Dak Glong district: Grasping New Development Opportunities

Dak GLong is considered to have great potential, resources and capabilities to carry out the three-pillar economic development approach of Dak Nong province: Mining industry, agriculture and tourism.

Ta Dung Lake is part of the UNESCO-recognized Dak Nong geopark

Dak GLong district, lying southeast of Dak Nong province, is bordered by Dak Lak and Lam Dong provinces. The district has abundant precious and rare mineral resources for commercial production and large reserves of minerals like bauxite, tungsten, gold, tin and kaolin. The advantageous location also enables the district to develop the electricity industry. The district has two large power plants: 180-MW Dong Nai 3 Hydropower Plant and 340-MW Dong Nai 4 Hydropower Plant, which are connected to the national power grid. It also has many other hydroelectric projects.

With more than 14,600 ha of agricultural land, Dak GLong has huge potential for developing the agricultural economy and growing perennial crops and annual crops. The soil, climate and topographical conditions of Dak GLong are suitable for many industrial plants and fruit trees of high economic value. Currently, the district has VietGAP-certified high-yield fruit tree models such as durian and mangosteen. Dak GLong is also applying a VietGAP production standard for guava, pomelo, avocado and other fruit farming. The district is also strong in pig farming and cold-water aquaculture.

In particular, Dak GLong can potentially develop various types of eco-tourism, sightseeing and leisure thanks to its charming natural landscape and valuable humanistic tourism resources. The district is home to 22,000-ha Ta Dung Nature Reserve with Ta Dung Peak of nearly 2,000 meters high, the third-highest mountain in the Central Highlands. This reserve is the geographical and biological intersection of the Southern Central Highlands and the Southeast region where there are rich and rare flora and fauna. Ta Dung Lake lies upstream of the Dong Nai River, with Dong Nai 3 and 4 hydropower plants in operation. The lake has a water surface area of 3,600 ha and 47 islands. This is a favorable location for Dak GLong to develop eco-tourism. In addition, Ta Dung National Park has beautiful and mysterious streams and waterfalls. Ta Dung Nature Reserve was planned by Dak Nong province to become an eco-tourist, sightseeing and resort site with diverse and unique tourist product chains such as entertainment (lakes, islands and waterfalls under the forest canopy), adventure sporting tourism, picnicking, forest discovery and religious tourism.

Unique cultural identity is another important factor for the appeal of Dak GLong, featured with the gong festival culture of M'Nong and Ma ethnic groups. Ethnic minority villages with distinctive traditional cultural activities such as gong festivals, wine drinking and epic poems of M'Nong people are potential for developing cultural and humanistic tourism together with preserving national cultural identity.

National Highway 28, which runs across the district, connects Dak GLong with major tourist centers of the country like Da Lat City in Lam Dong province and Phan Thiet City in Binh Thuan province. This is ideal for creating inter-regional tour clusters like Ho Chi Minh City - Dak Nong - Lam Dong (Da Lat) - Binh Thuan with attractive travel itineraries for tourists.

Dak GLong converges all factors to develop the three-pillar economic development approach adopted Dak Nong province: Industrial development (alumin, aluminum smelting and renewable energy), high-tech agricultural development (forest economy, medicinal herb planting and processing), and tourism development (geological tourism, adventure sports, community tourism and green agricultural tourism).

Source: Vietnam Business Forum