Basic information on Economic Sector of Ben Tre
With 42,106 for raising aquatic products, 45,000ha of coconut trees and 42,000ha of fruit gardens, aquatic products and farming economy become its spear-heads and their export turnover accounts for 90% of the total provincial GDP.
Ben Tre is the agricultural based province with approximately 70 percent of population replying on agricultural production activities. The main contributors come from aquacultural economy and garden-based economy.
Agriculture
Key products
Outstanding key products of the province include: aquatic products, seafood (especially clams, shrimps and catfish (tra fish)), coconut products, products made from fruits, paddy rice, sugarcanes. Cattle-breeding include livestock (pig, cow…), poultry (chicken, duck…).
Coconut trees: It covers an area of 45,000ha with the yield of 312 million coconuts.
Sugar canes: It covers an area of 6,969ha with the average yield of 518,992 tons.
Such other fruits: As longan, rambutan, mango, mangosteen, durian, etc. cover an area of 36,556 hectares. Most of the high-quality fruits are mostly consumed right after harvest; Ben Tre fruits processing technologies are still poor.
Key agriculture products
Products
Area/Productivity
Paddy rice
361,117 ton with 79,257 ha
Longan, rambutan
150,000 ton
36,556 ha
Mangosteen
40,000 ton
Mango
50,000 ton
Durian
30,000 ton
Coconut
312 million nuts with 45,631 ha
Sugarcane
518,992 ton with 6,969 ha.
Cocoa
3,000 ha
Livestock
3,44 million heads
Aqua-culture area
42,106ha
Aqua productivity
239,531 tons, of 158,965 tons culture output and 80,566 tons catching output.
Shrimp Intensive and semi-intensive cultivation area
5,597 ha
Tra/Basa fish
100,025 ton with 650 hectares.
Aquaculture – Fishery
Bordering the South China Sea and covering a diversified system of channels and ditches, Ben Tre takes advantage of 43,550ha of water surface for raising such aqua-products as tiger prawns, crayfishes, various kinds of fish, meretrixes, cockles, partans, etc. The total output of aqua-products in 2008 reached 239,531 tons, including 158,965 tons of cultured aqua-products and 80,566 tons of exploited aqua-products. Especially, the while clam of Ben Tre is accredited by EU.
Industry and Handicraft
Ben Tre's production value of Industry and Minor Handicraft remains low, just a small fraction in the province's economic structure. However, Ben Tre is quite well-known for its industry of coconut-product such as dried coconut meat, exported to 46 countries and territories with an annual export value of US$75 million. Seafood processing is also on the rise, especially shrimps, fish, merestrixes for export. Current processing capacity reached 30% of the local materials. Beside, minor handicraft plays an important role in the province's production value.
Making handicrafts
Such traditional crafts as making handicrafts, cakes, construction materials, fruits semi-processing, garment, machinery, etc. are progressing, improving competitiveness and intergration into the country's and regional economy. Industry reaches the growth rate and its export value is expected to account for some 90% of the total export value of the province.
Transportation
Road and waterway traffic in Ben Tre is quite convenient now. The road system has been upgraded and completed in the whole province. Route have been also upgraded to connect Ben Tre province with the Southern dynamic economic areas and Mekong River Delta's provinces. Rach Mieu bridge, the gateway of Ben Tre province, has shortened considerably the transport time between Ben Tre and HCM City. Vans and container trucks can transported easily to the IP.
Ham luong Bridge, which replace Ham Luong ferry will be completed in 2010. Waterway plays an important role in goods transport; goods can be transported from Ben Tre to provinces around the country and neighboring countries by waterway networks. Ben Tre has two river ports and three fish ports but there are no airports, sea port and train stations.
Electricity
Ben Tre uses the national electricity grip system, around 93O of households in the province using electricity. In the IP has separate network of electricity supply. With sensitive production chain, enterprises should have standy-generator.
Telecommunications
The modern telecommunications system meets enterprises' needs, including express delivery, telephones (mobile, fixed, and internet phone), fax, internet service, and ADSL. In Industrial Park, telephone and telecommunication network are ready to meet enterprises' demands.
