Decision No. 1197/QD-TTg on approving the overall planning for construction of Phu Quoc Island, Kien Giang Province until 2020

DECISION OF THE PRIME MINISTER

Regarding the approval of the overall urban planning for Phu Quoc Island,

Kien Giang Province until 2020

PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government dated December 25, 2001;

Pursuant to the Construction Law and Government Decree No. 08/2005/NĐ-CP dated January 24, 2005 on construction planning;

Pursuant to the conclusions of the Politburo in Central Committee Document No. 85/TB-TW dated October 30, 2002 on the orientation, tasks, and solutions for economic and social development in the Mekong Delta region during the period 2001-2010;

Considering the proposal of the Minister of Construction in Circular No. 36/TTr-BXD dated June 7, 2005 regarding the approval of the overall urban planning for Phu Quoc Island, Kien Giang Province until 2020,

DECISION:

Article 1. Approve the overall urban planning for Phu Quoc Island, Kien Giang Province until 2020 with the following main contents:

1. Scope of Planning: Phu Quoc Island includes Duong Dong Town, An Thoi Town, and seven communes: Cu Can, Gan Dau, Bai Thom, Ham Ninh, Cu Da, Duong To with a natural area of approximately 563.247 km² and Hon Thom Commune (including islands south of An Thoi).

2. Nature: Phu Quoc Island is a high-quality eco-tourism island center, sea center, trade and service center for the region, nationwide, regional, and international; it has an important position in terms of security and defense.

3. Population Scale:

- Forecast by 2010: the population of Phu Quoc Island will be about 110,000 to 120,000 people, including urban population of about 60,000 to 80,000 people; additionally, the converted population from tourists will be about 7,000 people (0.5 to 0.6 million visitors per year).

- Forecast by 2020: the population of Phu Quoc Island will be 200,000 to 230,000 people, including urban population of about 160,000 to 180,000 people; additionally, the converted population from tourists will be 30,000 to 40,000 people (2 to 3 million visitors per year).

4. Land Scale:

a) Land scale usage throughout the island until 2020:

- Forest land: about 37,000 hectares.

Where:

+ Special-use forest about 31,000 hectares.

+ Protective forest about 6,000 hectares.

- Agricultural land: about 4,600 hectares.

- Urban land: about 2,300 hectares.

- Rural residential land: about 600 hectares.

- Dedicated land: about 8,520 hectares.

Where:

+ Tourism construction land about 3,800 hectares.

+ Recreation and sports land about 1,020 hectares.

+ Industrial land about 100 hectares.

+ Technical infrastructure land about 3,600 hectares.

(including lake land about 1,500 hectares).

- Reserve land for development and national defense and security about 3,304 hectares.

Total: 56,324 hectares.

b) Urban construction land scale:

- Forecast by 2010:

+ Urban construction land about 1,100 to 1,200 hectares with a standard of 120 m²/person, including residential land 500 hectares with a standard of 75 m²/person.

+ Tourism construction land about 1,200 to 1,500 hectares, capable of receiving 0.5 to 0.6 million visitors per year.

- Forecast by 2020:

+ Urban construction land about 2,300 hectares with a standard of 135 m²/person, including residential land 1,680 hectares with a standard of 97 m²/person;

+ Tourism construction land about 3,800 hectares, capable of receiving 2 to 3 million visitors per year.

5. Orientation for spatial and landscape architectural development:

a) Direction for spatial development of the island:

- West direction: develop tourist areas connected with beaches, cities, new urban areas, and commercial and service centers.

- East direction: develop marine tourism spots, rural residential areas, and industrial clusters.

- North direction: ecological conservation area of national forests and developing some high-quality eco-beach tourism spots.

- South direction: develop urban areas and ports.

- Southern An Thoi Archipelago area: develop high-quality marine eco-tourism.

b) Functional zoning:

- Urban and residential areas:

+ Upgrade and renovate two existing towns of Duong Dong and An Thoi;

+ Renovate residential and central village areas at Ham Ninh, Cu Can, Gan Dau;

+ Form and develop new urban areas combined with tourism services at Suoi Lon and Duong Bao.

