Among the Central Highlands provinces, Dak Nong is located the deepest inland. With the orientation: “Prioritizing the arrangement of mountainous and delta units with coastal administrative units; harmoniously and reasonably combining adjacent units…” as in the draft report on the resolution of the National Assembly Standing Committee on the arrangement of administrative units, which province will Dak Nong merge with to have the sea by the nearest and most convenient route?

Dak Nong - Binh Thuan is the nearest direction to the sea.

There are many ways to get from Dak Nong to the sea. The first way is to follow the roads from Dak Nong through Lam Dong and connect to the “fish bone” roads from Lam Dong to Binh Thuan. The second way is to follow National Highway 20 and National Highway 14 through Dong Nai, Binh Phuoc and down to Ba Ria - Vung Tau.

However, according to Google Map, the first direction is closer and more adjacent to Dak Nong. Specifically, from Gia Nghia City, the center of Dak Nong province to Phan Thiet (Binh Thuan) is about 205km, while the direction down to Vung Tau is about 280km.

From Highway 28, you can go straight from Gia Nghia through Lam Dong to reach the coastal city of Phan Thiet, without having to turn to any other route.

However, Highway 28 is currently degraded, with a narrow road surface and many dangerous steep passes, especially Gia Bac Pass connecting Binh Thuan and Lam Dong provinces with many sharp curves. Binh Thuan province has repeatedly petitioned the central government to upgrade and expand Highway 28 through the locality.

In addition to Highway 28, there are many other options to go from Dak Nong center to Binh Thuan beach. Specifically, you can follow Highway 28 from Dak Nong to Highway 20, through Bao Loc city to join Highway 55 down to La Gi town, Ham Tan district.

In addition, National Highway 28B through the north of Binh Thuan is being renovated and upgraded to connect with the Central Highlands provinces. Therefore, from Dak Nong, you can follow National Highway 28 to National Highway 20 in Duc Trong District, Lam Dong. From here, move along National Highway 28B, instead of the narrow National Highway 28. Following this route also connects to Vinh Tan International Port, Tuy Phong District, Binh Thuan Province more conveniently.

Dak Nong, Lam Dong, Binh Thuan create an east-west axis, complementing each other.

For the current Central Highlands provinces, Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak and Lam Dong can merge to have a very favorable sea because they are all adjacent to a coastal province in the South Central Coast. Meanwhile, Dak Nong is located further inland and is two to three provinces away from the sea depending on the direction of the national highway.

Meanwhile, according to the proposal and analysis of many experts, Dong Nai and Binh Phuoc may merge. Thus, to reach the sea, the most favorable option for Dak Nong is to merge with Lam Dong and Binh Thuan to form a contiguous and closest east-west axis.

Speaking with Tuoi Tre Online , Associate Professor Dr. Vo Tri Hao - arbitrator of the Vietnam International Arbitration Center (VIAC) - assessed that the plan to merge Dak Nong, Lam Dong and Binh Thuan not only creates a new coastal locality, but also has many important meanings, creating many connectivity advantages and opening up many strong development opportunities for the southern provinces of the Central Highlands.

When the Government decided to develop an industrial center for aluminum ore, it chose Nhan Co (Dak Nong) and at that time there was a project to upgrade National Highway 14 to bring aluminum ore products from the Central Highlands to Ke Ga port (Binh Thuan). If developed in that direction, Vietnam will have a product to export by sea, which is the product of aluminum ore by sea.

On the other hand, when merging Binh Thuan with Lam Dong, Dak Nong creates conditions to form routes, expand National Highway 28 to connect localities, and from there will create conditions to develop tourism for the southern Central Highlands.

Until now, tourism in this region has only focused on Da Lat (Lam Dong). When the road from Ke Ga through Bao Loc (Lam Dong) to Gia Nghia (Dak Nong) is expanded, it will promote two areas with potential for tourism development, Bao Loc and Gia Nghia.

In addition, the merger of the two localities of Binh Thuan, Lam Dong and Dak Nong helps create routes to "share the load" of traffic for National Highway 20 and the expressway from Tan Phu (Dong Nai) to Bao Loc.

In the future, when Phan Thiet airport comes into operation, tourists coming to the beach here can easily travel to the southern provinces of the Central Highlands.