Hanoi allocates additional 1.2mil sq.m of land for golf course

 More than 1.25 sq.m of housing, agricultural, specialised and cemetery land in Soc Son district will be reclaimed for building a golf course under a decision of the Hanoi administration.
According to newly-updated data, Soc Son international golf course will have the total area of 187.7 hectares, including 86 ha of agricultural land and 45 ha of hills. Of the 86 ha of agricultural land, there are 30 ha of rice fields.
The project investor is the Hanoi Sports and Entertainment Service Investment JS Company. This firm was licenced to invest in this golf course project on July 30, 2008, nine days after the Ministry of Planning and Investment sent a report on golf courses in Vietnam to the Prime Minister.
The “primary” part of this project is an 18-hole golf course, but it also includes a system of clubs, sub-works and villas, at a total cost of $27.1 million.
The investor has submitted a detailed plan to the Hanoi authorities for approval and combined with Soc Son district’s administration to perform site clearance.
Meanwhile, Soc Son district already has an 18-hole, 110.9ha golf course in Minh Tri commune, which was put into use in 2006.
Minister of Planning and Investment Vo Hong Phuc told the National Assembly on June 12 that Hanoi and Binh Thuan province have the most golf courses of among localities in the country, with 19 projects each. However, only nine projects in Hanoi meet established standards, he said. Phuc asked National Assembly deputies to keep an eye on the implementation of these projects by local authorities.
Several days later, Hanoi People’s Committee Chairman Nguyen The Thao told correspondents that the city had only four golf courses, namely Dong Mo Soc Son, Van Tri and Dong Quan.