Correcting spontaneous activities at Pha Lai destination before tourist season

To ensure the safety of tourists, while waiting for enforcement and handling of violations at Pha Lai, the People's Committee of Con Cuong district has requested travel companies not to bring tourists to this tourist destination. This move was made after these restaurants did not comply with the order to stop tourism activities and dismantle illegal constructions.

On April 27, Mr. Tran Anh Tuan - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Con Cuong district said that the locality has just issued a document on propaganda to stop activities in the Pha Lai area, (Mon Son commune, Con Cuong). "We request that travel companies do not bring tourists here, especially during the upcoming holidays," said Mr. Tuan.

According to Mr. Tuan, implementing the conclusion of the Chairman of the People's Committee of Con Cuong district in handling the problems in Pha Lai, since the end of 2024, the People's Committee of Con Cuong district has issued a notice on temporarily stopping receiving tourists at the Pha Lai dam area and on the Giang River, Mon Son commune, and at the same time implementing solutions to handle violations. However, up to now, only VSC Service and Tourism Company Limited has followed the notice.

Pha Lai tourist destination. Photo: Tien Hung

“Floating raft businesses still ignore the notice of local authorities, continue to organize business activities at Pha Lai dam, violating the provisions of Decision No. 72/2024/QD-UBND dated December 27, 2024 of Nghe An Provincial People's Committee on promulgating regulations on management of passenger transport activities by inland waterways and activities of water entertainment vehicles in Nghe An province for floating rafts and inland waterway vehicles operating in the business of transporting tourists”, the document of Con Cuong District People's Committee stated.

According to this document, the People's Committee of Con Cuong district has issued a decision to impose administrative sanctions and a decision to enforce remedial measures against the floating raft democracy households in the land sector, and at the same time required the floating raft democracy households to dismantle themselves and restore the original state of the water surface. However, up to now, the floating raft democracy households have not yet dismantled. The People's Committee of Con Cuong district is finalizing a plan to enforce the above-mentioned floating rafts.

The fence built by the government has been dismantled. Photo: Tien Hung

The handling of violations in Pha Lai has been implemented for many years, when households did not comply with the requests of the local government. Many solutions have been implemented, along with a series of dialogues between the leaders of the People's Committee of Con Cuong district and the violating households, but the case has not been completely resolved. On April 5, Nghe An Newspaper published an article "Dramatic handling of violations at Pha Lai tourist site", to reflect this situation.

Immediately afterwards, on April 10, the People's Committee of Nghe An province issued an official dispatch on handling the information reported by Nghe An Newspaper. In particular, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Bui Dinh Long assigned the Chairman of the People's Committee of Con Cuong district to preside over and coordinate with relevant agencies and units to urgently inspect, verify and resolve the issues reported by the press agencies; handle or propose relevant competent agencies to strictly handle violations according to the provisions of law.

In addition, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism also issued a document stating that the violations of the owners of floating restaurants in Pha Lai have been reported by the press for many years, causing outrage in public opinion and distorting the image of Nghe An tourism in the eyes of domestic and foreign tourists. In order to build a professional, nature-friendly tourism environment, in order to attract tourists and tourism investors to Nghe An province, the department has advised the Provincial People's Committee to direct the People's Committee of Con Cuong district to urgently inspect, clarify and completely handle the situation reported by the press before April 25, 2025.

Responding to this issue, the People's Committee of Con Cuong district said that it is continuing to coordinate with relevant agencies to handle the violations that have been pointed out and direct the functional forces to strictly control business activities in this area, ensuring the requirements for tourism business, especially the safety of tourists. The People's Committee of Con Cuong district also requested the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism; the District Cultural Center, Information and Communications, and the People's Committees of communes and towns to continue to coordinate in disseminating the suspension of business and tourism activities in the Pha Lai dam area and on the Giang River until the district has completely resolved the violations that have been pointed out.

Up to now, the company that was attracted by the government to invest in tourism has had to be dismantled and stopped operating. Photo: Tien Hung

According to Mr. Tran Anh Tuan, through inspection, these floating restaurants have committed a series of violations, including illegal waterway wharf violations, unregistered passenger vehicles... "Compared with regulations, these restaurants have committed many violations, but for now, we only issue decisions to impose administrative penalties related to land encroachment and encroachment on protective forest land. However, up to now, these households have not complied with paying the fine. Not only that, the corrugated iron fences that the government erected have also been dismantled," said Mr. Tuan.

In recent years, many inter-sectoral inspection teams have concluded and requested to stop the operation of illegal rafts at the Pha Lai project. Specifically, since June 2020, the province's inter-sectoral inspection team has requested 3 families doing business on floating rafts located in the Pha Lai tourist area to stop operating unqualified rafts. By June 2022, the Department of Transport (old) issued an official dispatch stating that, "for floating rafts operating food and beverage services in the Pha Lai dam area, they are not inland waterway vehicles according to regulations and are temporary structures that have not been regulated by law regarding design, technical safety inspection, and registration of operation. It is recommended that the People's Committee of Con Cuong district direct functional forces to suspend operations and have a plan to dismantle and clear them, to ensure the safety of tourists in the Pha Lai dam area and on the Giang River".

3 households with many floating rafts and yachts operating vigorously, challenging the authorities. Photo: Tien Hung

In June 2023, the People's Committee of Con Cuong district announced and requested that "by July 10, 2023, the owners of floating rafts operating in the Pha Lai dam area must hand over the water surface area at Pha Lai dam on Giang river to the People's Committee of Con Cuong district. At the same time, the owners of floating rafts who have signed a commitment will voluntarily dismantle construction works, architectural works, supplies, materials, goods, machinery, equipment, etc. in the Pha Lai dam area before July 8, 2023. After this time, the People's Committee of the district will organize barriers to prevent people and tourists from entering this area". However, these requests were not followed by the violating households. The authorities were forced to erect barriers, but still left small entrances so that the floating restaurants could continue to welcome guests.

In December 2024, the People's Committee of Con Cuong district issued a document on the temporary suspension of receiving tourists at the Pha Lai dam area and on the Giang River. This notice clearly stated that the reception of visitors, food and beverage services, and passenger transportation by inland waterway vehicles from the Pha Lai dam area to the upstream of Khe Khang would be temporarily suspended from December 12, 2024 until further notice from the People's Committee of the district. Dismantling of construction works violating the laws on construction, land, natural resources and environment must be completed before December 20, 2024. Decisions on enforcement of remedial measures for raft houses were issued. However, the violating households once again did not comply.

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Source: https://baonghean.vn/chan-chinh-hoat-dong-tu-phat-o-diem-den-pha-lai-truoc-mua-du-lich-10296111.html