HANOI (AFP): Vietnam's biggest conglomerate Vingroup said Monday it is seeking permission to begin work next month on a $9 billion dollar real estate project in a southern coastal area home to a UNESCO-listed mangrove forest.
The project in Can Gio -- on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City -- attracted rare criticism when it was approved in 2020 from academics and environmental experts, who worried about its proximity to the area's biosphere reserve.
Scheduled for completion in 2030, the Can Gio Sea Reclamation Urban Development project envisions itself as a coastal tourism hub that features hotels, a smart city and residential areas across an area of 2,870 hectares (7,090 acres).
It should be able to accommodate 230,000 residents and attract nine million tourists annually once completed, according to state media.
Vingroup told AFP Monday it would "aim to commence construction on April 30 this year", adding that the "thoughtfully planned" project demonstrated its "commitment to sustainable development by ensuring environmental protection and creating a comfortable, nature-friendly living environment".
State media says the development area is located some 18 kilometres (11 miles) from the Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve, regarded as the "green lungs" of vast metropolis Ho Chi Minh City.
The mangroves absorb carbon dioxide and other polluting agents on a daily basis and contain a high diversity of plant and animal species, according to UNESCO.
In an online petition launched in 2020 and addressed to the then-most powerful leaders in Vietnam -- a one-party communist state -- 23 prominent academics, environmentalists and researchers urged authorities to conduct a review and an independent assessment of the plans.
"The project poses a serious threat on the Can Gio mangrove forest, hampering its function as a protection forest, which may lead to a series of harm to the (nearby) urban regions," they wrote.
The signatories, who include GreenID, one of Vietnam's most prominent environmental organisations, also said that pursuing a "gargantuan" land reclamation project in Can Gio is "extremely dangerous in the context of worsening climate change", posing risks related to erosion, flooding and water stagnation.
More than 6,200 people have signed the petition, with the latest signature a month ago.
Vingroup told AFP that an environmental impact assessment report had been reviewed and approved by a "council comprising leading scientists and relevant government authorities, in full compliance with legal procedures".
Vingroup, parent group of Nasdaq-listed electric vehicle maker VinFast, is hugely powerful in Vietnam and its business interests span everything from healthcare to real estate and education to tech. - AFP
