Resolutely handle the chaotic situation at Pha Lai tourist site (Con Cuong)

Occupying protective forest land to build a restaurant

On February 5, Mr. Tran Anh Tuan - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Con Cuong district said that the locality is planning to enforce and force remedial measures for 3 households inPha Lai tourist destination(Mon Son commune). These are the owners of floating restaurants operating at Pha Lai dam, which are considered to pose a potential risk to safety and affect the surrounding environment. Not only that, these restaurants also encroach on non-agricultural land and protective land to do business.

This move comes after many years of local authorities struggling to deal with the chaos at this tourist spot. Many 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 do not dismantle the illegal structures and openly welcome tourists to eat and visit.

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This time we will resolutely handle it once and for all. We will not let the chaos continue. We must put this tourist site into operation in a systematic and proper manner. Since the beginning of January 2025, the District People's Committee has issued decisions to enforce the remediation of the consequences for households occupying protective forest land and non-agricultural land and request the demolition of the structures, the return of the original state of the land before the violation, and the return of the occupied land within 15 days. However, these structures have not been dismantled yet.

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

This is not the first time that these restaurant owners have not complied with the request of the local authorities. Previously, on June 30, 2023, in order to build the Pha Lai tourist wharf in accordance with regulations, soon put tourism activities into order, and ensure safety for visitors, the People's Committee of Con Cuong district issued a document requesting that no later than July 10, 2023, all passenger transport activities by inland waterway in the Pha Lai dam area must be stopped. For vehicles that meet circulation standards, they are allowed to move to operate at Pha Lai 2 passenger wharf. In addition, the People's Committee of Con Cuong district also required the owners of floating rafts operating in the Pha Lai dam area to hand over the water surface area on the Giang River to the District People's Committee before July 10, 2023. At the same time, the owners of floating rafts who have signed a commitment are required to voluntarily dismantle construction works, structures, supplies, materials, goods, machinery, equipment, etc. in the Pha Lai dam area before July 8, 2023.

However, the owners of floating rafts as well as many other waterway vehicles later did not comply with the above requirements. Therefore, by June 14, 2023, the local authorities were forced to build a fence in the Pha Lai dam area (with a space for entry and exit, a door, and a lock). At the same time, they announced a temporary suspension of tourism activities at the dam, instructing people and tourists who need to take cruises to move to Pha Lai 2 wharf. However, some inland waterway vehicles have not yet moved to Pha Lai 2 wharf as requested. The floating raft owners have not taken any action to dismantle or move materials... out of the Pha Lai dam area. The situation of picking up and dropping off passengers by inland waterway, picking up passengers, and eating and drinking on floating rafts at Pha Lai dam is still taking place.

Faced with this situation, the Mon Son commune authorities sent forces to lock the gates and fences here, but met with fierce opposition from the owners of the floating houses. Therefore, even though the fences were built, they were still useless, because visitors still freely entered and exited the floating houses. With no other option, the leaders of Mon Son commune had to issue a document, requesting the district to direct the functional forces to directly inspect and strictly handle inland waterway vehicles that do not meet operating conditions, in order to prevent these vehicles from picking up and dropping off passengers.

Waste of potential tourist attractions

Pha Lai Dam is located on the Giang River, built in 2000 with the main purpose of serving the farming and living needs of the people. This is one of the largest irrigation projects in Western Nghe An.

In recent years, Pha Lai has become one of the attractive destinations for tourists thanks to its peaceful and poetic beauty. In Thai, Pha Lai means flower hill or flower hill on rock. This name is associated with the natural features here. In Pha Lai eco-tourism area, there are precarious rocky mountains with many species of climbing plants. The magical arrangement of nature creates colorful flower strips hanging precariously on the rocks....

Understanding the needs of tourists, some households have started to build floating restaurants and buy boats to take tourists to explore Giang River. According to the leader of Mon Son Commune People's Committee, this spontaneous business has been expanding more and more, causing unsafe situations as well as affecting the environment, security and order.

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There have been a number of waterborne 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 toilets. The authorities have failed to warn them, and when they are inspected during the day, they secretly do it at night.

Mr. Luong Van Hoa - Chairman of People's Committee of Mon Son commune, Con Cuong district

Before requiring these floating restaurants to dismantle their structures by 2023, the People's Committee of Con Cuong district also pointed out a series of shortcomings and inadequacies such as the rafts operating without a license, without registration, without ensuring technical safety standards and violating other regulations on environment and fire safety. Meanwhile, many means of transport on the river are not registered or inspected but have expired and are currently unqualified. Individuals and households have joined together to form business groups that sell tickets to transport passengers, causing insecurity and disorder, high risk of traffic safety and tax loss to the State. The business activities of food and beverage services, tourism and other activities on the water by individuals and households cause environmental pollution, especially the discharge of waste and used liquids directly into the river. The construction of fixed structures and structures such as roads leading to the raft houses, cooking areas, and toilets violates construction management order and encroaches on protective forest areas, affecting the infrastructure of irrigation works and posing a risk of landslides in this area...

In particular, the competition for passengers and business premises leads to disputes that affect the business environment and general planning activities of the entire region, seriously affecting security and order.

To develop tourism at Pha Lai dam, put this place into orderly operation, and fully exploit its inherent potential, since 2017, Con Cuong district has called on VSC Service and Tourism Company Limited to invest with commitments to create favorable conditions. This enterprise has established a project and has been approved by the People's Committee of Nghe An province for investment policy and land allocation. The enterprise has both built and exploited... However, the above-mentioned spontaneous private floating restaurants have operated on the land and water surface that has been allocated to the enterprise. Therefore, there have been many conflicts between the enterprise and the restaurant owners.

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We fully support the enforcement decision of the District People's Committee. The chaotic situation in Pha Lai in recent years has made the commune very tired. Not only that, it has also caused waste of a very potential tourist destination. The locality really wants to put this tourist destination into proper operation, ensuring compliance with regulations.

Mr. Luong Van Hoa - Chairman of People's Committee of Mon Son commune, Con Cuong district