On April 19th, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DONRE) of An Giang Province replied to the Department of Planning and Investment’s (DPI) request for feedback on the T&T Group Corporation’s (T&T) request to terminate the implementation of two new urban area projects in Binh Khanh and Vam Cong. T&T also requested to participate in the bidding process to select investors and to receive a refund of the deposits made for the two projects.
DONRE stated that T&T received approval from the Provincial People’s Committee (PPC) for the investment decision of the Binh Khanh new urban area project, covering an area of 132 hectares in My Khanh Commune and Binh Khanh Ward, Long Xuyen City, under Decision No. 2591/QD-UBND dated October 28th, 2019. The Vam Cong new urban area project, spanning 128 hectares in My Thới and My Thanh wards, Long Xuyen City, was approved under Decision No. 2590/QD-UBND on the same date.
According to the report, T&T has deposited a total of 80.7 billion VND for the two projects (43.3 billion VND for the Binh Khanh project and nearly 37.4 billion VND for Vam Cong). The projects have been approved for detailed planning at a scale of 1/500 by the Long Xuyen City People’s Committee and have received an Environmental Impact Assessment report approved by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in 2022. They are in line with the land use plan for Long Xuyen City for the period 2021-2030 and are included in the city’s land use plan for 2023.
However, due to challenges in land-related policies and difficulties in site clearance, T&T Group Corporation has requested to suspend the implementation of the projects. They propose that the PPC call for investors and carry out the procedures for selecting investors in accordance with legal regulations.
T&T also expressed interest in contributing to the adjustment of Long Xuyen City’s overall planning and proposed new investment projects that align with the objectives, plans, and legal regulations. They requested a refund of the deposit they had paid to the state budget as a guarantee for the implementation of the two projects.
DONRE noted that the two projects are among 11 urban area and residential area projects covering over 20 hectares that have encountered legal procedural obstacles. The Provincial Party Committee’s Standing Board has agreed to halt their implementation and encourage investors to initiate procedures to terminate the projects, as per Notice No. 137-TB/BCSĐ dated May 24th, 2023. Additionally, the projects are included in the Ministry of Construction’s Inspection Conclusion due to their approval for investment not being in accordance with the legal regulations on investment and construction. Therefore, DONRE has proposed to the PPC to approve T&T Group’s request to terminate the two projects.
Regarding the refund of the project implementation deposit, DONRE suggested that the DPI refer to relevant investment and legal regulations, along with the opinions of related units, and report to the PPC for consideration and decision.
In December 2019, the An Giang Provincial People’s Committee granted investment approval for the two urban areas to T&T Group, with a total investment capital of 8.656 billion VND. The Binh Khanh new urban area has a registered investment capital of 4.746 billion VND, covers an area of 132 hectares, and is expected to house over 31,000 people. The Vam Cong new urban area has a total registered investment capital of 3.910 billion VND, covers 128 hectares, and is projected to accommodate over 25,000 residents.
 Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh – Chairman of An Giang Provincial People’s Committee, handing over the investment approval decision for the two new urban area projects to Mr. Do Quang Hien (Bau Hien) – Chairman of T&T.
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