Tourism projects could spoil Nha Trang beach The underground tunnel and restaurant under construction at Nha Trang beach. Photo: Tuoi Tre Four tourism projects with underground facilities that could spoil the landscape of Nha Trang beach have gotten the green light from local authorities, instead of being licensed by a senior state agency. They have been licensed by the authorities of the central province of Khanh Hoa, though under the law, the projects should have been licensed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, as they are located in a recognized national landscape site. Each project, all of which are either ongoing or about to begin, is allowed to dig deep into Nha Trang beach for underground structures, including discotheques, restaurants, bars, commercial centers, and parking lots covering thousands of square meters to serve tens of thousands of visitors daily. Ngo Van Dung, director of Nha Trang Sao Joint Stock Corp, said the 10-hectare Nha Trang Sao amusement park was granted an investment license by the local government in August 2011. Its plan has also been approved by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The VND300 billion project, which will dig into a 700 meter stretch of the beach to make space for a supermarket, a restaurant, a bar, a disco, and a cinema, is expected to reach completion in 2016. Next to it are two other projects, one under the Four Seasons restaurant, and one opposite the under-construction Nha Trang Plaza Hotel. The latter project, funded by Hai Van Nam Corp, includes a tunnel to link the hotel to Tran Phu Street and an underground restaurant covering 1,500 square meters under Tran Phu Park. Located adjacent to the project is a large underground restaurant covering 2,000m2 and a complex containing an amusement park as well as shopping and dining areas covering about 3,800m2, replacing the Four Seasons restaurant, said Tran Huu Lieu, vice president of Nha Trang Four Seasons Co Ltd. Each of these projects is located at a depth of 6 to 6.5 meters. The fourth project is a 10,000-quare-meter underground car park beneath Phu Dong Park. The Invest Park Nha Trang Co. has been licensed to undertake the construction. Legally approved? Mai Van Thang, deputy director of the municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment, said the environmental impact assessment reports of the Four Seasons restaurant and Nha Trang Plaza have been approved by the provincial state agencies, while that of Nha Trang Sao have to wait for the ministry for final approval. Thang declined to provide information on the environmental impact reports to Tuoi Tre, stating that it is only provided to the police, if required. However, Truong Kinh, head of the Management Board of Nha Trang Bay, said all the projects are located inside the national landscape site of Nha Trang. When asked by Tuoi Tre about the projects, Nguyen Dang Dao, Deputy General Director of the General Department of Sea and Islands under the ministry, said the province of Khanh Hoa has not submitted any written documents regarding the work to the ministry recently. Regarding the Nha Trang Sao project, Bui Cach Tuyen, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, said the ministry has not received any reports on environmental impact assessment. "We must have specific information on the projects so that we can form a state-level assessment board for them,” he said, since no other projects like the ones under discussion have ever been implemented. TuoitreNews