Speaking at the working session, Chairman of the An Giang Provincial People’s Committee Ho Van Mung directed the Department of Finance to work with the consulting unit to review, discuss, and reach agreement on the special policies for the Phu Quoc Special Zone, striving to complete them before October 20 to ensure timely submission to competent authorities.

Regarding the overall development plan for Phu Quoc to 2040, with a vision to 2050, comrade Ho Van Mung emphasized that this is a very important task. He requested that the full contents of the plan be provided to the consulting unit currently working on the provincial planning for coordination and feedback. From now until the end of October, relevant units must promptly gather opinions, after which the Provincial People’s Committee will hold a meeting to hear the consulting unit’s report; it is expected that in the first week of November, the plan will be finalized and submitted to competent authorities for consideration.

The Chairman requested the consulting unit to coordinate with the Department of Finance to review and fully compile all feedback, especially opinions from central ministries and agencies, to complete the dossier for submission to the Prime Minister.

Comrade Ho Van Mung assigned the Department of Home Affairs to take the lead in developing a proposal on the organizational structure of the entire political system in the three special zones, not only the administrative apparatus. The Department of Home Affairs should proactively make recommendations and report to the competent authorities for consideration.

According to the An Giang Provincial People’s Committee, Phu Quoc’s economy has been steadily expanding. The average annual economic growth rate for the 2004–2024 period reached over 19%.

The per capita income in Phu Quoc in 2024 reached nearly USD 6,000 per person—1.5 times the national average—and higher than the average of Kien Giang province (before the merger). However, there remains an income gap between the central area and coastal island communes.

The economic structure has shifted in the right direction, with a rapid increase in the proportion of trade, services, industry, and construction, and a decline in agriculture. Particularly, the tourism and service sector in Phu Quoc currently accounts for about 70% of the island’s production value and provides jobs for approximately 70% of its population.

In tourism, from 2011 to 2023, Phu Quoc’s tourism revenue grew by an average of 20–30% per year. The number of visitors to Phu Quoc has continuously risen: in 2020, it reached more than 3.5 million; in 2022, 5.4 million (including 191,000 international visitors). In 2024, Phu Quoc achieved a breakthrough in tourism development, welcoming 5.969 million visitors (nearly 1 million international), including four international cruise ships carrying over 5,200 passengers. Total tourism revenue reached VND 21,170 billion, up 43.3%, exceeding the plan by 24.5%, and accounting for over 84% of the province’s total tourism revenue.

In 2023, the number of enterprises in Phu Quoc increased nearly 17-fold, and total registered capital increased almost 400-fold compared to 2004. In 2023, Phu Quoc had 3,085 active enterprises with total registered capital exceeding VND 142,000 billion, accounting for about 22% of the total enterprises in An Giang province.

Investment and development activities in Phu Quoc have achieved many positive results in recent years. Total social investment capital has risen sharply each year, significantly contributing to economic restructuring and infrastructure development. Specifically, total social investment capital in 2024 reached more than VND 22,496 billion—72.56 times higher than in 2004/.

Reported by Tay Ho

Translated by Kim Thuan