Project encroaching on Ha Long Bay fined $5,100

By Le Tan November 7, 2023 | 07:33 am PT

A section of an urban project that encroaches on the Ha Long Bay, Quang Ninh Province, November 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Le Tan

The main investor of an urban project built illegally on a protected zone in northern Quang Ninh Province’s Ha Long Bay has been fined VND125 million ($5,140) for environmental violations.

The Do Gia Capital company, the main investor of the "10B urban project" in Cam Pha City, has not made public the project’s environmental impact evaluation report, inspectors from the province's Department of Natural Resources and the Environment said on Tuesday.

The investor has also not constructed surrounding dike systems, and has already poured rubble into the waters surrounding the project site without dredging the sea floor. This has caused the mud to be swept into the sea by the tides.

Within 10 days after receiving the decision, the firm must pay the fine and publicize the environmental impact evaluation report, according to the inspectors’ decision.

Nearly 4 ha of the 32 ha project, under construction in Quang Hanh Ward at a cost of VND1.23 trillion ($50.63 million) paid for Do Gia Capital and its partners, is located within a protected zone that belongs to Ha Long Bay’s special UNESCO National World Heritage site.

Construction of the project has been halted by Cam Pha authorities to evaluate its construction methods.

Ha Long Bay was deemed a national heritage site in 2009 and recognized by UNESCO as a natural heritage in 1994 and 2000. The bay spans 1,553 km2, of which 434 km2 contains 775 islands.