Proposed plan to terminate the Cau Cau tea island tourism project.
The Cau Cau Tea Island Tourist Area project was once expected to be a highlight in local tourism development, but after years of delayed implementation, the project has not only wasted resources but also created many negative consequences in land management, the environment, and the lives of local people. Faced with this situation, the local government and relevant departments have unanimously proposed that the Provincial People's Committee consider terminating the project.
Major project suffers prolonged delays.
The Cau Cau mixed-use tourism, service, and resort project in Hoa Quan commune (formerly Thanh An commune, Thanh Chuong district) has been stalled for many years. This situation has been previously reported by Nghe An Newspaper and radio and television in several articles, most recently in the article "Cau Cau Tea Island - When will this green gem shine?"December 2025. Recently, after conducting a field inspection, provincial agencies have unanimously proposed to the Provincial People's Committee a plan for handling the project."
On the morning of December 19, 2025, a delegation from Nghe An province conducted a site inspection and held a working session on the implementation of the Cau Cau Mixed-Use Tourism, Service and Resort Project, invested by Cienco4 Group Joint Stock Company. The delegation was chaired by Mr. Ho Phi Trieu – Deputy Director of the Department of Finance, with the participation of representatives from relevant departments and agencies and local government leaders.
According to the plan, the project covers an area of nearly 380 hectares, with a total investment of over 1,500 billion VND, to be implemented in Thanh An and Thanh Thinh communes (formerly Thanh Chuong district), now Hoa Quan commune. Phase 1 was expected to be completed in 2017 and the entire project by October 2022. However, after more than 8 years, the project has not been implemented, and compensation and land clearance work has only been carried out for phase 1, covering an area of 25.8 hectares.
During the meeting, the leaders of Hoa Quan commune stated that the prolonged delay in the project's progress has negatively impacted socio-economic development, land management, and local security and order, while also creating unfavorable public opinion. Based on this, the local authorities requested the Provincial People's Committee to consider terminating the project to attract new investors.
Representatives from the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism also noted that the project, which has dragged on for many years, has failed to create a tourism development space and requested the Provincial People's Committee to consider terminating the project in accordance with regulations. Meanwhile, representatives from the investor raised several difficulties such as obstacles in land clearance, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and proposed an extension of the project's implementation deadline.
At the meeting, Deputy Director of the Department of Finance Ho Phi Trieu concluded: “The project is behind schedule and has not fulfilled its commitments in the field of planning and investment; moreover, it has not complied with reporting requirements, has not deposited investment funds, and has been slow in project implementation. The Department of Finance requests Cienco4 Group Joint Stock Company to urgently complete the dossier and report fully on the project implementation status for compilation and submission to the Provincial People's Committee for consideration and handling according to regulations.”
Speaking with reporters, Mr. Nguyen Trong Anh, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Council of Hoa Quan commune, confirmed that the above information is accurate. He stated that for many years, the investor has not made any significant investment, leading to prolonged delays in the project and numerous negative consequences. "To avoid further waste of potential and damage to public trust, the local authorities recommend terminating the project as soon as possible to determine a more appropriate course of action," Mr. Nguyen Trong Anh stated.
By mid-January 2026, we were informed by the Hoa Quan Commune People's Committee that the Department of Finance had sent a document requesting the commune's opinion on the draft report on the project's handling plan. After reviewing the draft report, the Department of Finance determined that at this point, all conditions were met to recommend that the Provincial People's Committee consider terminating the project's operations in accordance with regulations. The Hoa Quan Commune People's Committee responded in writing, agreeing with the content of the draft report from the Department of Finance.
This needs to be resolved quickly.
Previously, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism had repeatedly given its opinion on the project's handling plan, affirming that the project's progress milestones according to the investment policy had been completed, but the project had not been implemented, significantly affecting the local tourism development and posing a potential risk to safety in managing order and waterway traffic safety in the project area.
On the other hand, in 2024, this project was considered by the Provincial People's Committee, which then assigned relevant departments and agencies to guide the investor in fulfilling its obligations to guarantee project implementation in accordance with the law on investment. However, the investor still failed to fulfill its obligations within the prescribed timeframe. Therefore, based on the provisions of the Investment Law, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has requested the Department of Finance to advise the Provincial People's Committee to decide on terminating the project; revoking the legal investment documents granted to Cienco4 Group Joint Stock Company as prescribed; and coordinating with relevant departments and agencies to select a new investor with financial capacity and experience in the field of ecotourism and resort tourism.
By early January 2026, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism was again requested by the Department of Finance to provide feedback on the draft report on the proposed solution for the Project. The draft report from the Department of Finance was similar in content to the document previously sent to Hoa Quan commune (mentioned above), so the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued a document agreeing with the content of this report.
According to information from the Department of Finance on January 26, 2026, the department is still compiling all opinions from relevant departments and agencies before submitting the final report to the Provincial People's Committee on the handling plan for the Cau Cau Mixed-Use Tourism, Service and Resort Project.
In reality, the prolonged delay in the implementation of the Cau Cau Mixed-Use Tourism, Service, and Resort Project not only wastes land resources but also degrades the landscape of the tea-growing island area, affecting the investment environment and the trust of local people. Given these consequences, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the People's Committee of Hoa Quan commune both expressed their desire for a swift and decisive decision, emphasizing that any further delay would negatively impact the province's investment environment, hinder socio-economic development, waste resources, and erode public trust.