The Golden Land Grab: A 21-Year Saga in Phu Quoc

In 2003, the People’s Committee of Kien Giang Province approved in principle the implementation of the Ba Keo Resort Project by CIC Group (now known as Kien Giang Consulting, Investment, and Construction Group Joint Stock Company) on an area of over 4.3 hectares in the center of Duong Dong town, Phu Quoc district (now Duong Dong ward, Phu Quoc city).

At the time of the project’s launch, this plot of land was already home to numerous households and occupied a prime, central location on Phu Quoc Island. On November 20, 2007, the Chairman of the People’s Committee of Kien Giang Province signed Decision No. 2654 approving the overall compensation plan for the planned investment construction area of the project.

Based on this decision, on December 21, 2007, the Chairman of the People’s Committee of Phu Quoc District issued several decisions to revoke land from households and assign it to CIC Group for project implementation.

On April 14, 2011, the Phu Quoc Island Investment and Development Management Board (now known as the Phu Quoc Economic Zone Management Board) decided to grant CIC Group nearly 2,000 square meters. The decision stated that the land was allocated to the investor for the implementation of the second phase of the Ba Keo Resort Project.

On April 10, 2012, the Phu Quoc Island Investment and Development Management Board continued to decide to grant over 16,400 square meters to CIC Group. The land allocation was intended for the implementation of the Ba Keo Luxury Villas Project.

However, up to now, after relocating and clearing 35 households, the investor has only built 2 model villas.

On November 3, 2021, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tung, Director of the Phu Quoc Economic Zone Management Board, signed a decision approving the adjustment of the investment policy, transferring the legal entity of the investor from CIC Group to Duong Dong Landmark Co., Ltd. (referred to as Landmark Company); at the same time changing the name of the project to Landmark Phu Quoc Luxury Apartments. However, up to now, there is still no sign of any apartments.

In the first half of August, the People’s Committee of Phu Quoc City prepared to enforce land revocation and coercive measures to address administrative violations in the field of land against many households living on the project land.

Mr. Ngo Minh Phung, one of the residents notified of the coercion but without a coercion decision, said that he had bought the land of over 477 square meters with a handwritten contract from two other people in 2015 and 2016.

“When I bought the land, there was already a wooden house on it, and I built and expanded it. When I bought it, I didn’t know about any projects here because I saw that there were many households living on the land. I have been living here for 7 years, and then the People’s Committee of Phu Quoc City issued a violation notice, saying that I was occupying CIC Group’s land,” said Mr. Phung.

Not far away, on Tran Hung Dao Street, the shabby house where Mr. Le Van Canh’s family lived and ran a grocery store for nearly 20 years was demolished by the coercion force on August 14. Meanwhile, the owners of the neighboring grandiose houses are also worried about being dealt with.

Mr. Le Quoc Anh, Secretary of the Phu Quoc Party Committee, said that during the long duration of the Ba Keo Resort Project, many complex issues have arisen that are difficult to resolve. At present, the locality has not been able to thoroughly review the project-related documents, so there is no information to provide to the press.

Meanwhile, working with reporters from NLD, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tung, Director of the Phu Quoc Economic Zone Management Board, said that the prolonged project has not been implemented due to difficulties in the process of land revocation and site clearance, resulting in insufficient land to hand over to the investor for project implementation.