A large four-star resort has been illegally built in Hanoi's Ba Vi District, yet the local authorities claim they had no knowledge of the project.
Le Mont Bavi Resort and Spa
On February 29, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development asked the investor of Le Mont Bavi Resort and Spa to halt the construction from March 1. The construction, in the middle of Ba Vi National Park, is almost completed. Despite the buildings being located on an 'particularly important area' the local military steering committee and authorities claimed to be completely unaware of major building work.
Luong Ngoc Anh, the project's investor, said documents from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development allows managers of Ba Vi National Park to establish joint ventures or to call for investment.
"We completed and submitted all documents from planning to fire safety to environment impacts but the agencies keep pushing the responsibility onto each other. My project was in limbo, waiting for the permit and we had already spent money on it," he said.
Anh said he would follow the ministry's instruction to halt construction but some continues to believe that he has remained within the law. "I believe that in the coming time, the authorities will support us so the project can be continued."
Nguyen Quang Nhuong, head of the district construction inspectorate said the resort was built in 2008 and the inspectorate was established in 2011. "We have conducted several inspections since 2011 but nothing new was built," he said.
When being asked why they hadn’t filed a report on this major breach, Nhuong said that the responsibility belonged to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, which manages Ba Vi National Park directly.
Nguyen Van Ha, chairman of Ba Vi District People's Council said he hadn't received any reports. He said, "We don't know anything. Moreover, projects inside national parks never go through us. For every project that is located on areas of military interest we always ask for the military's opinion, even projects inside Ba Vi National Park."
Bach Cong Tien, chairman of Ba Vi People's Committee, refused to comment on the subject, saying that Ba Vi National Park is not under their management. "We don't have authority over the park. They also never seek out our opinions for the activities inside it so we don't know anything."
