The coastal roads, Hoang Sa – Vo Nguyen Giap – Truong Sa (from Son Tra peninsula to Hoi An City of Quang Nam province), are called ‘multi-billion dollar’ or ‘5 star’ roads as they are in the most advantageous location in the city.

This explains why so many investors have rushed to Da Nang and registered huge projects on the roads. However, many high-end resorts and luxury hotels remain on paper.

Meanwhile, sites where tourism real estate projects are expected to arise have become deserted land with overgrown grass. A series of projects have not started, causing a big waste of resources.

Son Tra high-end tourism service complex registered by Da Nang Son Tra JSC is one. The project is designed to cover an area of 14 hectares of land and 20 hectares of sea surface, stretching 1.3 kilometers in Bai Trem Bay of Son Tra peninsula.

It was planned to have a cluster of resorts, villas, restaurants and 18-storey 5-star hotel under the $20 million project. However, because of legal problems, only a row of villas were built before it was stopped. The villas are covered by thick wild grass.

Near this is Bai But Bay Resort registered by Hai Duy and Invesco. The resort was designed on an area of 30 hectares, including 20 hectares of coastal land and 10 hectares of sea surface.

The project, kicked off in 2005 with estimated investment of $30 million, was expected to become a resort paradise. However, the site is just several deserted villas which have degraded over the last 20 years.

Hon Ngoc A Chau on Vo Nguyen Giap Road in Ngu Hanh Son district is a typical example. The project, covering an area of 12 hectares with investment capital of VND4.8 trillion, was licensed in 2007, but no progress has been made. Only brushes, trees and unfinished houses are seen on the site.

The municipal authorities have many times released ultimatums requesting the investor to implement the project, but the investor remains quiet. In 2018, the Da Nang People’s Committee assigned the Department of Construction and relevant agencies to work with the investor on revoking the project, with the aim to reserve the land for sea development.

In 2020, the local authorities agreed on taking back 2.45 hectares in the southern part of the project to develop beaches to serve local people and travelers.

The Song is a project located just next to Hon Ngoc A Chau. Covering an area of 12 hectares and capitalized at VND5 trillion, it received a license from local authorities in August 2011.

The Song was expected to include 37 2-storey resort villas. It was initially registered by Song Viet Urban Tourism Development, but was later transferred to Quang An Da Nang Urban Tourism Development JSC.

During the execution process, the investor was found violating the law (using wrong areas of land, building 23 villas with unlicensed items and building 10 villas with no license and villas encroaching on beaches).

In 2017, Ngu Hanh Son district People’s Committee released punished the investor and stopped construction. 

On the site, visitors can see unfinished villas degraded with rusty iron frames. There are several security guards in the large area. A local man said the investor faces financial problems and the project has been idle for years.

Not far away, the marine tourism project of I.V.C Ltd Co on an area of 30,000 sqm has also been deserted for many years.

In 2007, Tran Van Minh, who was then Da Nang's Mayor, signed a decision on licensing the project. Under the plan, the VND400 billion project would be implemented from July 2015 to the third quarter 2018. 

However, the plan failed as it has relations with Phan Van Anh Vu. The Hanoi People’s Court on July 30, 2018 sentenced Vu to nine years in prison for “deliberately disclosing state secrets” under Article 337 of the 2015 Penal Code.

Dieu Thuy