Haiphong projects in hiatus

Ground to a halt: land clearance issues and financial problems have plagued projects in the northern port city

The Haiphong People’s Committee revealed last week that construction of the Do Son Seaside Golf Resort and Quang Minh Tourist and Recreational Complex was being delayed by the reluctance of residents to move from the site.
Municipal authorities have also threatened to revoke the licence of Hai Phong Plaza due to developers failing to make any progresses with construction.
The committee said 54 households within the Do Son Seaside Golf Resort site were still reluctant to move, with many opposing the lower-than-expected compensation.
Project developer Ngan Anh Tourist and Trading Company planned to open the first nine holes of the $60-million development in late 2006, but the deadline has been challenged due to site clearance delays.
Do Son Seaside Golf Resort will include a resort hotel, luxury villas, shopping centre, hospital, school and eco-tourism area, as well as an 18-hole championship seaside golf course, all of which are planned to be opened in mid-2007.
Authorities said the Quang Minh Tourist Complex also faced construction obstacles, claiming an inability to relocate a 5,000-sqm cemetery used by locals.
Committee chairman Trinh Quang Su asked concerned departments to work closely with investors in order to clear residents from sites and speed up construction.
However, Su warned developers of Haiphong Plaza that they would have their licence withdrawn if they failed to restart construction of the multi-purpose complex before January 10.
Haiphong Plaza is being developed by General Electric Apparatuses and Machine Trading Company, with the project breaking ground in May 2005.
Developers hoped to have the project completed by 2008, however, there has been little progress since the initial stages.
Haiphong Plaza is a twin tower complex with one structure dedicated to hotel accommodation and the other to office space.
The towers will be connected by a shopping mall and conference hall, with the project costing an estimated $20 million.
Located on a 1.2-hectare site in Cat Bi Airport Junction New Urban Area’s 20-hectare site, Haiphong Plaza will eventually be surrounded by a number of other real estate projects, which have already received the go ahead.
Thuy Duong Company are also building the TD Plaza within the 20-hectare site, which includes a shopping mall and luxury residential twin towers.
The 26,000-sqm mall is expected to open for business in mid-2006, with rental rates between $9 and $35, while the 200 apartments will be completed one year later. Another local developer is building residential twin towers in the urban area.
Completion of the three-storey EIE shopping mall complex is also expected to provide the French Bourbon Group with a location for a Big C supercentre.
Haiphong has a population of 1.77 million people and its GDP per capita increased 14.4 per cent in 2004 to $962.
Numerous real estate projects have been proposed for the city, but only a few have actually commenced construction.