Many major projects "froze"

After the completion of Cua Dai Bridge, connecting Da Nang - Hoi An with the southern localities of Quang Nam province in 2016, the eastern region of the province welcomed an unprecedented wave of investment with a series of tourism and service projects with registered investment capital ranging from several thousand to tens of thousands of billion VND. However, these mega projects are stuck in land procedures so they cannot be implemented on schedule.

Stuck in land clearance

According to the announcement of the People's Committee of Quang Nam province, in the eastern area of Duy Xuyen and Thang Binh districts, there are 12 large urban, commercial, service, tourism and entertainment investment projects licensed for investment (Duy Xuyen district has 2 projects, Thang Binh has 10 projects). However, only the Vinpearl Nam Hoi An Resort Complex project of Vinpearl Joint Stock Company (total investment of about 5,000 billion VND) has put into operation the coastal resort, entertainment area and high-tech agricultural area (investing in the 18-hole golf course). The Nam Hoi An Resort project (area of 985 hectares, total registered investment capital of 4 billion USD) is in the process of completing phase 1, area of 270 hectares, investment capital of about 650 million USD; expected to operate in the first quarter of this year.

A corner of the Nam Hoi An Resort project, expected to put into operation phase 1 in the first quarter of 2020

The remaining 10 projects are stuck in land procedures and therefore cannot be implemented on schedule. Specifically, they are 5 commercial, service, resort, entertainment and sports projects of BRG Group Corporation (total area of 369 hectares); An Thinh - PPC international resort complex of Nam Hoi An International Corporation (174.7 hectares, registered capital of 4,300 billion VND); Binh Duong resort service complex of Dat Phuong Corporation (183.87 hectares, capital of over 4,600 billion VND); Opal Ocean View resort and service area of Dat Xanh Real Estate Services and Construction Corporation (185 hectares, capital of over 4,600 billion VND); Dong Quang Nam high-tech agricultural area of T&T Group Corporation (278 hectares, capital of 3,300 billion VND); Nam Hoi An International Education City of Nguyen Hoang Development Investment Joint Stock Company (41 hectares, capital of more than 1,500 billion VND).

Mr. Le Tri Thanh, Chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Nam province, said that the above projects are facing difficulties in site clearance because they are located in densely populated areas; there are obstacles in negotiating compensation according to the Land Law; regulations on land recovery, land allocation, and land lease in the Chu Lai Open Economic Zone are unclear; the work of confirming land origin is quite complicated due to the history of land management in this area. According to Mr. Dang Phong, Director of the Department of Planning and Investment of Quang Nam province, the province has sent a document asking for opinions from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment on land procedure problems but has not received a written response. At some meetings, when localities raised the issue, they were told to "just follow the law". "If the state implements the land recovery in the Chu Lai Open Economic Zone, it will be more convenient. However, when handing it over to businesses to recover through agreements, it is difficult and cannot be done" - Mr. Phong informed.

Focus on removal

Mr. Le Tri Thanh said that the Standing Committee of the Quang Nam Provincial Party Committee has agreed to continue completing documents and procedures for implementation because these projects are expected to change the face of the eastern region of the province.

According to Mr. Le Tri Thanh, recently, the Provincial People's Committee has directed departments and branches and localities to coordinate with enterprises to focus on removing difficulties and mobilizing people to hand over land so that projects can be implemented soon. In addition to building a traffic system and infrastructure, the Quang Nam Provincial People's Committee has also implemented the construction of many resettlement areas, in addition to ensuring the rights of people in the project area. "When the Eastern projects come into operation, they will have a great impact on local economic development, job creation, budget revenue and social income, contributing positively to the structural shift to services in Quang Nam province" - Mr. Le Tri Thanh acknowledged.

The investment enterprises are also determined to overcome difficulties to complete the project. According to Mr. Do Manh Hung, Director of Dat Phuong Hoi An Joint Stock Company (a subsidiary of Dat Phuong Company), up to now, the company has completed compensation and site clearance for about 50% of the project area. "We hope to receive the companionship and support of local authorities and the support of the people to soon have a site to implement the project" - Mr. Hung said.

At the Nam Hoi An Resort project, these days, workers are rushing to complete the final stages of phase 1 to put it into operation in the next 1-2 months. The sunny and windy white sand land has now truly transformed with high-rise, luxurious hotels and resorts; wide, straight roads are built, with many eye-catching flowers planted on both sides of the road. In addition to contributing to the budget, this resort is expected to create about 4,000 jobs.

A project that solves over 1,700 local jobs

According to the People's Committee of Quang Nam province, the Vinpearl Nam Hoi An resort complex, put into operation in 2018, has created nearly 2,100 jobs, including over 1,700 local workers.

Data from the Quang Nam Provincial Tax Department shows that in 2019, this complex paid nearly 40 billion VND in taxes to the provincial budget (mainly from real estate sales, with other revenue sources of tax transferred to the parent company in Khanh Hoa).