HCM City proposes expansion of Cần Giờ coastal tourist site

Viet Nam News

HCM CITY – The HCM City People’s Committee is seeking approval from the Ministry of Planning and Investment to expand the Cần Giờ coastal tourist site from 600 to 2,870 hectares.

The project, stretching from Cần Thạnh Town to Long Hoà Commune, is expected to be completed in three stages over an 11-year period, between 2019 and 2030, according to Sài Gòn Giải Phóng (Liberated Sài Gòn) newspaper.

As the expansion project requires an investment of more than VNĐ5 trillion (US$217.4 million) and includes construction of a golf course, any adjustment to the project must be approved by the Prime Minister after its submission to the ministry.

The People’s Committee said the project consists of a functional area with houses, urban service facilities, trees and traffic facilities, covering more than 750 hectares of land. In addition, a 2,100-hectare area for non-residential purposes is also included.

The Cần Giờ Tourism Urban Area Joint-Stock Company is the project investor.

Local residents, according to the proposal, will not live in the Cần Giờ coastal tourist area of 2,870ha, but will be able to operate businesses.

About 767 households raising clams in Long Hoà Commune and Cần Thạnh Town and 232 boats used for coastal fisheries will be directly affected by the project.

With the expanded area, the investor has agreed to support households that will lose their farming areas, including 79 clam-raising cooperatives. The total funding for affected clam cooperatives has reached VNĐ123.5 billion so far.

The investor will also give priority to local labourers, while creating conditions for apprenticeships or career change to ensure benefits for locals.

The project is in line with the city’s housing development plan between 2016 and 2020, according to the People’s Committee.

Trần Vĩnh Tuyến, deputy chairman of the city People’s Committee, said that if the PM approves the project, HCM City would instruct authorities to work with the Cần Giờ Tourism Urban Area Joint-Stock Company to complete land clearance.

The coastal district of Cần Giờ is located 60km away from downtown Hồ Chí Minh City. It has great potential, with 13km of coastline, 34 square kilometres of beach area, and extensive mangrove rainforest intertwined with a dense system of rivers and canals and diverse flora and fauna.— VNS