A ceremony was held in the central province of Quang Tri on July31 to mark the 10th founding anniversary of Con Co Island districtwhich is striving to become a culture and tourism destination in thenear future.

The island, about 30km off Cua Tungbeach, held an important strategic position during the American warwhere soldiers and local people shot down 48 planes and sank 17 warshipsand other vessels of the invaders during about 1,000 large- andsmall-scale battles in 1,500 days and nights.

Withthe great contribution to the national liberation, the island districtwas twice awarded with the title – the Hero of the People’s ArmedForces, along with other honours, by the Party and State.

Promoting the national heroic tradition, Con Co soldiers and residentstoday have joined search and rescue efforts and firmly safeguarded thenational territorial sovereignty, while ensuring political stability andsocio-economic development.

Local authorities havealso concentrated on building infrastructure such as roads, fishingports and lighthouse stations to make it easier for household-basedproduction activities.

Other realms such as education, health, culture and national defence are also given particular care.

Boasting great potential for ecological and marine tourism, Con Co isselected as one of the five islands in Vietnam to be developed intoyouth islands between now and 2020. The youth islands project aims toencourage youngsters to act as pioneers in building a sustainablehousehold economy there.-VNA