Beachfront project gone to waste after 7 years in FLC’s hands

The current state of a tourism project built and operated by FLC Group on Ho Xuan Huong Street in Sam Son Town.

The project comprises 14 facilities called “hubways” it developed as part of a town project to renovate a 3.5-kilometer section of beach at VND165 billion under build-operate-transfer mode.

It was completed in 2016 after being designed, according to FLC, by a “world-renowned” architect, and touted to become the “most modern, convenient and attractive coastal area in Vietnam.”

An abandoned hubway at the resort.

But now FLC has petitioned the People's Committee of Thanh Hoa to pull the plug on the project due to "inefficient business that has resulted in negative gross profits."

A restroom at the resort.

Nguyen Thi Bon, a Sam Son local, said five years ago her family won a bid to operate one of the hubways comprising a bar, restaurant and an outdoor area for beachgoers to bathe in freshwater, but suffered losses as the place failed to attract customers before Covid came.

"The facility itself degraded and we have to spend our own money to fix it."

The outdoor shower system is damaged but not maintained or replaced.

Syringes left behind by drug users at a restroom.

The playground for kids is now closed.

A water pipeline that used to be buried under the sand.

The paving in the sidewalk along the road is broken.

A manhole for electricity and telecommunications cables has lost its cover.

Railings along the project are rusted and left uncared for.

On March 10 an official from the Thanh Hoa Department of Planning and Investment said the province has agreed to take back the property.