- Tourist and service development areas:

+ Develop commercial, service, tourism, entertainment centers in the Duong Dong - Duong To and Dat Do - An Thoi areas;

+ Develop beach tourism areas at Duong Dong Beach, Sao Beach, Kem Beach, Truong Beach, Dat Do Beach, Ba Keo - Cu La Beach, Vuong Beach, Cu Can Beach, Vuong Bua Beach, Dai Beach, Rach Tram Beach, Vem Beach, Ong Lang Beach, Thom Beach, and other small beaches...

+ Develop duty-free zones linked with airport and seaport projects.

- Conservation, restricted, and prohibited construction areas:

+ Protect and maintain national forests, protective forests, and mainly regenerating forests concentrated in the northern and southern parts of the island covering 65.7% of the island's area, tourism exploitation must comply with laws on protecting national forests such as mountain climbing, outdoor tours, etc.;

+ Prohibit and restrict construction within the safety buffer zones around airports, ports, and military facilities.

- Develop industrial clusters and traditional craft villages characteristic of the island in the Duong Dong and Dam Bay areas with a scale of 100 hectares.

- Recreational and sports areas:

+ Arrange four golf courses with a total area of 920 hectares in Cu Can area (150 hectares), Gan Dau area in Bai Dai (150 hectares), An Thoi area (from the north of Sao Beach road to Cai Lon River) (about 220 hectares), and Vuong Beach area (about 400 hectares);

+ Arrange kite flying and racing areas in An Thoi and Duong To areas with a scale of about 100 hectares;

+ Arrange water sports areas in Ham Ninh, eastern coastal areas, and Bai Truong in Cu Da. Organize diving tour areas at the southern An Thoi archipelago;

- Preserve cultural, historical, scenic spots that have been ranked such as Nguyen Trung Truc Temple, Coconut Tree Prison, Cau God House, Duong Dong Communal House, Su Mon Pagoda, and many other heritage sites.

c) Spatial development orientation for functional areas:

- Orientation for the development of urban systems and new urban areas:

Dương Dong Town is the administrative, service, commercial, industrial, and tourism center of Phu Quoc Island District, with a population size of approximately 35,000 to 40,000 people by 2010, and a construction land area of about 500 to 600 hectares, and by 2020, a population size of approximately 55,000 to 65,000 people, and a land area of about 700 to 800 hectares, including commercial streets, restaurants, services; residential areas, public service facilities, cultural and sports centers; ecological tourist areas; industrial clusters for processing and serving tourism; development of new urban areas.

An Thoi Town is the port, commercial service, security, and defense center, with a population size of approximately 25,000 to 28,000 people by 2010, and a land area of about 350 to 400 hectares; by 2020, a population size of approximately 40,000 to 45,000 people, and a land area of about 500 to 600 hectares, including commercial streets, port and tourism services; development of new urban areas; development of ports and port service facilities.

Cuu Can Urban Area is a tourism service, commercial, and seafood fishing urban area, with a population size of approximately 4,000 people by 2010, and a land area of about 60 hectares; by 2020, a population size of approximately 8,000 to 10,000 people, and a land area of about 110 to 120 hectares, including commercial areas, tourism services, new residential areas combined with green belts along Cuu Can Canal.

Ham Ninh Urban Area is a tourism service, commercial, and seafood fishing urban area, with a population size of approximately 5,000 people by 2010, and a land area of about 75 hectares; by 2020, a population size of approximately 10,000 to 12,000 people, and a land area of about 120 to 150 hectares, including commercial centers, tourism services; community service centers; fishing village residential areas and new residential areas.

Gan Dau Urban Area is a tourism service, commercial, and seafood fishing urban area, with a population size of approximately 3,000 people by 2010, and a land area of about 50 hectares; by 2020, a population size of approximately 5,000 people, and a land area of about 100 hectares, including administrative centers, public service facilities combined with tourist squares; concentrated residential areas including resettlement residents, and new residential area development; ecological tourist areas.

