Close-up of the slow-paced project ‘ruining’ the famous tourist stream in Hue
Over 10 years ago, when Voi Stream (Loc Tien commune, Phu Loc district, Thua Thien – Hue province) was still a deserted place covered by forest trees, it was exploited by some local people, opening up this place and turning it into an attractive tourist destination. (Photo by Van Dinh)
Everything changed when Voi Stream was planned and assigned to the Hoa Lu-Hue Investment and Commerce Services Limited Company (Hoa Lu-Hue Company) to implement the Voi Stream tourism area project. (Photo: NV)
In early 2024, Voi Stream was excavated, fenced, and the water became muddy. The reason why Voi Stream is currently in a deteriorated condition is due to the slow progress of the Voi Stream tourism area project over a long period of time.
It is known that the Voi Stream tourism area project has an area of about 51.79 hectares, with an initial investment of 1,020 billion VND. According to the plan, the project officially broke ground in phase 1 at the end of March 2019 and was in operation in 2021. However, by early 2024, the project is still virtually at a standstill.
As observed by PV VTC News, the project is currently enclosed by a sheet metal fence with only one entrance gate, and there is always a guard on duty at the entrance.
In the construction site, there is a project management building, but according to observations, there is only one manager. The concrete blocks have been poured, but the steel reinforcement on top is starting to rust due to long-term abandonment.
The abandoned steel coils are exposed to sun and rain in the construction site. Local residents said that they haven’t seen any construction workers at this project for a long time.
Trash still clings to the iron stakes on the Voi Stream area.
The area on the two sides of Voi Stream was excavated by the investor to serve the construction of the tourism area project, but then abandoned, causing residents, especially those who participated in opening up this tourist stream, to feel frustrated.
Prior to the investment plan for the Voi Stream tourism area, this stream was the livelihood of dozens of households in Loc Tien commune (Phu Loc district). Specifically, 108 affected households are divided into 57 households affected by land, 25 main businesses, 16 subsidiary businesses, 1 building houses and restaurants, and 7 businesses providing accommodation…
Notably, before the implementation, the Voi Stream tourism area project faced strong opposition from local residents. Now, when seeing the project stagnate, the once poetic stream being “ruined”, people are even more disappointed.
In 2022, the Hoa Lu-Hue Company (the investor of the Voi Stream tourism area project) was previously sanctioned by the Inspectorate of the Department of Planning and Investment of Thua Thien – Hue province for administrative violations due to the slow progress of the project. According to the commitment on the project implementation progress on July 15, 2022, the investor pledged to complete Phase I of the project and put it into operation in the second quarter of 2023, but until now, the project is still at a standstill.
Currently, Thua Thien – Hue province has also included the Voi Stream tourism area project in the list of projects with slow progress that need special supervision.
A representative of Hoa Lu-Hue Company said that currently the State Bank of Vietnam is tightening credit for resorts and real estate. The company is currently restructuring its capital sources and working with state agencies to change the direction and promote compensation.
