The delay of Vung Tau’s tourism projects

Though they have been licensed, many tourism projects worth billions of dollar in Vung Tau city are yet to get off the ground either because of the investors themselves or local authorities.

Many large projects are expected to launch to promote Vung Tau tourism in particular and Vietnam tourism in general have not been deployed yet. For instance, the US$1.3-billion project of Good Choice USA – Vietnam Co. Ltd. to build an amusement park was licensed in 2008 but the investor has failed to proceed it. Named Wonderland World Vung Tau, the complex is expected to have a five-star hotel with 2,500 rooms, 4 four-star hotels with 1,000 rooms each, and an entertainment complex in Nguyen An Ninh Ward.

But none of the above construction has ever been done and the investor has simply disappeared after getting the license. The city administration thus decided to cancel the investor’s license early this week.

While most of the long-delayed or stalled projects are mainly caused by the investors’ incapability, other plans too are being delayed by local authorities.

The $4.1-billion Saigon Atlantis Hotel project, for instance, is yet to get started because local authorities haven’t completed site clearance. Though it expected to receive 100 out of 1,000 hectares of land zoned for this project by the first quarter of 2009, Winwest Vietnam Co. Ltd., the project’s investor, has so far received only 90 hectares, even though it has provided VND98-billion to aid the city.

Dang Minh Thong, deputy director of the provincial Department of Planning and Investment, said site clearance was the main obstacle for many projects in Vung Tau city since local authorities didn’t have enough money.

Many other projects including the $900-million Skybridge Dragon Sea and a project to build a hotel, trade center and apartment complex of OSC-Duxton Co. Ltd. have also been delayed since the investors haven’t received their land.

These tourism projects will be concelled soon if no worthy solutiuons is launched to speed up the deployment process.

Source: vnagency