New Urban Area Duong Bao is a tourism service urban area, with a population size of approximately 4,000 people by 2010, and a land area of about 60 hectares; by 2020, a population size of approximately 12,000 people, and a land area of about 150 hectares, including residential areas, community service centers, and large parks within the urban area.

New Urban Area Suoi Lon is a tourism service urban area, with a population size of approximately 10,000 people by 2010, and a land area of about 120 hectares; by 2020, a population size of approximately 25,000 to 30,000 people, and a land area of about 400 hectares, including tourism service centers and large parks within the urban area.

Orientation for rural residential area development:

Improvement and upgrading of existing commune centers and commune clusters in Ham Ninh Commune, Duong To Commune, Cuu Da Commune, Cuu Can Commune, Gan Dau Commune, Bai Thom Commune, with the arrangement of rural residential areas and infrastructure services, with a total population size of approximately 40,000 to 50,000 people by 2020, and a land area of about 600 hectares.

Renovation and rearrangement of existing fishing villages according to centralized models, ensuring infrastructure, environmental sanitation, and connecting with service facilities, combining fishing activities with tourism services.

Orientation for the development of main tourist areas: the logistics route for tourism must be at least 800 to 1400 meters from the beach when passing through coastal tourist areas; for sections passing through conservation areas or where terrain conditions do not allow, the distance from the beach can be flexibly arranged according to terrain conditions, with the principle of maximizing land for tourism exploitation; for long beaches such as Bai Truong and Bai Dai..., arrange green space corridors with widths of 50 to 100 meters, each corridor spaced 500 to 800 meters apart, to create scenic views and serve as central squares for public tourism access to the sea.

Bai Truong Tourist Area is the main service, commercial, and tourism center of the island, planned to include financial, banking, trade, postal, entertainment, and hotel centers with a land area of approximately 1100 hectares (including development reserve land), connecting the two new urban areas of Duong Bao and Suoi Lon. In the central area, there is no height restriction on building construction, and landmark buildings are arranged, with a maximum construction density of about 50%.

Bai Sao Tourist Area: a high-quality eco-tourism service area combining some tourist attractions and community services with a scale of about 150 hectares.

Bai Kem Tourist Area: a high-quality eco-tourism service area combining some tourist attractions and community services with a scale of about 100 hectares.

Bai Dat Do Tourist Area: a mixed-use tourist area with a scale of about 120 hectares, including the construction of a cruise ship port.

Bai Ba Keo - Cua Lap Tourist Area: a high-quality eco-tourism area with an average width of about 300 meters and a length of about 4 kilometers, with a scale of about 135 hectares. No new coastal roads will be organized, maintaining large green spaces along streams, arranging squares for tourism and community services.

Bai Vuong Tourist Area: a mixed-use tourist area combining a cruise ship port and fishing harbor with a scale of about 300 hectares, arranging villa-style tourist areas with low construction density of 10 to 12%, and an average building height of 1 to 2 floors in areas under the airport's flight path clearance.

Bai Cua Can Tourist Area: a high-quality eco-tourism area with a golf course and marine tourism services, with a width of 1.3 to 1.4 kilometers and a length of about 3 kilometers, with a scale of about 250 hectares (including development reserve land), maintaining the natural landscape of Cua Can Channel, and arranging community tourism centers in the northern part of Cua Can.

Bai Vuong Tourist Area: a high-quality eco-tourism area with a width of about 400 meters and a length of nearly 4 kilometers, with a scale of about 200 hectares (including development reserve land).

Bai Ong Lang Tourist Area: a high-quality tourist area with a scale of about 200 hectares (including development reserve land).

