Construction of Saigon Safari Park on horizon
The Ho Chi Minh People’s Committee has approved the construction progress of the Sai Gon Safari Park project in Cu Chi district.
The People’s Committee directed the Department of Planning and Investment (DPI) to coordinate with relevant departments in working with the investor to unify project investment then report to local authorities.
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The DPI was also assigned to report on and propose the completion of legal procedures so that the developer can break ground in July.
Speeding up progress will contribute to promoting tourism and economic development in Cu Chi district and the entire northwest area of the city.
Licensed for investment in 2004, the Saigon Safari Park was initially assigned to the Saigon Zoo One Member Company Limited.
It originally planned to build a huge park consisting of a semi-wild animal area, a display of animals from different continents, as well as an amusement park, a golf course, and hotels, with total investment capital of US$500 million on 485 ha in An Nhon Tay and Phu My Hung communes in Cu Chi district. It was introduced as being the largest eco-tourism safari park in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.
The project then failed to get off the ground. “Land clearance and other works such as land surveying and landscaping were ongoing and had cost some US$28 million,” a representative from Saigon Zoo told VET. The rate of compensation work has now reached 96% but is not yet completed.
Negotiations between Saigon Zoo and its planning consultants took a long time due to the financial limits in Circular No. 01/2013/TT-BXD on managing construction and urban planning. “The budget for employing a planning consultant under the Circular was lower than the quotation from our foreign partner and we failed to negotiate a price,” said a representative from the Zoo.
The city transferred the rights to develop Saigon Safari Park from Saigon Zoo to Vinpearl in May last year, requesting the country’s leading property developer expand upon plans for the long-delayed project.
Vinpearl was allowed to engage a foreign consultant to conduct research, supplement and adjust the design options, and prepare a subdivision plan at a scale of 1/2000 in order to prepare two or three optimal options for submission to the city for approval.
