Stalled aquarium construction in Vung Tau resumes after 4 years

The project, which is located near Bai Truoc beach, is resuming its building of coastal revetments and land clearance will resume soon, according to a report sent by the Ba Ria-Vung Tau People’s Committee to the Vung Tau Cable Car Tourism company, the project’s main investor.

Other groups associated with launching the Hon Nguu cable car and aquarium tourism site are also on-board with resuming the project not far from the southern metropolis of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's financial and commercial hub.

Vung Tau Cable Car Tourism has been asked to send new timeline and outline of construction methods to Ba Ria-Vung Tau authorities in charge of overseeing the initiative’s progress.

The new resumption plan by the Ba Ria-Vung Tau People’s Committee and provincial departments under its purview must also monitor the construction process to ensure that it abides by regulations and does not harm the local environment.

Dau The Anh, general director of the Vung Tau Cable Car Tourism company, said that after four years on hold the plan was in need of re-evaluation and adjustments. A complete master plan on the project’s construction is expected to be completed in June, he added.

The Hon Nguu cable car and aquarium tourism site is part of Ho May Park, billed by the local government as a "tourism, cultural and entertainment area," of which the Vung Tau Cable Car Tourism company is also the main investor.

The project, spanning 6.7 ha, is expected to serve 3,000-5,000 visitors a day once completed. Alongside the region’s first major aquarium, it will also include a five-star hotel, beach access and other infrastructure," all slated to cost a total combined investment $50 million to complete and launch into operation.

However, the project would need to encroach 200 m into the sea from the coastline, totaling to 3 ha of the project taken from the sea.

The project initially stalled in August 2019, when locals protested that it would affect the sea environment too much, where they used for commercial purposes and daily lives.

The Ba Ria-Vung Tau People’s Committee then ordered a suspension of construction to "re-check the project’s legal documents," a process that delayed progress by more than 4 years.