+ Bãi Dài Tourist Area: is a high-quality ecotourism area with an international-standard golf course and tourism services, with a width of approximately 800 meters (the distance from the coastline to the rear service road around the island), a length of about 6 kilometers, and a scale of approximately 480 hectares (including development reserve land). The northwest and southeast parts of the beach are arranged for high-quality ecotourism areas, the golf course is located in the south, and the community tourism center combined with the square of the beach is located at the central position of the beach;

+ Rạch Vẹm Tourist Area: is a high-quality ecotourism area and a fishing village residential area of Rạch Vẹm hamlet, with a width of approximately 800 meters, a length of about 4 kilometers, and a scale of approximately 150 hectares (including development reserve land). Tourist areas are arranged in the area between Rạch Nhum and Rạch Cóc, the community tourism center is located at the center of the beach, and the fishing village residential area is concentrated around Rạch Vẹm in the southwest part of the beach; maintaining the natural ecosystem along both sides of the rach;

+ Rạch Tràm Tourist Area: is a high-quality ecotourism area and a fishing village residential area of Rạch Tràm hamlet, with a width of approximately 800 meters, a beach length of about 2.5 kilometers, and a scale of approximately 200 hectares (including development reserve land). Tourist areas are arranged in the northern part of the beach, the remaining area is reserved for future tourism development, and the fishing village residential area is located in the Vũng Trâu area adjacent to Rạch Tràm with a scale of approximately 60 hectares; the community tourism center is located in the middle of the beach;

+ Thơm Beach Tourist Area: is an ecotourism area and other tourism service activities, with a narrow width of approximately 200 meters and a length of about 2 kilometers, a scale of approximately 40-50 hectares (including development reserve land), and the tourist area is arranged in the area of Rạch Ông Hiền in the southeast part of Thơm Beach, while the fishing village residential area is arranged in the center of Thơm Beach commune combined with public service facilities;

+ Small beaches may develop medium and small-scale ecotourism clusters such as the small beach in An Thoi, An Yen Cape Beach, Xep Beach, from Mui Dat Do Cape to Mui Xep, from Mui Xep to Mui Tau Ru, Trai Rock Beach, from Mui Dat Troi to Mui Den Pach, Cai Da Beach (belonging to Duong To commune); Hang Ran Cape Beach, Cau Sao Beach, Bon Beach (belonging to Ham Ninh)... In addition, the beaches on the southern islands of An Thoi belonging to Hon Thom commune are mainly arranged for island sightseeing tours, diving, fishing, squid catching, etc.;

+ Mount Pagoda Peak, the highest point of Ha Minh Range, is arranged for scenic viewing points overlooking the entire island; combining ecotourism spots such as forest, river, and stream areas like Yang Dong River, Cu Can Rach, Vuong Bau Rach, Tram Rach, Cau Sau Rach, Tran Stream, Immortal Stream, Stone Table Stream, and diving and marine tourism areas in the northwest of the island;

d) Urban architecture and landscape orientation and island tourist area:

- Protecting coastal sand beaches and small islands connected to Phu Quoc Island to serve various types of marine tourism, strictly prohibiting the extraction of sand for other purposes;

- Protecting historical and scenic spots on the island;

- For construction projects in tourist areas, they must be at least 50 meters away from the coastline; high-rise buildings with large volumes should be arranged perpendicular to the beach and not parallel to the beach to avoid affecting the surrounding sea views;

- In service centers in urban and tourist areas in the southern part of the island, high-rise buildings can be arranged to create focal points for the island;

- The northern part of the island is environmentally sensitive, only arranging low-rise buildings up to three stories with a building density of less than 20% to protect the landscape and unique ecological environment of the area;

- Construction projects on the island must be compatible with the natural topography, minimizing land leveling and disruption of the landscape; architectural designs need to be suitable for the natural conditions and climate of the island region, having distinctive architectural characteristics, and also modern with world-class tourism standards;

đ) Environmental protection:

- Protecting national forests, protective forests, natural forests, and developing regenerating forests to ensure an area of approximately 37,000 hectares to serve ecotourism and maintain the diverse natural ecosystem of Phu Quoc Island;

- Protecting and utilizing Cua Can Lake, Yang Dong Lake, Rạch Cá Lake, and Suối Lớn Lake to ensure water resources on the island and sustainable development;

- Not investing in industries that cause pollution, encouraging investment in industries related to tourism products, relocating industrial clusters outside residential areas; gradually transitioning agricultural, forestry, and fisheries industries to service and tourism activities;

