Billion-dollar deserted urban area
Located along the Cu De River, Golden Hills City urban area (Hai Van ward, Da Nang) was once promoted as the most modern ecological urban area in the northwest of the city. However, Lao Dong's actual records show that hundreds of villas and shophouses are built in rough construction and then "covered in tarpaulins", wasting many years.
Brick walls have not been plastered, doors have not been installed, weeds have grown overflowing the walkways. Many internal roads have cracked, and the entertainment infrastructure is degraded. During the day, there are few people passing by, and at night the scene is gloomy like a "ghost neighborhood".
Ms. Nguyen Thi Oanh (55 years old, living near the area) said: "The billion-VND villa has been exposed to rain and sun for many years, at times it even became a place to graze buffaloes and cows. It's heartbreaking to see.
The project has a scale of more than 380ha, with a total initial capital of more than 4,400 billion VND invested by Trung Nam Joint Stock Company. However, according to the conclusion of the Government Inspectorate, the project has a series of violations from the stage of selecting investors, land allocation, to rice land management, financial obligations... leading to the risk of budget loss.
It is worth mentioning that technical infrastructure has been basically completed many years ago. Roads are spacious but there are no residents, land resources are "frozen", wasted for a long time.
Similarly, along the Truong Sa route, next to Tan Tra beach, the Aria Da Nang Hotel & Resort project was once expected to become a high-class resort complex. Started in January 2020, expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2022, but so far many building blocks are still just bare concrete frames.
Weeds surround unfinished sea villas. Two 30-story apartment towers are only in rough construction. One side is a gently blue beach, the other side is a jagged structure.
Ms. Tran Thi Thu (local resident) shared: "People hope the project will be completed soon to make the tourism face more synchronized. Leaving the concrete frame to be exposed to sun and rain like this is a waste of this prime coastal location.
The project has a total investment of about 756 billion VND, invested by Hanoi Non Nuoc Tourism Investment Joint Stock Company, and was once extended for 24 months due to delays in implementation for many years. However, it has not yet been able to "reach the finish line". As a result, the investor's capital is "buried", and the local budget loses revenue.
Rectifying spreading investment
At the end of March 2025, Quang Da bridge was technically opened to traffic with a total capital of more than 274 billion VND. Expecting to "connect the joyful shore" between old Da Nang and Quang Nam. But nearly a year has passed, the bridge has still not been effective because it lacks more than 4.5km of access roads on the Quang Nam side.
The current state of the road to the bridge is only temporarily filled with soil for motorbikes to pass. The foundation height is more than 2m higher than the bridge deck, many sections are overgrown with grass. The Northern Ring Road project has expired, facing site clearance and lack of filling soil.
A modern bridge "stands waiting" in the middle of nowhere, while the budget has disbursed hundreds of billions of VND.
The reality at Golden Hills, Aria Resort or Quang Da bridge raises a big question about the effectiveness of public investment and socialization investment associated with infrastructure: Is there road construction in advance to "encircle" land plots that are not in real need?
If the existing transportation system still meets the needs for the next 5-10 years, continuing to pour capital into deserted roads may become a "waste of opportunity". Each budget dollar "buried" on asphalt when not urgent is a capital dollar that loses investment opportunities for social security, education, and the environment.
Originating from the spirit of Resolution 79 and the General Secretary's direction on "waste is even more frightening than corruption", Da Nang is facing the requirement to change its development mindset.
Da Nang Party Secretary Le Ngoc Quang emphasized: Public investment in the coming period is a race for efficiency and vision. The city must review and select a list of key projects to ensure feasibility, focus and key points, avoiding spreading out. The selected projects must truly be a driving force, creating new development space and sustainable revenue sources.
The message given is very clear: Resolutely not to let valuable capital "lie waiting" on unnecessary roads. Instead, focus on dynamic projects such as Lien Chieu port, logistics infrastructure, digital infrastructure, wastewater treatment, and flood prevention.
The problem posed is not only to complete the project on schedule, but also to "equitablely account": Spending 1,000 billion VND, will the social benefits earned exceed that number? After 3-5 years, will the project create real value or is it just above the report?
Grassy roads, villas exposed to sun and rain, or bridges lacking access roads are vivid evidence of the warning of "losing people's capital".
