Thorn steel fence, road blocking into the sea
On the morning of April 21, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Chinh - Chairman of Phuoc Dong Commune (Nha Trang City) confirmed that he had reported to Nha Trang City People's Committee regarding the incident of a resort being in dispute and being fenced with barbed wire on the beach.
That is Diamond Bay resort (Phuoc Dong commune, Nha Trang city) managed by Hoan Cau Resort Golden Quang Bay Joint Stock Company. The resort has been fenced off with barbed wire for many months.
The road closure to the beach makes it difficult for the owner of this resort to welcome groups of tourists.
The barbed wire fence blocking the sea, preventing tourists from bathing not only loses beauty but also causes disorder, causing potential risks of accidents for everyone.
The main unit organizing the fence construction is Nha Trang Hoan Cau Joint Stock Company.
These two enterprises originally shared the same owner, Hoan Cau Group (headquartered in Ho Chi Minh City) - the owner of the Song Lo Tourism and Entertainment Area project with a total area of 180 hectares.
Since 2011, Hoan Cau Group has been separated into two enterprises. Accordingly, Hoan Cau Resort Joint Stock Company of Kim Cuong Bay manages Diamond Bay resort with an area of about 14 hectares and Hoan Cau Nha Trang Joint Stock Company manages 166 hectares.
Although separated into 2 independent companies, the management of the sea surface is still managed by Hoan Cau Nha Trang Joint Stock Company under an inheritance contract with the local government from 2002 to present.
This company was assigned to lease and manage 1.4 million m2 of sea surface for a period of 50 years.
The government guides the lawsuit to court
According to Chairman of Phuoc Dong Commune Nguyen Ngoc Chinh, after receiving the petition of Hoan Cau Resort Kim Cuong Bay Joint Stock Company, the local authorities came to make a record of the incident and noted the current status of the coastal road being fenced with barbed wire.
The commune found that both of the above cases were previously approved by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (now the Department of Agriculture and Environment), land allocation, and sea surface allocation.
However, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Chinh commented that this is a civil dispute, businesses can file a lawsuit for arbitration.
There are still some things unclear in this case. Although the two enterprises have separated from a "mother" company, they do not divide the sea surface.
Therefore, legally, Hoan Cau Nha Trang Joint Stock Company is managing the sea surface and Hoan Cau Resort Van Kim Cuong Joint Stock Company is only allocated land, not a legal entity for sea surface management.
This was also identified by the Department of Fisheries and Islands (formerly under the Department of Natural Resources and Environment) and proposed (in early 2025) for the Department of Land Management to review, inspect and give opinions.
The Department of Fisheries and Fisheries would like to clarify whether Hoan Cau Resort Van Kim Cuong Joint Stock Company is a business that is allowed to manage and use the sea surface for the remaining time of the contract signed with Hoan Cau Nha Trang Company Limited or not...?
This inspection is the basis for the Department of Fisheries and Islands to update and accurately inform about sea surface management. However, up to now, the Land Management Department has not yet had an official response.
