Realizing Ke Ga cap’s tourist development potential, the provincial People’s Committee called on businesses to invest in the area in early 2000. Afterwards, businesses built tens of resorts and high grade villas in the hope of making the area the second Mui Ne of Vietnam.
While projects were implemented and many came into operation in 2008, the provincial Department of Planning and Investment announced the policy of building Ke Ga seaport project, invested by Vietnam National Coal Mineral Industries Group (Vinacomin) with the total capital topping VND20 trillion (US$881.48 million).
By the end of 2010, the province revoked tourist projects of 12 businesses in Ke Ga area and handed over land to Vinacomin to build the seaport.
Finding the seaport project ineffective, the Prime Minister in 2013 instructed to stop construction and assigned the Ministry of Industry and Trade to work with Binh Thuan province to compensate damaged businesses.
The provincial People’s Committee sent a document proposing the ministry to approve the list of affected projects after Ke Ga seaport was halted with 11 items of compensations on January 23.
The committee asked Vinacomin to pay VND85 billion ($3.75 million) in compensation for nine projects, investors of the remaining projects disagreed with previously offered indemnities.
On January 31, Vinacomin told the People’s Committee that the group just agreed to pay VND61.5 billion for nine out of the 12 projects. The province has tasked the Land Fund Development Center to receive the amount of money and give it to affected businesses.
Still Vinacomin has yet to transfer any dong into the bank account of the center so far.
Meanwhile, resorts and restaurants have seriously downgraded for being long abandoned. Of them, The Gioi Xanh tourist site invested with over 50 high grade rooms and a system of modern restaurants is now used for chicken breeding by the site’s guard.
Pictures of downgraded resorts and restaurants taken by SGGP reporters in Ke Ga area, Binh Thuan:
