Resolving the chaotic situation at the Pha Lai tourist spot (Con Cuong)

Encroaching on protected forest land to build a restaurant.

On February 5th, Mr. Tran Anh Tuan, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Con Cuong district, stated that the local authorities are planning to enforce corrective measures against three households in the area.Pha Lai tourist destination(Mon Son commune). These are the owners of floating restaurants operating businesses on the Pha Lai dam, which are considered to pose a potential safety risk and negatively impact the surrounding environment. Furthermore, these restaurants are encroaching on non-agricultural land and protected land for business purposes.

This move comes after years of local authorities struggling to address the chaotic situation at this tourist spot. Numerous solutions have been implemented, along with a series of dialogues between the district People's Committee leaders and the owners of the floating restaurants, but these households still refuse to dismantle their illegal structures, openly welcoming tourists to eat and sightsee.

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This time we will resolutely address this issue completely. We will not allow the chaotic situation to continue. This tourist destination must be brought into operation in a systematic and compliant manner. Since the beginning of January 2025, the District People's Committee has issued decisions to enforce corrective measures against households occupying protected forest land and non-agricultural land, requiring the demolition of structures, restoration of the land to its original state before the violation, and the return of the occupied land within 15 days. However, these structures have still not been demolished.

Mr. Tran Anh Tuan - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Con Cuong District

This is not the first time these restaurant owners have failed to comply with local authorities' requests. Previously, on June 30, 2023, in order to ensure the construction of the Pha Lai tourist wharf complies with regulations and to bring tourism activities into order and ensure the safety of tourists, the People's Committee of Con Cuong district issued a document requiring that all inland waterway passenger transport activities in the Pha Lai dam area be stopped by July 10, 2023 at the latest. Vehicles meeting the required standards were permitted to operate at the Pha Lai 2 passenger wharf. In addition, the People's Committee of Con Cuong district also required owners of floating rafts operating in the Pha Lai dam area to hand over the water surface area on the Giang River to the People's Committee of the district before July 10, 2023. At the same time, owners of floating rafts who have signed commitments are required to dismantle all constructions, structures, supplies, materials, goods, machinery, equipment, etc., in the Pha Lai dam area before July 8, 2023.

However, the owners of floating rafts and other watercraft subsequently failed to comply with the aforementioned requirements. Therefore, on June 14, 2023, the local authorities were forced to construct a barrier at the Pha Lai dam area (leaving an entrance/exit area with a gate and lock). Simultaneously, they announced a temporary suspension of tourism activities at the dam, directing residents and tourists wishing to take boat trips to Pha Lai 2 pier. Despite this, some inland waterway vessels still did not move to Pha Lai 2 pier as required. The floating raft owners showed no signs of dismantling or moving their materials out of the Pha Lai dam area. The transportation of passengers by inland waterway, and the activities of receiving and serving food on floating rafts at the Pha Lai dam, continued.

Faced with this situation, the Mon Son commune authorities sent forces to lock the gates and barriers at the site, but met with fierce resistance from the owners of the floating houses. Therefore, despite building barriers, it was useless, as customers could still freely enter and exit the floating houses. With no other option, the Mon Son commune leaders had to issue a document, requesting the district to direct the relevant authorities to directly inspect and strictly handle inland waterway vessels that do not meet the operating requirements, in order to prevent these vessels from transporting and picking up passengers.

Wasting potential tourist destinations.

The Pha Lai Dam, located on the Giang River, was built in 2000 primarily to serve the agricultural and daily life needs of the local people. It is one of the largest irrigation projects in western Nghe An province.

In recent years, Pha Lai has become one of the most attractive tourist destinations thanks to its peaceful and romantic beauty. In the Thai language, Pha Lai means "flower peak" or "flowers clinging to rocks." This name is associated with the natural features of the area. Within the Pha Lai eco-tourism area, there are precarious rocky mountains covered with many types of vines. The miraculous arrangement of nature creates vibrant strips of colorful flowers clinging to the rocks…

Recognizing the demand from tourists, some households have started setting up floating restaurants and purchasing boats to transport visitors to explore the Giang River. According to the leaders of Mon Son commune's People's Committee, this spontaneous business is expanding, leading to safety issues and negative impacts on the environment, security, and public order.

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There have been several waterway accidents, fortunately without any casualties. Once, a large rock fell from the mountain onto a floating restaurant... In addition, to expand their services, some floating restaurant owners have encroached on protected forest land to build restrooms. Authorities have warned them against it, and when inspections are conducted during the day, they secretly operate at night.”

Mr. Luong Van Hoa – Chairman of the People's Committee of Mon Son Commune, Con Cuong District

Before requiring these floating restaurants to dismantle their structures in 2023, the People's Committee of Con Cuong District had already pointed out a series of shortcomings and inadequacies, such as floating restaurants operating without permits, without registration, not meeting technical safety standards, and violating other regulations on environment and fire safety. Meanwhile, many river transport vehicles lacked registration or had expired inspection certificates and were currently unfit for operation. Individuals and households formed business groups selling tickets for passenger transport, causing insecurity and disorder, posing a high risk to traffic safety, and resulting in tax revenue losses for the State. The food and beverage, tourism, and other water-based business activities of individuals and households caused environmental pollution, especially the direct discharge of waste and used liquids into the river. The construction of permanent structures and buildings such as access roads to floating houses, cooking areas, and toilets violates construction management regulations and encroaches on the protected forest area, affecting the infrastructure of irrigation works and posing a risk of landslides in this area…

In particular, the competition for passengers and business space has led to disputes that affect the business environment and overall planning of the entire area, seriously impacting security and order.

To develop tourism at the Pha Lai dam and bring the site into order, maximizing its inherent potential, since 2017, Con Cuong district has called on VSC Tourism and Services Co., Ltd. to invest with commitments to create favorable conditions. This company developed a project and received approval from the Nghe An Provincial People's Committee for investment and land allocation. The company has been simultaneously constructing and operating... However, the aforementioned privately owned, spontaneously established floating restaurants have been operating on the land and water areas already allocated to the company. Consequently, conflicts have frequently arisen between the company and the restaurant owners.

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We fully support the district People's Committee's decision to enforce the regulations. The chaotic situation at Pha Lai over the past years has caused great distress to the commune. Furthermore, it has resulted in the waste of a very promising tourist destination. The local authorities are eager to bring this tourist site into proper operation, ensuring compliance with regulations.

Mr. Luong Van Hoa – Chairman of the People's Committee of Mon Son Commune, Con Cuong District

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