Cancellation of 'sensitive defense' project in Son Tra

Da Nang City will only allow the construction of accommodation facilities on Son Tra Peninsula at a height of 100 m or less instead of 200 m as before.

On the afternoon of August 28, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Tuan - Vice Chairman of Da Nang City People's Committee chaired a meeting with the city's Tourism Association.

The meeting took place two days before the deadline for Da Nang to report to the Prime Minister (August 30) on issues related to the master plan for the development of Son Tra National Tourist Area.

Scene of the working session between the People's Committee of Da Nang City and the Da Nang Tourism Association. Photo: Nguyen Dong.

"100 meters and up for sightseeing only"

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tien - Deputy Chief of Office of Da Nang City People's Committee said that before Son Tra National Tourist Area was approved, since 2012, the city government has licensed 10 investors for a total of 18 projects on Son Tra peninsula.

Recently, four investors sent petitions to the City People's Committee. These petitions will be compiled into a report sent to the Prime Minister.

Mr. Tien said that the People's Committee of Da Nang City has set out a number of criteria to review projects on Son Tra, with special attention paid to national security and defense.

According to him, although the Government has approved the elevation from 200 meters on Son Tra peninsula to sea level to build accommodation projects, the city has proposed that this should only be allowed from 100 meters or less, and from 100 meters to 200 meters there should be no accommodation elements and no construction, purely for sightseeing. "We will cut down on projects that impact sensitive defense areas," Mr. Tien affirmed.

Vice Chairman Nguyen Ngoc Tuan said that the projects located in sensitive areas of national security are mainly in the East and Northeast of Son Tra Peninsula; the area under 100 meters in Son Tra Peninsula is concentrated in the West and Southwest of the city, from Tien Sa Port through the Naval Region 3 Port and the rescue center. "This is the direction of urban development. Therefore, when Da Nang develops, it will connect with tourism projects on Son Tra, and only stop at an altitude of less than 100 meters. This area is basically located under the route going up to Bai Bac", Mr. Tuan explained.

According to the leaders of Da Nang, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment has based on domestic and foreign scientific research, indicating areas where langurs often appear as well as many precious medicinal plants, mostly concentrated in the East and Northeast. Therefore, tourism planning will not develop in this direction; on the investor side, they have agreed with the city to create green corridors connecting forest areas for precious animals to move.

For the special-use forest area approved by the Prime Minister, Da Nang "absolutely does not encroach".

A corner of Son Tra peninsula seen from above. Photo: Le Phuoc Chin.

Reduce the number of rooms in the accommodation facility

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tien added that the long-standing concern of the Tourism Association as well as many people is the sale of villas on Son Tra for long-term ownership and residence. "Now the city does not allow residence but only allows tourism accommodation," he emphasized.

According to Mr. Tien, the number of accommodation establishments converted into rooms was very high before, and in the future "the city will reduce the number of rooms equivalent to the number of rooms proposed by the Da Nang Tourism Association" (about 300 rooms - PV).

However, speaking later, Mr. Tuan said: "We believe that the number of rooms has decreased significantly, the specific number is waiting for the opinion of the business."

The red-shanked douc langur - the primate queen living on Son Tra peninsula. Photo: Nhu Mai.

Report to the Prime Minister on time

Responding to the above comments of the representative of the City People's Committee, Mr. Huynh Tan Vinh - Chairman of the Da Nang Tourism Association asked two questions: When reviewing the projects, did the city government consider their legality? Son Tra not only has 18 projects but also includes more than 280 villas licensed to individuals. These villas are also located in the forest area of ​​the peninsula, so did Da Nang review or not?

Mr. Tuan replied that this review is only about scale, in which the legality of the project is also an evaluation criterion, but "has not gone into specifics". When reporting to the Prime Minister, the city will present the legality of the projects and the views of the local government.

According to him, the number of licensed villas will also be reviewed by the city this time. If any villa does not meet the criteria agreed upon by the City People's Committee, it will of course have to be changed or even cancelled. The specific number will be shown in the report sent to the Prime Minister.

Da Nang City People's Committee affirmed that it will report to the Prime Minister on time by August 30.

Mr. Tuan responded to the opinion of Da Nang Tourism Association: Photo: Nguyen Dong.

15 thousand people signed to support the Tourism Association

The meeting lasted 40 minutes, in which the handling of 40 illegal villa foundations that are causing the risk of landslides in Son Tra was not mentioned.

Here, Mr. Huynh Tan Vinh said that this organization reserves the recommendation to maintain the current status, not to build new accommodation facilities in Son Tra; only plan Son Tra into a place for sightseeing and entertainment to preserve the natural landscape...

"Currently, more than 15,000 people have signed their names in support of the Association's recommendations," said Mr. Vinh, adding that 190 scientists and intellectuals at a recent conference on Son Tra also agreed to maintain the status quo of the peninsula by not building new accommodation facilities.

Speaking to the press after the meeting, Mr. Vinh said that the city is now reviewing the projects and has just mentioned the national security factor, "proving that previously talking about what level is reasonable to license projects was emotional. Because when it said 200m, other times it said 100m".

"The number of rooms previously announced in the Son Tra National Tourist Area Planning was 1,600 rooms and 1,920 villas, but now it is said to have been reduced a lot, showing that the planning is not good," Mr. Vinh commented.

Although the city affirmed that it would cut down on projects at heights of 100 to 200 meters, Mr. Vinh expressed concern because in areas below 100 meters "there are still projects just a few steps away from the Naval Region 3 military port."

According to VNE