Covering more than 21,500 square kilometers, the second largest nationwide, Gia Lai boasts 15,500 km2 of fertile basalt soil.
The province is investing in large-scale raw material zones for crops such as coffee, pepper, avocado, durian, passion fruit, and medicinal plants to meet export demand.
To date, 53 cultivation projects have been attracted, with 29 approved for investment. Thousands of hectares are being zoned to support long-term value chains.
Agro-processing expansion
Nguyễn Thị Diễm Hằng, General Director of Vinanutrifood Bình Định JSC, said the province’s agricultural products, including coffee, pepper, durian, passion fruit, and medicinal herbs, have established strong brands.
On August 19, Gia Lai broke ground on a centralized agro-forestry processing plant in Tây Sơn commune. The facility will produce 10,000 tons of animal feed, 21,000 tons of canned and instant fruit, 2,000 tons of functional foods, and 5,000 cubic meters of cosmetics annually.
The project, with a large-scale production capacity, is expected to become a cornerstone in Gia Lai’s deep-processing industry, positioning the province as an agro-processing and logistics hub for both the Central Highlands and Central Vietnam.
Renewable energy and industry growth
Gia Lai also has significant potential in renewable energy and industry. Currently, 87 power plants are in operation with a total capacity of more than 4,300 MW. Alongside hydropower, wind and solar power, the province is directing resources toward industries linked to logistics and cross-border e-commerce.
According to Dương Minh Đức, Director of the Department of Industry and Trade, Gia Lai aims to restructure industrial zones by specialization, promote eco-industrial parks, and develop an innovation ecosystem.
Priority industries include deep processing, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and clean energy. Officials plan to leverage the Quy Nhơn-An Khê-Pleiku route along National Highway 19 to build an interregional industrial-service corridor attractive to strategic investors.
Tourism as cultural “soul”
While agriculture and industry are seen as growth “engines,” officials describe culture and tourism as the “soul” that ensures long-term vitality.
Gia Lai is developing eco-tourism, community-based and smart tourism, taking advantage of the Central Highlands’ gong culture, highland landscapes, and marine and island spaces.
Đỗ Thị Diệu Hạnh, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the province’s unique ecosystem supports diverse products from agricultural and cultural tourism to adventure sports and interregional journeys linking Quy Nhơn’s coast with the Gia Lai highlands.
Hoàng Phương, Director of Le Pleiku Tourism Media Co., Ltd., added that the contrasting east-west geography provides distinctive appeal. “We can design diverse tour routes, from beach experiences to forest trekking, from indigenous culture to highland cuisine. This is a value rarely found elsewhere,” Phương said.
International tourists are also impressed. Anna Marie, a visitor from France after trekking in Kon Ka Kinh National Park, remarked: “I have traveled to many places in Asia, but nowhere else has such pristine nature and unique culture as Gia Lai. I will definitely return with friends.”
Gia Lai Province’s Kon Hà Nừng Plateau World Biosphere Reserve, one of Vietnam’s most biologically diverse areas, is emerging as a foundation for eco-tourism, scientific research, and environmental education, experts say.
Prof. Dr. Nguyễn Hoàng Trí, Chairman of the Vietnam National Committee for the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme, noted that the reserve harbors intact ecosystems with rare species such as the gray-shanked douc langur, northern yellow-cheeked gibbon, and large-antlered muntjac.
“This is an invaluable asset, opening up potential for eco-tourism, scientific research, and environmental education,” Trí said, adding that Kon Hà Nừng’s unique ecological value positions Gia Lai to develop sustainable eco-tourism models.
In addition to ecological strengths, international partnerships are expanding. According to Chu Hậu Nham, Chief Engineer at the Big Data Development Bureau of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, Gia Lai is increasingly engaged in global markets, exporting key agricultural products to 60 countries, including China, Japan, and European nations.
“Gia Lai has great potential for cooperation in high-tech agriculture. The application of artificial intelligence and big data will enhance productivity and expand agricultural trade,” Chu said.
He also emphasized that such advancements would create broader opportunities for global cooperation and help Gia Lai integrate more deeply into international value chains.
