PM stops all work on hotel in park

      Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung ordered a halt to construction on the SAS Royal Hotel in Ha Noi’s Thong Nhat Park on Monday, after heated debates among the public.
The Prime Minister asked the Ha Noi People’s Committee to co-operate with relevant agencies to find another site for the property, and to compensate the hotel’s investors for previous costs.
Compensation
The committee has put forward a compensation plan for the Prime Minister’s approval.
According to an initial investor report, the foundation and surrounding walls of the four-star hotel have been completed at a cost of US$14.5 million.
Under the Prime Minister’s decision, the committee has also been asked to check all construction plans to ensure the well-being of the park and other green space in the city.
This decision was made on recommendations by the Ministry of Construction and local architects and experts. They mentioned that Ha Noi lacked proper amounts of green space – just 0.9sq.m per person against the international standard of 16sq.m – and also didn’t have enough public support for the project, as required by urban management regulations.
The ministry also said the park had great cultural and historical importance.
The People’s Committee approved the $40 million five-storey hotel on 1ha of the park’s northwest corner 18 years ago.
A licence for a joint venture between the Hanoi-tourist Corporation and SIH Investment Limited (Singapore) to build the hotel was issued in 1996.