- Limiting the extraction of construction materials on the island. It is necessary to establish planning for material extraction sites to serve the development of the island;

- Renovating and expanding sand beaches for tourism;

6. Orientation for the development of technical infrastructure:

a) Transportation:

Developing a public transportation system, encouraging all economic sectors to invest in and operate public transportation, especially high-quality transportation, limiting the development of personal vehicles such as cars and motorcycles, etc.;

- Roadways:

+ Main North-South Road (An Thoi - Duong Dong - Suoi Cai - Bai Tho) with a length of 49 kilometers, a scale of four lanes, with median strips and sidewalks on both sides, a right-of-way of 47 meters and 30 meters, initially only investing in two lanes;

+ Ring Road around the island (An Thoi - Cu Lap - Duong Dong - Cu Can - Gan Dau - Bai Tho - Ham Ninh Bay - Bai Sao - An Thoi), for sections passing through urban and tourist areas in the west, the right-of-way is 42 meters (including a green belt of 10 meters on each side); for sections passing through nature reserves and small tourist areas, the right-of-way is 20 meters, these roads have the significance of serving tourism logistics;

+ Pedestrian paths between tourism logistics roads and beaches have a right-of-way of 15 to 20 meters;

+ Branch road system: including roads connecting to the main road, encircling the island to tourist areas, residential areas, services... with a scale of two lanes, totaling nearly 90 kilometers...

+ Urban roads and internal roads within tourist areas must ensure a right-of-way for at least two lanes, as detailed in the master plan, with attention to sidewalks that must be at least 5 meters wide in urban areas and 7 meters wide in tourist areas for planting greenery, pedestrian use, and technical corridors. For tourist areas: sidewalks on each side must be at least 7 meters wide to ensure planting greenery and pedestrian use;

+ Parking lots are planned in the central squares of urban areas and tourist zones. At tourist sites, land is allocated for concentrated parking lots;

- Waterways and seaports:

+ An Thoi Port: a combined port serving goods and passengers, with a capacity of 450,000 tons of goods and 360,000 passenger trips annually;

+ Duong Dong Port: a passenger port receiving part of the visitors arriving at Phu Quoc by sea;

+ Vinh Dam Port: a port with the function of providing shelter for ships during typhoons, as well as serving passengers and goods with a moderate scale;

+ Arrangement of wharves to welcome passengers at various points along the coast where cruise ships dock, including small-scale facilities in Duong Dong, Cuu Can, Bai Thom, Gan Dau, Ham Ninh, and Bai Vuong;

+ A port for international cruise ships in Dat Do Bay capable of accommodating vessels carrying up to 2,000 passengers. In the future, it may develop into a commercial and cargo port for the western coastal area;

- Air transport:

Initially, use the existing airport with a capacity of 300,000 passengers annually. Invest in building a new airport in Duong To with an area of approximately 800 hectares and a capacity of about 2.5 million passengers annually, expected to be operational after 2010;

b) Water supply:

- Standards:

+ Domestic: 110 - 120 liters/person/day-night in 2010 and 150 - 180 liters/person/day-night in 2020;

+ Industrial: 40 cubic meters/hectare; + Tourism: 250 - 300 liters/bed/day-night;

- Total demand: approximately 18,000 - 20,000 cubic meters/day-night in 2010 and approximately 45,000 - 50,000 cubic meters/day-night in 2020;

- Water sources:

On Phu Quoc Island, surface water is mainly used, with limited exploitation of groundwater. Arrange and implement projects to construct four reservoirs to store water for clean water needs on the island: Duong Dong Reservoir with a capacity of about 7 - 10 million cubic meters, Suoi Lon Reservoir with a capacity of about 1.5 million cubic meters, Rach Ca Reservoir with a capacity of about 1 million cubic meters, and Cuu Can Reservoir with a capacity of about 33 - 35 million cubic meters. After 2020, when there is a need for development, study bringing fresh water from the mainland to the island and reusing treated water to supplement the island's needs;

c) Electricity supply:

