ninh Thuan is calling for investment in electricity transmission, safe energy, and renewable energy for economic development.

It has approved investment plans and investment registration certificates for 63 energy projects worth more than 4.5 billion USD.

By the end of June, Ninh Thuan has had 54 projects connected to the national power grid, supplying a total of 3,400 MW. Four other projects are under construction, and 4 projects are completing legal procedures to start construction. These works will make Ninh Thuan a renewable energy center of Vietnam.

Nguyen Tam Tien, Director General of the Trung Nam Group, which is building a 500kv-transformer station and a 450-Megawatt solar power plant in Phuoc Minh commune, Thuan Nam district, said that the provincial People's Committee is always ready to work with businesses to address issues relating to mechanisms and policies.

Tien took the Government’s resolution 115, which was introduced to attract private investors in renewable energy as an example.

“The provincial People's Committee has also worked with investors, the National Assembly, the Government, ministries, and functional agencies to assign a private investor to build a 500kv transmission line and a transformer in Ninh Thuan,” according to Tien.

With increasing investment in local transportation infrastructure, Ninh Thuan is expected to become a logistics center for industry, minerals, and energy in the South, and leverage its advantages for strong growth in the near future.