South Korea firm sinks golf project in one

Construction of the golf course is expected to start “very soon” thanks to the enthusiastic support from the provincial government, according to Lee Dae Bong, chairman of Charm Vit Group, the South Korea-based company behind East Asia Air Express.
“We acknowledge land clearance is a problematic issue [in Vietnam]. However, we have been strongly supported by provincial authorities.
They have helped us to prepare and we believe the land clearance issue will be addressed in a short time,” said Lee.

Lee has already experience of developing a 36-hole golf course in Nanjing, an estate identified as “top class” in China.

Construction of the golf course was completed in just over year, from June 2002 to July 2003, an impressive feat he would like to repeat in Vietnam.

“We have scheduled a groundbreaking ceremony on the first of October next year. Also on October 7, 2005, we will celebrate our company’s 30th anniversary in South Korea, where we will announce the completion of a 36-hole golf course in Vietnam,” he said, adding that the grand opening of the first 36 holes would take place on October 27 next year.

The other 18 holes would be finished by 2006, Lee said. By then the completed estate would also include a clubhouse, a five-star hotel and luxurious villas designed for lease or sale.

“We are determined to develop a golf course that will not only be the largest and best in Vietnam and Asia, but also of international top quality, so it will be able to receive top government officials from around the world,” he claimed.

His Nanjing-based golf course has received several high-ranking government officials from outside China but unfortunately inhospitable weather, from November to March, forces the golf course to close the gates for that period.

Lee also has another golf project in Kunning, China, which he says will receive an investment licence “in the near future”. However cold weather will also be a cause for concern for the developer.

“That is why we have chosen Vietnam to implement another golf course project. So golfers can play throughout the year,” he said.