At the recent 20th session of the Binh Dinh Provincial People’s Council for the 2021-2026 term, Mr. Le Minh Tuan, Director of the Binh Dinh Department of Home Affairs, presented a report on the proposal to establish wards within An Nhon Town and upgrade it to An Nhon City.

According to Mr. Tuan, the proposal for establishing wards and An Nhon City has met the requirements set by Resolution No. 1211 of the 13th Standing Committee of the National Assembly and Resolution No. 50 of the 15th Standing Committee of the National Assembly.

The process of preparing the proposal for An Nhon Town ensured compliance with the proper procedures and received high approval ratings from voters and People’s Council deputies, with support for the establishment of wards ranging from 97.99% to over 100% and for the establishment of An Nhon City reaching 99.16%.

Currently, the communes of Nhon Phuc, Nhon Loc, Nhon Tho, Nhon Phong, Nhon Hau, and Nhon An have met the criteria for becoming wards as per the regulations. An Nhon Town has also fulfilled all five required standards and has sufficient points to be upgraded to a city.

The establishment of An Nhon City will be based on the current area of 244.49 square kilometers, a population of 208,396 people, and 15 administrative units directly under the jurisdiction of An Nhon Town. Following the upgrade, An Nhon City will comprise 11 wards and four communes.

According to the Director of the Binh Dinh Department of Home Affairs, the formation of wards and the upgrade to An Nhon City will boost comprehensive socio-economic development, accelerate industrialization and urbanization, transform the economic and labor structure, create numerous advantages in terms of employment, attract high-quality labor, and facilitate the development of modern and synchronized urban technical infrastructure.

An Nhon Town serves as a bridge to expand cooperation and connect the economic and urban development space between Quy Nhon City and its vicinity with the economic corridor along National Highway 19 and the key industrial area south of National Highway 19. It also provides room for the expansion of industries and services within the An Nhon – Quy Nhon – Nhon Hoi development triangle.

An Nhon is just about 10km away from Phu Cat Airport

Additionally, the Chairman of the Binh Dinh People’s Committee has approved adjustments to the urban development program for An Nhon Town until 2045. Accordingly, An Nhon is expected to be recognized as a city directly under the province in 2025. By 2025, the urban area is projected to have 11 administrative units meeting the ward standards and four communes. In the 2026-2030 period, an additional ward is planned to be established.

By 2030, the total urban population is expected to reach 220,000, with 183,700 people in the inner city and 36,300 in the outer city.

To support the development of An Nhon, Binh Dinh plans to invest significantly in infrastructure, transportation, and urban renovation until 2035. The investment funds will come from both the state budget and non-state budget sources.

The projected expenditure for constructing the technical infrastructure framework (including transportation routes and water supply and drainage systems) exceeds VND 3,100 billion. The cost of renovating and upgrading the existing inner-city area and developing residential areas is estimated to be over VND 2,000 billion. The budget for social infrastructure projects (markets, sports facilities, commercial centers, parks, etc.) is more than VND 1,000 billion.

In 2025, it is expected that 18 projects and items related to urban renovation and technical infrastructure will be implemented, with an investment of over VND 500 billion. The two projects with the highest investment are the An Nhon Central Sports and Physical Training Area combined with a square (VND 170 billion) and the North-South road connecting National Highway 19 to the Becamex VSIP Binh Dinh industrial-urban-service complex and Quy Nhon Port (VND 140 billion).

An Nhon Town is located about 20km northwest of Quy Nhon City and was established in 2011. It is currently a third-tier urban area with five wards and ten communes. In late 2022, Binh Dinh Province proposed upgrading An Nhon to a city by 2025.

The center of An Nhon Town is approximately 10km away from the nearest airport, Phu Cat Airport.

The goal for the 2021-2030 period is to develop Phu Cat Airport into a grade 4C airport according to the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization and a grade 1 military airport. It will have a capacity of 5 million passengers and 12,000 tons of cargo per year. The type of aircraft to be operated includes code C, such as A320/A321 and equivalents (with the ability to accommodate code E aircraft if needed). The approach mode is CAT II.