The project to build a skyscraper dubbed a “lighthouse” on the Han River in the central city of Da Nang will be suspended, said secretary of the city Party Committee Tran Tho.

>> Intense controversy erupts over project to build 25-story ‘lighthouse’ in central Vietnam Tho made the statement while talking with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Wednesday about the controversial project, which has received much feedback, both positive and negative.  The project will be suspended due to its controversial location, and another area that is more suitable should be selected to replace it, Tho said. He said that after reading all the feedback published by Tuoi Tre about the project, he personally asked the city government to re-consider the location shown at a meeting on December 25, 2014.  “We have read all the opinions related to the project and respect those that originate from the sense of responsibility of experts, the media and the public,” Tho said. The city People’s Committee has just approved the project in principle, thereby allowing the investor – Da Nang-based DHC Investment Joint Stock Company – to continue to look into the implementation of the project, but the authorities have yet to come to an official decision on the structure, Tho said.    Following Tho’s statement about suspending the project, the local department of construction said it will conduct a meeting to collect opinions from architects and other experts about the issue on January 14, instead of today, January 8, as previously planned. In talking with Tuoi Tre on Wednesday afternoon, Le Minh Duc, chairman of the DHC Investment Joint Stock Company, said that he had yet to receive from the local government a notice about a suspension of the project. “It is important that what we do be in line with the city’s common interest. It is a must to ensure harmony between the interest of the city and that of the investor,” Duc said. “With a conception of long term business, we will develop the project only when it obtains common agreement between the investor, the city administration and the public,” he affirmed. Under the project, the “lighthouse” is expected to be located about 30 meters from a bank of the river, in Son Tra District.

The base of the tower is designed to cover 400 m² and its height is equal to that of a 25-floor building at the minimum, the company said at the meeting between the investor and the local authorities on December 25. 

The tower will serve as a resort as well as a tourist and recreation site for locals and visitors, the developer added.   At the meeting, while most of the leaders of the government agencies taking part in the meeting agreed to the project, including Le Van Trung, director of the Da Nang Department of Transport, and Pham Viet Hung, chief of the local Department of Construction, many experts voiced their opposition. An architect from the Department of Construction proposed that the city authorities pay more attention to the project because hurried approval may lead to consequences that would linger for another 100 years. The architect suggested that the authorities cull more opinions from experts and the public since the river is a “precious thing for the entire people.” The architect also pointed out that the “lighthouse” is just the name of the planned building, while in reality the developer will build a high-class hotel.

In talking with Tuoi Tre, Pham Phu Binh, a member of the Vietnam Architect Association and deputy chairman of the Vietnam Construction Consulting Association, said, “This is a very sensitive issue, requiring careful consideration.” 

The “lighthouse” will certainly obstruct the river’s current given its size, Binh said, adding that he does not agree to this project from the viewpoint of an architect.

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