VietNamNet Bridge – Tuan Chau Group, a powerful real estate developer, plans to pour 20 million cubic meters of soil into the Ha Long Bay over 400 hectares of water surface to build three flower-shaped villas on the sea.

The group also wants to develop a 27-hole golf course on an area of 14 hectares, expand the road linking the mainland to the proposed Tuan Chau Island, and build a bridge 120 meters long.

The group reportedly has asked for permission to adjust the Tuan Chau Tourism & Entertainment Complex project seven times.

The latest suggestion by the Tuan Chau Group has stirred up the public because of the project’s large scale and the planned encroachment on Ha Long Bay, a World Heritage site.  

The Ha Long Bay Management Board said the details of the project on the Tuan Chau Tourism & Entertainment Complex in 2011 were updated in a master plan on Ha Long Bay conservation and development.

The board said that since the complex is located in the buffer zone of the Ha Long Bay natural heritage, Vietnam would have to consult with UNESCO’s Heritage Center in Paris before making any adjustments to the project.

The project must also be submitted to the National Heritage Science Council for consideration and to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for approval.

Pham Thuy Duong, head of the Ha Long Bay Management Board, said in the latest session, UNESCO has repeatedly warned that the sea encroachment and urban area expansion would affect the value of the Ha Long Bay.

However, Duong said in Tuoi Tre that the management board had not been consulted about the project.

Many projects have been initiated to exploit the beauty of the world’s natural heritage for commercial purposes.

Quang Ninh provincial authorities plan to develop a cable system across Ha Long Bay in 2015.

The plan to build new items and expand existing works in Tuan Chau has faced strong opposition from the public.

Dao Ngoc Nghiem, a renowned architect, strongly opposed the idea. “No one would build golf courses on the heritage area,” he said, calling it a “deplorable idea”.

A source said that some of Tuan Chau’s plans to develop villas and other construction works on Ha Long Bay had been rejected. However, the investor is still patient with its plans.

Hanh Nguyen