Dalat golf course developer rumoured

The golf-course tender has not yet been awarded, despite rumours to the contrary

A recent article in Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper said that Lam Dong province authorities had given the go-ahead to KGim to develop a 36-hole golf course on 150 hectares at the well-known Tuyen Lam Lake tourist site.
The newspaper also said KGim had won the rights to lease 50ha to develop a resort and high-rise entertainment centre on the same site to serve golf players. Total investment capital for the project was estimated at $150 million.
However, a senior official from the provincial department of trade and tourism (DoTT) in charge of the project rejected the claims.
“KGim is just one of the two foreign investors showing interest in the project, but we have yet to say yes to the official developer,” he told Vietnam Investment Review last week.
Winwest, a US giant in the hospitality industry, was also bidding for the golf course development project, the DoTT official said.
He said the provincial government had required his department to cooperate with other relevant agencies such as the project management board, the department of planning and investment, and the centre for tourism, trading and investment promotion, to accelerate the project’s implementation.
“We will meet with KGim, Winwest and 15 other investors eyeing the Tuyen Lam Lake tourist complex by the end of March or early next month to examine their financial capabilities.
“A final decision [on the developer for the project] will only be given after the meeting,” he said.
The golf course is an important part of the ambitious project to develop the 2,760ha tourist complex around Tuyen Lam Lake, which will also develop resorts, casinos, garden villas, theme parks, eco-tourism villages, and suspended cables.
“If successful, the golf course will be the second in Dalat and one of the best in Southeast Asia,” the official said.
Dalat, a former French hill station, already has an 18-hole golf course, located on 65ha on the Cu Hill, next to Xuan Huong Lake.
The golf course, now managed by DRI, a joint venture between Hong Kong’s Danao and Dalat Tourist Company, was established in 1992 and has more than 100 members.