ĐÀ NẴNG — The central city’s investment promotion agency (IPA) has asked a group of investors for a detailed plan of their proposals to develop an artificial island resort project off the coast of Đà Nẵng.

Deputy director of the IPA, Huỳnh Thị Liên Phương, told Việt Nam News that the project would create a 1,400ha island tourism and entertainment complex costing around US$8 billion. The project is backed by three investors – Pavilion from Malaysia, Vietnamese firm Bamboo Capital and the Đà Nẵng joint-stock food company (Danafood).

Phương said the project was only in its early stages. A clear plan and questions of feasibility have not yet been discussed by local departments and agencies.

The group of investors has proposed building what they would call the Lotus Island 1km from the mainland in Đà Nẵng Bay in the Thanh Khê and Liên Chiểu districts within six years.

The project would include different islets in the design of a lotus and four bridges connecting the island to the mainland.

The investors also plan to build apartments, a cultural and entertainment centre, a technology park, a financial centre, a Formula One track, a casino, golf courses, a retail centre and a cruise harbour.

“We have asked investors to display more information on the project and assessment process as well as conduct a pre-feasibility study on the project,” Phương said.

She said the mega project must be approved by the Prime Minister and pass strict assessments by different ministries.

The project would dig sand from Đà Nẵng Bay and nearby areas to construct the artificial island and islets.

Huỳnh Vạn Thắng, an expert in irrigation, warned the project must be carefully scrutinised and supervised. He said it was imperative that authorities required a rigorous environmental assessment including a study of how the project would affect the flow of local rivers and sea currents.

He said some coastal property projects in Đà Nẵng had changed natural flows and caused serious erosion of beaches.

The Lotus Island project would be the biggest development project in Đà Nẵng so far.

The Sunrise Bay Project, part of the under-developed coastal Đa Phước urban project in downtown Hải Châu District, was seen as the biggest coast-expansion project in the city when it was built on 200ha of backfilled sand.   

Tourism real estate remains an investment magnet in the central city, attracting 25 FDI projects worth $1.8 billion. — VNS