- Standards:

+ Residential: 1,500 kW/person/year;

+ Industrial: 250 kW/hectare;

+ Tourism: 2 - 3 kW/bed;

- Total electricity demand is estimated to be about 50 MW by 2010 and about 150 MW by 2020;

- Power sources:

In the initial phase, invest in constructing gas-fired thermal power plants and study plans to connect the national power grid from the mainland to the island via submarine cables. Encourage investment in various forms of power generation using solar energy, wind energy, etc., to protect the ecological environment;

d) Wastewater discharge and environmental sanitation:

- Total wastewater flow: 40,000 cubic meters/day-night;

- In the early stage, install decentralized wastewater treatment plants in urban areas and tourist zones to meet standards before discharging into the sea, rivers, streams, or lakes. After 2010, build a main sewer system and centralized wastewater treatment plant, planned to be located in the southern part of the island;

- Waste: total waste volume is about 200 - 220 tons/day. Construct centralized waste treatment facilities in Cuu Can and Ham Ninh, each with an area of about 25 hectares;

- Cemeteries: two centralized cemeteries in the northern part at Cuu Duong with an area of 10 hectares and in the southern part at Suoi May - Duong To with an area of 25 hectares. Aim to build crematoriums to conserve land and ensure environmental hygiene;

7. Initial construction planning for the next 5 to 10 years and priority investment programs/projects for the next 5 years:

a) Implement and review the general planning of Duong Dong Town, An Thoi Town, and the Baitrang - Duong To tourist areas; detailed planning for other functional zones;

b) Develop and implement proposals for protecting natural resources, tourism resources, and the environment, and planning areas for extracting construction materials to stabilize the ecological environment and sustainable island development;

c) Investment in developing key socio-economic infrastructure including:

- Construction of the main road axis of the island from An Thoi - Duong Dong - Bai Thom junction - Gan Dau;

- Construction of a ring road around the island: from Duong Dong - Cuu Can - Gan Dau - Bai Thom - Ham Ninh - Vinh Dam - An Thoi - Duong Dong;

- Upgrading existing branch roads;

- Completing An Thoi and Duong Dong ports, investing in Vinh Dam Port with a capacity for two berths for coastal ships and high-speed boats. Study investment in building a passenger port for international ships in Dat Do Bay, improving and upgrading the river channel in Duong Dong, and renovating fishing harbors in Ham Ninh, Cuu Can, Bai Thom, and Gan Dau;

- Upgrading urban roads in Duong Dong and An Thoi; planting trees and managing sidewalks to ensure convenient travel for residents and tourists, maintaining environmental hygiene and urban aesthetics;

- Investing in building a new airport in Duong To;

- Building a Duong Dong waterworks with a capacity of 10,000 cubic meters/day-night; preparing to build Suoi Lon Reservoir to meet the development needs of the southern part of the island and studying solutions to build Cuu Can Reservoir to meet the needs of domestic and tourism water supply on the island;

- Expanding the power plant in Duong Dong; studying solutions to bring the power grid from the mainland to the island;

- Investing in social infrastructure projects, particularly prioritizing the construction of a high-quality hospital, kindergartens, schools, etc.;

Article 2. The People's Committee of Kien Giang Province is responsible for:

1. Organizing the announcement of the General Planning for Construction of Phu Quoc Island until 2020 so that organizations and individuals are aware and comply with it; organizing its implementation according to current laws;

2. Issuing regulations on construction management according to the General Planning for Construction of Phu Quoc Island;

3. Guiding the organization of detailed planning and investment project approval according to current laws.

4. Closely manage the construction land fund, have plans for using the land fund in accordance with the capital sources and capabilities of the project investors, prevent situations of holding onto land and misusing it for purposes other than intended, ensuring the effective exploitation of the land fund on the Island.

Article 3. This Decision shall take effect fifteen days after its publication in the Official Gazette. The Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, Heads of government-affiliated agencies, Chairman of the People's Committee of Kiên Giang Province, and relevant organizations and individuals shall be responsible for implementing this Decision.