The Vietnam National Tourism Authority (VNAT) has stated its intention to move forward with an unchanged plan to develop a huge tourism zone on Da Nang's Son Tra Peninsula.
VNAT and the Da Nang Tourism Association met in the coastal city last week to discuss the controversial Son Tra National Tourism Zone, Tuoi Tre reports. Previously, the latter organization suggested amending the plan, however VNAT has declined to do so.
The plan, which was approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in February, would turn 1,056 of Son Tra's 4,439 hectares into a tourism area featuring 1,600 hotel rooms by 2030, the news source shares.
Son Tra is home to several threatened wildlife species, while the landmass also protects Da Nang from typhoons.
Curiously, the newspaper adds that over 30 reporters who planned to attend the meeting were prevented from entering the room, while the minutes of the meeting weren't signed by the Da Nang Tourism Association, since they failed to reach a mutual agreement with VNAT.
Huynh Tran Vinh, president of the city tourism association, also shared that VNAT refused to attend a seminar which the agency hosted on conservation and sustainable development on Son Tra, while the national tourism body rejected a request to allow scientists and experts to attend the meeting.
[Photo via Central Coast Vietnam]
