Fishing vessels anchored at Phu Quy port.
About 100 km from the mainland, Phu Quy Island is “transforming” to develop its marine economy and ensure national defense. Due to rapid development, the island faces many difficulties and challenges regarding essential infrastructure such as electricity, water, transportation, and environment. Phu Quy needs special policies to develop infrastructure in order to become an offshore marine economic center and a stronghold ensuring national defense.
Spectacular breakthrough
From a pristine island, thanks to modern transportation, Phu Quy has transformed into a “green pearl” with great potential. Since 2018, the operation of high-speed ferries has shortened travel time from the mainland to the island from six hours to only about three hours, thereby boosting rapid tourism growth with various forms such as marine tourism, water sports, and entertainment.
On average, about 1,000 visitors come to the island every day. In 2023, Phu Quy welcomed over 165,000 visitors. In 2024, the number reached over 400,000. Along with that, many people from other localities have come to invest in tourism services. In 2019, the island had only nine homestays, but now it has 60 hotels, 100 homestays, and guesthouses with a total capacity of about 1,000 rooms.
Phu Quy has about 1,730 fishing vessels with 7,540 workers, of which 594 have a capacity of over 90HP, qualified for offshore fishing. The island has 72 aquaculture facilities raising high-value species such as grouper, cobia, and lobster, with an average output of nearly 100 tons/year, becoming an interesting attraction for tourists. As a result, the islanders’ livelihoods have significantly improved; there are now only 21 poor households, equivalent to 0.31% of the population.
On average, about 1,000 visitors come to the island every day. In 2023, Phu Quy welcomed over 165,000 visitors. In 2024, the number reached over 400,000. Along with that, many people from other localities have come to invest in tourism services. In 2019, the island had only nine homestays, but now it has 60 hotels, 100 homestays, and guesthouses with a total capacity of about 1,000 rooms.
Currently, Phu Quy has seven facilities supplying domestic water, including two water plants with an extraction capacity of about 1,200 m³/day and five wells extracting from 60–180 m³/day.
The island has a diesel power plant with a capacity of 10 MW; a wind power plant with a capacity of 6 MW; and a solar power system with a capacity of 732 kWp/683 kWac. To meet consumption needs, residents have to install additional solar power systems. At present, the electricity sector is implementing the project to increase the capacity of the Phu Quy Power Plant by 2,200 kW, expected to be operational by the end of 2025.
The locality is building a synchronized fisheries logistics infrastructure, associated with ensuring defense and security, to gradually develop Phu Quy into a central hub for fishing and fisheries logistics services in the region. Fisheries logistics services include one ship repair facility; four offshore fuel supply facilities. The dual-use port has a capacity of under 1,000 tons and can accommodate 150 fishing vessels.
The Phu Quy Island storm shelter for fishing vessels (phase 1) has been put into operation, accommodating 500 vessels/600 HP. Phase 2, expected to be inaugurated in September, includes: a breakwater, berths, mooring buoys, and channel marker buoys… with a designed capacity of 1,000 vessels/600 HP.
However, infrastructure has not yet met tourism development needs. Le Hong Loi, Chairman of the Phu Quy Special Administrative Committee, shared that transportation is showing signs of deterioration, and domestic water and electricity are insufficient for tourists. Wastewater seeps into the ground and shows signs of pollution. In recent years, drilled wells have shown signs of saltwater intrusion, so they cannot be exploited to full capacity. The island will build three freshwater reservoirs with a total capacity of 125,000 m³. From these reservoirs, additional stormwater drainage pipelines to the sea will be constructed. The project has been included in the province’s medium-term public investment plan for 2026–2030.
Both development and national defense
In 2024, the Prime Minister approved the plan to build Phu Quy Island into a center for fishing, fisheries logistics services, and maritime search and rescue.
Nguyen Van Chien, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, said that the storm shelter will promote offshore fishing, preservation, preliminary processing of products, and fisheries logistics services; fisheries trade of the region and the country; a center for rescue, emergency handling, and maritime incident response, thereby improving fishermen’s incomes and living standards, associated with ensuring defense and security in the nation’s seas and islands.
In addition, the port ensures the capacity for gathering, loading, sorting, and transshipment of about 25,000 tons/year, minimizing post-harvest losses, meeting food safety and hygiene standards, and increasing the value of exploited seafood.
According to Mr. Chien, the fishing port can directly export seafood to other countries at sea. Businesses can select suitable seafood for preliminary processing and processing but need clean water in large volumes and wastewater treatment facilities. Therefore, the State needs to invest in freshwater reservoirs or apply seawater desalination technology. The storm shelter will also become a tourist attraction for visitors to see the fishing port, fishing vessels, and seafood harvesting activities.
To develop the marine economy, Mr. Le Hong Loi said that the province needs to prioritize policies to attract investment in large-scale, high-quality tourism infrastructure, develop eco-tourism, resort tourism, and island exploration. The province needs to invest in waste collection and treatment systems, upgrade telecommunications infrastructure to serve comprehensive digital transformation. Along with that, the special zone should research building a smart governance model; smart renewable energy integrated with storage batteries; and encourage creative startups.
The island is currently being surveyed by the electricity sector for connecting the national grid from the mainland to the island, expected to be completed by 2030. If there is sufficient electricity, water, and infrastructure, Phu Quy will become an offshore marine economic center.
Phu Quy has an important strategic role in politics, defense, and security. Y Thanh Ha Nie Kdam, Secretary of the Lam Dong Provincial Party Committee, said that the province will focus on investing in infrastructure systems to create a foundation for development.
The province is determined to build Phu Quy into a strongly developed area, closely combining economic development with defense assurance, serving as a strong rear base for the Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago.
The island needs to develop marine economic sectors, especially seafood exploitation and processing, trade, and fisheries logistics services for the region and aiming towards Southeast Asia.
In addition, the special zone will develop maritime transport services, associated with environmental protection and sustainable tourism. Phu Quy focuses on developing new sectors such as science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, and high-quality human resources, keeping up with new development trends in island and marine areas.