Chuck Kuhn's Asia in Photos: Vietnam doesn't want golf courses to the fore

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Vietnam doesn't want golf courses to the fore

Communist Vietnam planned to restrict the growth of new golf courses encroaching on rice farms to ensure national food security and protect thousands of poor farmers, state media reported yesterday.
The Vietnam News newspaper quoted a Ministry of Planning and Investment report as saying more than 140 golf courses, either already being played on or in the planning stages, would take up almost 50,000ha of land.
More than one new course a week has been licensed since early 2006, when foreign investor interest in the ''emerging tiger'' economy surged. Vietnam's economy grew by 8.5 per cent last year.
But now, as food prices skyrocket amid double-digit inflation, the Government is planning to freeze the construction of new courses that do not meet land use criteria and environmental protection requirements.
The ministry report said, ''Local governments should cease issuing new golf licences if the projects are built on land which is currently used to cultivate two rice crops a year.''
That report finds that Vietnam has only 13 operational golf courses but that new licences have mushroomed recently, especially near the capital, Hanoi, and the southern business hub of Ho Chi Minh City.
Long An province, near the former Saigon, had issued 18 licences, and state-owned companies had also asked for permission to build many courses, with shipbuilder Vinashin alone planning five golf projects, it said. Thousands of farmers had already lost their land and livelihoods, and developers had typically compensated them by $US2 or $US3 ($A2.10-$A3.15) a square metre of land.
Eng Le Anh Tuan, from Can Tho University's environmental technology centre, said golf courses took a heavy environmental toll.
An 18-hole golf course consumed 5000 cubic metres of water a day, enough for 20,000 households, and three times the quantity of pesticides, fertilisers and other chemicals used for farming.
The Agriculture Ministry said last month that, amid Vietnam's economic boom, the amount of land under rice cultivation shrank from from 4.5 million hectares in 2000 to 4.1million hectares in 2006, ascribing this to the growth of industrial and residential areas. AFP

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They say "

“I can’t say what made me fall in love with Vietnam - that a woman’s voice can drug you; that everything is so intense. The colors, the taste, even the rain. Nothing like the filthy rain in London. They say whatever you’re looking for, you will find here. They say you come to Vietnam and you understand a lot in a few minutes, but the rest has got to be lived. The smell: that’s the first thing that hits you, promising everything in exchange for your soul. And the heat. Your shirt is straightaway a rag. You can hardly remember your name, or what you came to escape from. But at night, there’s a breeze. The river is beautiful. You could be forgiven for thinking there was no war; that the gunshots were fireworks; that only pleasure matters. A pipe of opium, or the touch of a girl who might tell you she loves you. And then, something happens, as you knew it would. And nothing can ever be the same again.”
― Graham Greene, The Quiet American

Tips on Travel to Vietnam

It's always warm in Southeast Asia apart from high mountains, so leave the heavy clothing at home. Cotton and breathable fabrics are always better than synthetics -- although cotton does wrinkle a lot when traveling! December through April is roughly the dry season in that region, although it can still rain a little. December is a good time to go in terms of temperature -- cooler than in the humid summertime. Either way, wearing more clothing (shirt sleeves and long pants) is always more respectful towards the Asian culture, especially when visiting temples and rural areas.