Developing Con Dao: responsibility towards national heritage and natural resources

The scientific workshop brought together dozens of presentations and recommendations on promoting the island's development while preserving its heritage and natural environment.

Addressing the opening session, Bui Minh Thanh, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, affirmed that Con Dao holds a special place in the nation's history and is of strategic importance to national defence, security and maritime sovereignty.

The special zone is also home to invaluable forest and marine ecosystems, rich biodiversity and revolutionary historical heritage. These are not only resources for development but also irreplaceable assets that must be preserved for future generations.

“The city's consistent position is that we will not sacrifice the environment, natural resources or historical heritage for short-term economic growth. Conservation must become the foundation, driving force and long-term competitive advantage of Con Dao,” he emphasised.

The workshop received dozens of contributions from scientists, experts and businesses, addressing the challenges currently facing Con Dao, including population pressure, increasing tourist arrivals, water resources and waste management.

Participants offered practical recommendations closely aligned with the workshop's theme.

Most agreed that the priority for Con Dao should not be development at any cost, but rather the adoption of a development model suited to its distinctive values and ecological limits.

Con Dao's greatest value lies not in the number of buildings constructed or the growth in tourist arrivals, but in its ability to preserve and promote its irreplaceable natural and historical heritage.

Nguyen Khac Pho, Director of the Con Dao National Park Management Board, proposed that the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee prioritise Con Dao for regulatory sandbox mechanisms to pilot circular economy initiatives, clean energy development and green carbon credits.

He also recommended allocating sufficient medium-term public investment funding to implement key projects, including ecosystem protection and restoration, as well as the conservation and restoration of historical relic sites.

Speaking in his capacity as former Secretary of the Ba Ria–Vung Tau Provincial Party Committee, Nguyen Hong Linh, Deputy Chairman of the Party Central Committee's Inspection Commission, suggested that Con Dao should develop high-end tourism while also providing opportunities for young people and other visitors to learn about the nation's revolutionary traditions.

He stressed that Con Dao must begin preparing its human resources now by educating local children about the island's history and identity, while providing residents with foreign language and communication skills to meet future development needs.

Ho Chi Minh City leaders affirmed that developing Con Dao is not merely the responsibility of a special administrative zone, but also a duty towards the nation's historical heritage, natural resources and the sustainable future of Viet Nam's seas and islands.

Con Dao's greatest achievement in the years ahead should not simply be greater prosperity, but also the preservation of its lush forests, pristine seas and sacred historical legacy, while ensuring an increasingly better quality of life for its people.