Since the 19th century, the satellite-city model, in which big cities spread their populations to surrounding areas, has evolved into the companion-city model, a form of multipolar, multi-centered urban development.
This model has become a rule and has developed with great success in major cities around the world. In South Korea, from the late 1980s Seoul was overloaded, holding up to one third of the country’s workforce; in 2002, South Korea invested USD 19.4 billion to build a new administrative center in Sejong to become a miniature capital and a socio-economic center.
Another typical example is Thu Duc City: two years after its establishment, its budget revenue was nearly VND 10,675 billion in 2021 and rose sharply to VND 20,071 billion in 2022. The public investment disbursement rate was 97% in 2021 and 93% in 2022. Thu Duc City’s revenue is higher than that of 47 centrally run provinces and cities, and higher than the combined revenue of 8 provinces: Bac Kan, Cao Bang, Dien Bien, Lai Chau, Ha Giang, Tuyen Quang, Ninh Thuan and Dak Nong.
Thu Duc City becomes the knowledge economy center of Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Baochinhphu.vn
Creating balance from the two companion poles, Quy Nhon – Cat Tien
In recent years, Binh Dinh has emerged as a leading economic center in the Central region, while surrounding areas may have reached a critical point in economic and real estate development. Binh Dinh still has full potential for urban development with systematic planning and land funds for transport, urban areas and greenery, with 5 economic development priorities: industry; tourism; high-tech agriculture; port services and logistics; and urban economy tied to urbanization, with tourism and urban development as the spearheads. With this orientation, Binh Dinh has been proactive in planning and stepping up investment in regional socio-economic infrastructure, especially transport infrastructure.
In 2023–2025, Phu Cat Airport is being upgraded to a category 4C international airport, giving the area a big advantage in attracting foreign visitors.
Despite its huge potential, Quy Nhon is developing spontaneously and unevenly, with an old urban look, limited land funds, and mostly residential areas developed before 1975. This raises the need to develop another modern, dynamic new center to create balanced development, unlock the strength of the whole province, and help Quy Nhon rise and achieve its targets.
As the gateway to Nhon Hoi Urban Area, Cat Tien has been strategically planned to become a companion city, a new development pole in the north of Quy Nhon. According to the latest approval in May 2023, the entire Cat Tien town, with a scale of nearly 1,800 ha, will be planned as a bustling urban strip with depth. This includes new planning for service, commercial and high-rise hotel works adjoining Cat Tien beach along the extended Economic Zone axis road; and mixed-use, commercial, service, high-rise apartment, education and healthcare land around the intersection of the Economic Zone axis road and National Highway 19B. Cat Tien’s urban development plan plays a very important role in sustainable tourism economic development for Quy Nhon, adding commercial services, entertainment venues and linked shopping to form a complete tourism ecosystem.
Regional Connectivity of Cat Tien Urban Area
A commerce and services core – the perfect missing piece for a resort city
Unlike newly established urban areas, part of Cat Tien is already urbanized and populated, so stimulating resident or service demand is not very difficult. On the other hand, Cat Tien’s greatest strength is its proximity to Phu Cat International Airport, which helps it capture visitors first – a premise for pushing urbanization toward Nhon Hoi Economic Zone. Cat Tien is also a famous tourism and resort destination with a series of 5-star resorts, but high-end commercial services have not developed in proportion.
Imperial Oasis Quy Nhon – the nucleus of the coastal commerce and tourism strip in Nhon Hoi Economic Zone. (Illustration photo)
In the near future, the picture of Cat Tien urban area will be completed with the Imperial Oasis Quy Nhon project. This is a high-end commerce and services complex developed under the Integrated Destination model, fully exploiting tourism activities and keeping customers there longer. Rather than following a pure resort model, Imperial Oasis Quy Nhon concentrates investment on unique luxurious highlights that bring unprecedented experiences to residents, and builds high-end Shop-house, Shop-tel and Boutique hotel product lines to become the city’s high-end commerce and services core, specializing in luxury accommodation, shopping, entertainment, festival and exhibition experiences, meeting the most demanding standards of upscale customers.
Expected to begin operating in Q4/2024, Imperial Oasis Quy Nhon will become a new symbol of the coastal city with million-dollar architectural works designed by domestic and international master architects. Located right at the gateway to Cat Tien, directly facing the 5 ha festival roundabout and only 15 minutes by car from Phu Cat Airport and Quy Nhon City center, Imperial Oasis Quy Nhon will be the nucleus of the bustling coastal commerce and tourism strip in Nhon Hoi economic zone.
As a result, the development pattern of the whole of Quy Nhon City will soon be in balance: Cat Tien is the new city in the north – in the middle is Nhon Hoi Urban Area – and in the south is the existing Quy Nhon center. This parallel arrangement is the driving force for Quy Nhon to rise to become the “Maldives of Asia” and the economic locomotive of the Central region.
Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/thanh-pho-ong-hanh-quy-hoach-tam-chien-luoc-thuc-ay-quy-nhon-cat-tien-a612809.html
