Published:  00:00 Tuesday - August 10, 2010

Tuning Hue into a cultural, tourism and festival city is at the top of the agenda of the city party congress for the 2010-2015 term, which opened in Hue on August 9.

In the next five years, Hue is striving to achieve an annual GDP of 14.5 -15 percent by 2015, and raise average annual per capital income to US$2,800-3,000, as well as tourism revenues by 18-20 percent. The city aims to welcome 2.5 million people by 2015 (including 40-50 percent international visitors) with turnover from the service sector increasing 25 percent and tax revenues reaching VND3,000 billion by 2015.

Nguyen Kim Dung, chairman of Hue city’s People’s Committee said that to fulfill its targets, the city needs to build a comprehensive socio-economic infrastructure, especially its urban infrastructure and train its human resources to meet the demand for development during the international integration process.

It also needs to improve its planning, public transport, and call for direct air route to Hue city, finalise a project to build drainage and waste treatment systems, upgrade the urban lighting system and turn Hue into a first-tier city. In addition, it is necessary to improve the banks of Huong, An Cuu, and Ngu Ha rivers to prevent floods and ensure environmental hygiene. The city should put forward detailed policies to facilitate the operations of businesses, economic sectors, develop cultural and eco-tourism, organise attractive festivals to improve its competitive edge and expand its tourism activities in both domestic and foreign markets.

The city should also promote Hue’s tourism, preserve the scenery landscapes along the Huong river as well as the architecture of the old imperial city to improve the quality of cultural and festival activities and develop tourism sustainably.