The Department of Planning and Investment of Hanoi recently issued a decision to stop the construction of a park project called Sanrio Hello Kitty World Hanoi in Tay Ho District four years after its investor announced the project.

The department shared that the project developer, BRG Group, was no longer allowed to use the project location, adding that it also failed to complete the required procedures for updating a new investment location within six months of the revocation of land usage rights.

The decision highlights the investor’s accountability to finalize the project’s liquidation and fulfill all obligations as per legal requirements.

Previously, BRG Group made a request on December 20, 2022 to halt the project implementation in order to restart necessary procedures for investment.

As per the project plan announced in May 2019, Sanrio Hello Kitty World Hanoi would cover an area of 30,000 square meters at 151-153 Yen Phu Street next to the West Lake, a major attraction in Tay Ho District not far from the city center and near famous hotels such as the Sheraton and Intercontinental Hanoi Westlake.

BRG Group was poised to team up with Japan’s Sanrio Group, the owner of the Hello Kitty brand, to complete the project and put it into operation in 2021.

Delegates attend the ground-breaking ceremony of the Sanrio Hello Kitty World Hanoi project in Tay Ho District, Hanoi. Photo: B.N. / Tuoi Tre

It would also have been Sanrio’s first entertainment complex in Southeast Asia.

The park was advertised to have diverse amusement activities including entertainment games, parade show tours, and theaters.

However, the project construction site remains undeveloped after four years and the land still appears vacant.

A representative of BRG clarified that the suspension of the Hello Kitty park project was unrelated to any financial constraints, adding that the group will coordinate with Sanrio to determine a new location for the project.

The two firms may reach a consensus on excluding Hanoi as a potential site.

The representative stressed that BRG remains committed to realizing the Hello Kitty park project and has no intentions of abandoning the initiative.

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