VietNamNet Bridge – With 39 new golf course projects which have been developed in localities, even though they are not listed in the golf course development program, the service sector which occupies big land areas tends to get excessively large.

More unauthorized golf courses discovered

Vietnam once witnessed the wave of making investments in golf courses in 2008-2009. At that time, experts warned that the massive development of golf courses would lead to bad consequences. Especially, it threatened to “gobble” the fertile land reserved for growing rice.

Therefore, the Government decided to cut 76 projects which could not meet the requirements, and only 90 projects have been listed in the golf course development plan. With the move, the government could “save” 15,600 hectares of land.

However, just two years after the drastic measure was applied, the golf course development plan has been broken, because 39 new projects have appeared.

In the report to the Prime Minister last week, the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) wrote that it has discovered 27 new unauthorized golf courses in 13 cities and provinces. Especially, the projects do not come in line with the approved land use program. Phu Quoc and Kien Giang alone have five projects.

MPI said that the projects were licensed many years ago, before the Decision No 1946, but the local authorities did not count on the projects in the reports to MPI, therefore, the projects were not listed in the development plan.

Besides the 27 projects, local authorities have proposed to add 12 golf course projects in Thanh Hoa, Thai Nguyen, Hai Phong, Thai Binh, Bac Ninh, Quang Ninh and Dak Lak into the golf course development plan.

If all the projects get approval, the total number of golf courses will be 124 instead of 90 as previously thought.

After an inspection tour to the programmed 90 golf courses, MPI has found out that 78 percent of golf course projects’ investors cannot meet the requirements.

Of the 90 projects, 24 golf courses are operational, 25 others under the construction, 13 have been licensed, while 23 have got the agreement in principle. Meanwhile, 5 projects are expected to be weeded out from the development program, including three pending projects, which have not been implemented, and two other projects which plan to have other investment purposes.

What to do with unauthorized projects?

According to MPI, there are three options to deal with the projects. And of the three options, MPI thinks that it would be better to expand the golf course development plan by accepting 118 projects.

With option 1, the development program will still have 90 gold courses by 2020. However, with five projects to be weeded out from the program, 5 new projects will be added instead. The five new projects will be selected among the 27 projects licensed before the Decision 1946. The total land area the projects will cover is 592.51 hectares, which do not include the land area for rice growing.

With option 2, the government may allow to add 11 golf courses into the development program, raising the total number of programmed projects to 96.

MPI thinks that if the option 1 is chosen, this will calm the people who criticize agencies for licensing too many golf course projects. However, in this case, the golf course development program will be adjusted every year. Meanwhile, option 2 proves to be more flexible, but this is still not the optimal solution.

Option 3 is the one chosen by MPI: accepting new unauthorized projects. If so, the number of golf course projects will increase to 118, which includes 85 programmed golf courses and 33 new projects. The ministry said that this is the “final list” of golf courses, and no more projects will be accepted. If the option is chosen, Vietnam will not have to spend time to adjust the development program any more.