Da Nang forests slated for resorts, landfills

The legislative Da Nang People’s Council passed resolutions at a Wednesday meeting regarding the conversion of forest areas at the foot of the Hai Van Pass and Hoa Vang District into resorts, industrial complexes and landfill expansions.

Forty-seven out of 48 delegates at the meeting agreed with converting around 30 ha of forests (over 18 ha being acacia forests belonging to families, and over 11 ha being forests of acacia, pine, ta-khian and resin trees using the city’s budget) at the Lang Van resort and entertainment area project in Lien Chieu District.

The project, by an unnamed business, was approved for investment by the Da Nang People’s Committee in 2016 at a total cost of VND3 trillion ($123.47 million). The project would be located at the foot of the Hai Van Pass, looking out into the Da Nang Gulf and be adjacent to the Lien Chieu Port project.

Luong Nguyen Minh Triet, chairman of the Da Nang People’s Council has requested the People’s Committee to be responsible for the forest classification and boundary determination for the project, and to avoid changing the landscape "too much."

Also at the meeting, 46 out of 48 delegates passed a resolution for the conversion of around 44 ha of forests, mostly people’s acacias lands, in Hoa Vang District, for the construction of the Hoa Ninh industrial complex.

The complex would be around 22 km to the west of the Da Nang city center. It would span over 400 ha, dealing with sectors such as electronics, medicine and consumer’s products. Once completed, the complex is expected to attract 218 projects, with a total investment capital at VND26 trillion.

All the delegates at the meeting passed a resolution to convert 5 ha of production forests at the Khanh Son waste treatment complex for the addition of a new waste area to replace the one that is expected to close down at the end of 2024. The addition is expected to cost VND25 billion.

Da Nang collects 1,800-2,500 tons of domestic waste a day, but it has only the Khanh Son landfill to bury the waste, which causes a foul odor to nearby neighborhoods.

Nguyen Thanh Tien, head of the urban division of the Da Nang People’s Council, said the addition of the No.7 waste area is only a short-term solution. As Khanh Son is the sole waste processing facility for the entire city, in the long run, investment procedures for two projects to process a total of 1,650 tons of waste a day will need to be hastened.