Proposal to inspect the Tea Island - Cau Cau Tourism Mega Project

Recommendation for inspection

Thanh Chuong District People's Committee has just issued Document No. 930/UBND-KTHT&DT dated April 21, 2025, sent to the Provincial People's Committee and 2 Departments: Finance, Culture - Sports and Tourism, with the content of the proposal to consider and have a solution for the Cau Cau Mixed Service and Resort Tourism Project in Thanh An Commune.

In this document, the People's Committee of Thanh Chuong district stated: The Cau Cau Tourism, Mixed Services and Resort Project was approved by the Provincial People's Committee in Decision No. 550/QD-UBND dated February 14, 2017; approved the detailed construction plan in Decision No. 5868/QD-UBND dated December 5, 2017. Accordingly, the project progress to complete the first phase of construction investment is December 2017; by October 2022, the entire project will be completed. However, up to now, the Cau Cau Tourism, Mixed Services and Resort Project has not been implemented, behind schedule.

At the same time, Thanh Chuong District People's Committee reported that it had repeatedly reported on the project's slow progress, requesting the Provincial People's Committee, departments and branches to have a solution. For example, on February 25, 2022, the District People's Committee sent Report No. 65/BC-UBND to the Department of Planning and Investment (old) on the project's slow progress, recommending to include it in the list of inspection plans of the Provincial Interdisciplinary Team for inspection and handling according to regulations. On November 24, 2022, Document No. 2689/UBND-KTHT reported that the project is one of the key projects to implement the goals of the Resolution of the District Party Congress, term XXXI, 2020-2025, requesting the Provincial People's Committee, departments and branches at the provincial level to direct the solution so that the project can be implemented soon.

In 2023 - 2024, Thanh Chuong District People's Committee issued Documents No. 486/UBND-KTHT dated March 20, 2023; No. 393/UBND-KT&HT dated March 1, 2024, reporting on the project's slow progress for inspection and handling according to regulations. After that, the Provincial People's Committee held a conference to resolve the project's shortcomings and issued Notice No. 211/TB-UBND dated March 20, 2024 on the conclusion of Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Bui Thanh An (now the Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee) at the meeting on resolving the project's shortcomings. On September 13, 2024, Thanh Chuong District People's Committee continued to issue Document No. 47/UBND-KT&HT to the Department of Planning and Investment (old)...

Thereby, Thanh Chuong District People's Committee proposed: "Up to now, the project has not been implemented, there is no specific handling plan; this is a key project to implement the socio-economic development goals of the region, with great attention from voters and people in the district. The District People's Committee respectfully requests the Provincial People's Committee, departments and branches to pay attention and soon have a plan to handle the project".

It is known that before the Thanh Chuong District People's Committee issued Document No. 930/UBND-KTHT&DT (mentioned above), on April 1, 2025, the Department of Finance issued Document No. 1683/STC-TC&PTDN requesting departments, branches and People's Committees of districts, cities and towns to review and report on projects that are behind schedule and not implemented in the province.

The Department of Finance noted that it "only reviews and reports on investment projects using non-budgetary investment capital in areas outside the Southeast Economic Zone and industrial parks"; at the same time, it clearly stated the reason was to "synthesize, report, and advise the Provincial People's Committee to establish an interdisciplinary inspection team in 2025".

Implementing the proposal of the Department of Finance in Document No. 1683/STC-TC&PTDN, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has reviewed the slow-progressing and unimplemented projects in the field of management. On April 24, 2025, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism sent Document No. 979/SVHTTDL-KHTC to the Department of Finance, requesting the Department of Finance to synthesize and include the Cau Cau Tourism, Mixed Services and Resort Project in the list of projects proposed for inspection in 2025.

The reason is that this project was approved by the Provincial People's Committee in principle for investment and approved for detailed construction planning since 2017, but has not been implemented; the investor has only agreed to compensate and clear the land with households for 25.8 ha/285.33 ha (reaching 9.04%), with the agreed price of 10.7 billion VND!

Don't waste resources!

Going back in time, on November 15, 2022, the National Assembly issued Resolution No. 74/2022/QH15 to promote the implementation of policies and laws on practicing thrift and combating waste. It is noteworthy that in the list of projects and works that have not put land into use, or have been slow to put land into use in the period 2016 - 2021 attached to Resolution No. 74/2022/QH15, there is the name of Cau Cau Tourism, Mixed Service and Resort Project in Thanh An Commune, Thanh Chuong District.

Therefore, in 2023, Nghe An Newspaper researched and comprehensively reflected the Cau Cau mixed-use tourism, service and resort project in Thanh An commune, Thanh Chuong district and the consequences that have arisen through the article "The Tea Island tourism mega project: 6 years of construction… on paper".

According to Mr. Tran Xuan Cuong - Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, on May 23, 2023, by Decision No. 1439/QD-UBND, the Provincial People's Committee approved the Strategy for Nghe An tourism development to 2030, with a vision to 2035; in which, the Provincial People's Committee has shaped "Nghe An's typical tourism brand as: "Thematic tourism about President Ho Chi Minh, the country and people of Nghe An".

Regarding Che Island - Cau Cau, Thanh An commune, Thanh Chuong district, it has been identified as having the potential to carry out 5 out of 7 main types of tourism identified in Nghe An's tourism development strategy, including: Cultural - historical tourism (cultural tourism, spirituality, visiting relics, scenic spots; religion, visiting, pilgrimage, returning to the source, cuisine, Nghe Tinh folk songs); Resort tourism, health care (sea, island; mountain; special climate zone); Ecological tourism, discovery, exploration (rivers, lakes; research/nature, world biosphere reserve; scuba diving, mountain climbing); Community tourism, experience; MICE tourism.

In addition, the Tea Island - Cau Cau area is also located on the Ho Chi Minh road, very convenient for establishing a multi-destination itinerary connecting from the Northwest to the Central region. Especially the tourist axis connecting Ninh Binh - Tea Island - Phong Nha Ke Bang.

For the province, to develop tourism space and keep tourists staying longer in Nghe An, Tea Island is a point extending the journey connecting Cua Lo - Uncle Ho's hometown.

Because of the above contents, Che - Cau Cau Island has a great position and potential in tourism development of Nghe An province, ensuring all factors to successfully implement the Tourism Development Strategy of Nghe An province to 2030, vision to 2035.

With the Cau Cau Tourism, Mixed Services and Resort Project, the Department of Planning and Investment (old) granted the Investment Registration Certificate No. 3515310746 on February 19, 2017. According to the project implementation progress approved in Decision No. 550/QD-UBND dated February 14, 2017 of the Provincial People's Committee on approving the project investment policy, it will be completed in October 2022.

However, up to now, the investor has only agreed to compensate and clear the land with households for 25.8 ha/285.33 ha; the project construction items have not been implemented compared to the progress of the granted Investment Registration Certificate.

On the other hand, the Provincial People's Committee has also held many meetings, reviewed and requested project implementation, but the investor has not implemented the instructions.

Therefore, if the Cau Cau Tourism, Mixed Services and Resort Project does not change, one of the contents of the Nghe An Province Tourism Development Strategy to 2030, with a vision to 2035, will not be completed; Nghe An Province will not have enough space to develop tourism, and will not have new tourism products to attract tourists.

“Therefore, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism hopes that the Provincial People's Committee will soon make an appropriate decision for the investor to continue implementing, or revoke the investment policy to find a new investor...”, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Tran Xuan Cuong added.