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Phu Quoc Island may have a casino
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VietNamNet Bridge – The southern province of Kien Giang plans to allocate 130 hectares to a resort with casino on Phu Quoc Island. However, investors must have at least $4 billion of capital.

Kien Giang’s Vice Chair Dang Cong Huan on July 30 said that local, central officials and international investors met to discuss this project.

The plot of land designed for this project is located in Da Chong ground in Bai Thom commune. Kien Giang will choose a foreign investor which commits to invest at least $4 billion in the project, in the form of bidding.

The casino must cover around 30,000sq.m, which is sufficient to arrange 200-400 gambling tables and 2,000 gambling machines.

The resort must have an international-standard convention center and five-star hotels with around 3,000 rooms.

Huan said that the local government would collect the land fees once, for up to 70 years of duration. The casino will be licensed for less than 30 years.


Some projects halted

On the same day, deputy head of Phu Quoc Investment and Development Management Board, Nguyen Van Sau, said Kien Giang has revoked licences granted to three investment projects on the island.

The revoked projects are: a 10ha eco-resort project in Bai Truong Commune by Dong Nam Trading and Construction Ltd; the 4ha Duong To Resort by Phu An Ltd; and a project to build an aviation trading centre by Vietnam Airlines.

Sau said these projects were cancelled either because they no longer matched the development masterplan for Phu Quoc Island or because the project owners failed to show financial capacity to implement them.

Under the masterplan for socio-economic development of Kien Giang Province by 2020 approved by the Prime Minister on July 26, Phu Quoc Island will be developed into a centrally-administered special economic zone by 2020.

Phu Quoc is Vietnam’s largest island. Situated in the Gulf of Thailand, the island is part of Kien Giang province. The district of Phu Quoc includes the island proper and 21 smaller islets. Phu Quoc is called a “Tourist Heaven”.

Phu Quoc has a diverse terrain, with mountains, forests, a plain and beaches of many kinds. It has about 100 mountains, some of which are more than 550 meters high. The island has temperate weather, so trees are abundant.

Forests cover a big area. The jungle has many precious hardwood trees. Next to the jungle is a cinnamon forest. Phu Quoc's cinnamon is thick and contains a lot of oil. In the lower hilly regions, people grow pepper, coffee, rubber and coconut. Phu Quoc's pepper is fragrant and hot and is a valuable export item.

Animals are another resource. Phu Quoc dogs are famous for their cleverness. Phu Quoc's honey is as pure as amber and has the smell of cinnamon because bees build their hives in the cinnamon forest.

Apart from pepper, another specialty of Phu Quoc is fish sauce. The fish sauce is produced mainly from anchovies and has that fish's special flavor. The sea of Phu Quoc is stocked with fish, squid, shrimp and crabs.

Phu Quoc has many beautiful pristine beaches. The sea water is pure and has the color of sapphire. The marine life at many of the southern beaches is fantastic. Several islets are suitable for swimming, diving and fishing.

From Saigon, tourists can get to the island's Duong Dong Town on a 40 minute Vietnam Airlines flight. They can also go there by boat from Rach Gia or Ha Tien, another town of Kien Giang.

Under a 10-year-development plan, the province, situated 250km south of HCM City, will upgrade the stretch of National Highway 80 between Lo Te and Rach Soi, build a coastal road south of HCM City as well as the Ha Tien – Rach Gia – Bac Lieu Highway. These projects are expected to boost development of the Rach Gia and Phu Quoc airports.

By 2020, Kien Giang will establish the Kien Luong Town and the Ha Tien City, as well as two new districts – Thanh Hung District from Giong Rieng Town, and Soc Xoai from Hon Dat Town.

PV