The merger of the three provinces of Lam Dong, Dak Nong and Binh Thuan into the new Lam Dong province is not simply a reorganization of administrative units, but more importantly, it opens the door to comprehensive development for this land. With outstanding strengths in mineral resources, high-tech agriculture and high-end tourism, the new Lam Dong province will become a new growth pole, positioning itself at national level in the sustainable development strategy.
Developing the national bauxite-aluminum center
In the economic picture of the new Lam Dong province, the bauxite-aluminum mining and processing industry plays a strategic pillar role. The new Lam Dong province currently accounts for more than 99% of the country's bauxite reserves, with a total reserve of up to 5.4 billion tons of raw ore, of which Dak Nong alone accounts for about 3.2 billion tons. With this advantage, the new Lam Dong province affirms its leading position in the chain of strategic mineral mining and processing and aims to soon become the bauxite-aluminum center of Vietnam.
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Currently, two large alumina complexes in Tan Rai (Lam Dong) and Nhan Co ( Dak Nong ) have produced millions of tons of alumina each year, creating thousands of billions of VND in budget revenue and stable jobs for more than 2,000 workers, mainly local people. Of which, Nhan Co alumina complex has paid the State budget up to 4,438 billion VND accumulated by the end of 2024. As for Tan Rai alumina complex, Lam Dong province has a designed capacity of 650,000 tons of alumina/year with a total investment of 15,414 billion VND. This complex has been put into commercial operation since October 1, 2013. As of March 31, 2024, Tan Rai complex has produced 7.47 million tons of alumina equivalent, paying the State budget more than 5,300 billion VND. At the same time, creating jobs for over 1,000 workers, with current income of over 16 million VND/person/month.
The bright spot does not stop at the primary mining and processing stage, the industrial structure is strongly shifting to the stage of increasing added value: aluminum smelting, intermediate and complete product production in the supply chain.
One of the clear steps to realize aluminum products right in the area is the Dak Nong Aluminum Electrolysis Plant Project invested by Tran Hong Quan Metallurgy Company Limited. The plant is built in Nhan Co Industrial Park, Dak R'lap district, with an area of 129.42 hectares and a total designed capacity of up to 450,000 tons of aluminum/year, divided into 3 phases. Currently, the plant has completed the construction of the office area, housing area for experts, along with the workshop... It is expected that in the second quarter of 2026, the plant will go into operation in phase 1 with a capacity of 150,000 tons of aluminum/year. This project is an important step to produce aluminum metal right in the locality and is a milestone marking Dak Nong's official entry into the complete aluminum production chain, from bauxite mining - alumina processing - aluminum smelting - industrial products. According to calculations, when in commercial operation, the Dak Nong Aluminum Electrolysis Plant Project will contribute about 900 million USD/year to the GDP of Dak Nong province; contribute an average of about 70 million USD/year to the State budget; and at the same time, create jobs for about 950 direct workers.
Along with that, the Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group (TKV) has proposed and is preparing to deploy the Dak Nong 2 bauxite - alumina - aluminum complex, with a capacity of up to 2 million tons of alumina and 0.5 - 1 million tons of aluminum/year. This is one of the largest industrial complexes in the aluminum industry in Vietnam to date, with a total expected investment for the entire system of related projects of more than 182,000 billion VND. Aluminum production in Dak Nong is an important step to help increase the value of resources, reduce dependence on raw material exports and open up the possibility of building a sustainable aluminum industrial value chain.
Not only does this project provide capacity, it also paves the way for the establishment of supporting industries such as metallurgy, chemical processing, light industrial materials and specialized logistics. Thanks to the road connection from the Central Highlands to Ke Ga port (Binh Thuan), goods will be transported more quickly, reducing costs, increasing profits and increasing international competitiveness. Therefore, the new Lam Dong province will become the largest aluminum smelting industrial center in the country.
High-tech agriculture affirms its position
Besides mining, high-tech agriculture is the second pillar shaping the future development of the new Lam Dong. In particular, the old Lam Dong has become famous as the “capital of high-tech agriculture” of the country, with the Da Lat vegetable and flower region standing out on the agricultural map.
Lam Dong province currently has more than 69,600 hectares of high-tech agricultural cultivation, accounting for more than 21.2% of the production area, with revenue reaching 3-8 billion VND/ha/year, of which high-end flowers alone can reach 15-24 billion VND/ha/year. This locality is pioneering the application of biotechnology, IoT, big data and digital transformation in the production process, thereby not only improving productivity but also ensuring quality, safety and traceability.
Dak Nong, a locality with more than 58% of its land area being agricultural land, is also gradually shifting from traditional production to green, circular agriculture, applying high technology. Key products such as coffee, pepper, cashew, and rubber are being organized for production according to value chains, linked to processing and export.
Meanwhile, Binh Thuan is the largest “dragon fruit granary” in the country, with more than 30,000 hectares, and is also strongly developing smart farming models, water-saving irrigation and organic cultivation. Many organic dragon fruit farming models for export to 20 countries around the world are proving to be highly effective economically.
The merger of the three provinces of Lam Dong, Dak Nong and Binh Thuan into the new Lam Dong province helps expand production space, form large-scale specialized areas, and link raw material - processing - logistics - consumption areas. This is the premise for the new Lam Dong not only to maintain its role as the high-tech agricultural capital of the Central Highlands, but also to rise to become the leading agricultural center of the country.
Developing high-end tourism from the highlands to the sea
Before the merger, Da Lat city - the economic and cultural center of the old Lam Dong was one of the top tourist destinations in the country. With its poetic landscape, cool climate all year round and fresh air, Da Lat plays the role of "highland resort capital" attracting millions of visitors each year. However, the mountainous terrain and limited traffic connections have limited the development space here. Therefore, after the merger, the tourism space of the new Lam Dong province will be expanded and meet new development requirements.
In the morning, hunting clouds in Da Lat, in the afternoon, rowing a boat on Ta Dung Lake, exploring volcanic caves in Dak Nong UNESCO Global Geopark, in the evening, watching the sunset on Phan Thiet beach, experiencing "3 spaces in 1 day" tourism will be the highlight to shape the new tourism product.
In addition, the new Lam Dong also converges the identity factor with indigenous ethnic groups such as K'ho, M'nong, Cham..., creating conditions for the development of cultural tourism, community tourism combined with local products such as coffee, dragon fruit, Da Lat flowers, rice wine, brocade weaving... In particular, combined with high-tech agriculture and indigenous culture of the K'ho, M'nong, Cham..., the new Lam Dong tourism industry can develop in a different, attractive and irreplaceable direction in the national tourism ecosystem.
It can be affirmed that from the three pillars of bauxite mining and processing industry, aluminum - agriculture - tourism, Lam Dong is currently possessing clear inter-sectoral and inter-regional economic development strengths. This is the premise for building a new development pole in the South, playing an intermediary role connecting the Central Highlands with the South Central Coast and the Southeast, especially in the context of the key economic region in the South needing to expand its development momentum.
Source: https://baolamdong.vn/lam-dong-moi-but-pha-tu-cac-the-manh-kinh-te-chu-luc-257260.html
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