All services of post such as Internet, Email, Fax, ADSL and other utilities are convenient and available for users and at acceptable prices
Clean water
Ben Tre has one water plant in the City with the capacity of 36,000m3/per day. In residental towns and districts lie only mini water plants. The province plans to expand the water supply system to guarantee clean water across the pronvice. In the industrial park, need of using water is ensured for industrial production.
COMMERCE AND SERVICE
Export and import
Ben Tre economy is relying mainly on agricultural production activities, in which aquacultural and garden-based economy is playing an important role. In the year 2008, export turn-over reaches US$184 million, most products exported comes from aquacultural, coconut-based products, garments and so on.
Tourism
Eco-tourism: Ben Tre is especially affected by garden-based culture, fresh ecological environment with large coconut gardens and fruit gardens. Ben Tre has the biggest number of rivers and channels in provinces in the Mekong Delta. Some big rivers which can be introduced are Cua Dai, Co Chien, Ham Luong, Ba Lai… Each river carries memorable historical events of nationally independent fighting history…
Ben Tre’s river system is also a potential source of water-way tourism. In Ben Tre, there are not only beautiful sight-seeing, but also marvelous eating and drinking culture, welcoming tourists who want to discover waterway areas.
Some worth-visiting scenes
Phung Islet (Dao Dua Islet) is at Tan Thach commune, Chau Thanh district, near Rach Mieu Bridge. Con Phung tourism area locates in a floated isle in Tien River with an area of 50 hectares. There are unique architectural works here and this place used to be the Holy Land of Dua religion. On Phung islet, there is a handicraft trade village, which specially produces household commodities from coconut materials; there is also honey from longan flowers. Tourist can buy these products at sight.
Vam Ho bird yard, locates at My Hoa and Tan Xuan communes, Ba Tri districts, a quite wild place. Total area of this yard is 40 hectares, in which 15 hectares is for date-palms and mangroves. River and channel system conducts water from the Ba Lai River to protection dyke. There are more than 700,000 egrets, herons, and other kinds of bird such as cormorants, teals, boucals…
Cai Mon fruits garden, ornamental plants: this place is considered the cradle of Southern fruit tree area. There are fruits almost every season. Each ornamental plant as well as bonsai produced here has their unique characteristics.
Annually, Cai Mon trade village supplies the market with millions of seedling of fruits, such as durian, mangosteen, sweet mango, longan with thick meat, lansat, citrus. Cai Mon is also a place of artisans, who multiplicate and provine plants to create very beautiful ornamental ones in shapes of stag, deer, dragon, phoenix… These products are mostly sold at Thu Duc, Bien Hoa …
and exported to Asian countries. Cho Lach has been certified by Vietnamese Guinness as district of the biggest number of households producing seedling, ornamental plants nationwide.
Dai Dien ancient house at Dai Dien, Thanh Phu
district, Ben Tre.
Dai Dien ancient house in someway is like a Hue ancient house, with a solemn but close beauty. Han scripts (Chinese characters), patterns and vignette in the house are carved on nacre cleverly. The floor is one meter high, with luxury marble bearing around.
Ben Tre is also the homeland of all the time scholars and intellectuals, such as PhD. Phan Thanh Gian, - the first Doctor of Cochinchine (Under Nguyen’s Dynasty, Cochinchine included six provinces in the South), Patriotic Master-poet Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Phan Van Tri, Language Scholar Truong Vinh Ky…. Ben Tre also has many historical monuments such as Duong mon Ho Chi Minh tren bien (Ho Chi Minh path on the sea), Dong Khoi Historical Monument area, Nguyen Thi Dinh Temple to worship female General Nguyen Thi Dinh…
Ben Tre specialties
Ben Tre is the Kingdom of coconut, and that is why coconut is popularly used to cook daily meals here. At present, there are more than 50 dishes made from coconut. Besides, there are other specialties such as coconut candy, My Long girdle cake, Son Doc glutinous rice chupatty, Phu Le wine, as well as many famous fruits in Cho Lach district (durian, mango, mangosteen, lanset, rambutan…)