Langsa

Langsa – Historic, strategic triangle city of commerce

Throughout much of history, the city of Langsa in Aceh province served as a gateway port to barter-based trade between Aceh province and Penang Island in Malaysia. Today, this 239.83 square kilometer municipality and its 194,730 residents continue to play an important role in the region as a strategic "triangle city" for commerce and services between Aceh province, North Sumatra province and the Malaysian state of Penang. Langsa also houses some of the province's key institutes of higher education, such as Samudra University, as well as various nursing schools.

The city has plenty of diverse attractions to see. Culture and history enthusiasts can check out historic sights like the Balee Juang Building to see relics of Dutch colonialism. A visit to Ujong Pusong village allows you to witness the day-to-day lives of fishermen and their families living in the middle of an isolated nearby island. The Toko Belakang Zone is the city's equivalent of a Chinatown filled with historic Chinese buildings and one of the oldest soy sauce factories in the country. For nature lovers, there are various parks, like the Langsa Forest Park and the Langsa Mangrove Park, as well as Kuala Geulumpang and Kuala Parek beaches.

Despite having below-average growth numbers, Langsa's economy nevertheless managed to remain stable and positive in recent years, during which it managed to hover around the 4 percent growth range. It grew 3.92 percent in 2021, 4.78 percent in 2022 and 4.22 percent in 2023. Prior to the pandemic, it stood at 4.39 percent growth in 2019 before dipping down to -1.12 percent in 2020. Its Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) at current prices in 2023 was Rp 6,853,390 million, with the biggest contributing industries being wholesale and retail trade (at Rp 2,028,726 million or 26.90 percent), construction (at Rp 660,872 million or 9.64 percent), and manufacturing (at Rp 629,462 million or 9.18 percent).