A government taskforce will be established to inspect the implementation of golf course planning in provinces and cities nationwide, the government has decided.

A government taskforce will be established to inspect the implementation of golf course planning in provinces and cities nationwide, the government has decided.

The inspectors will report the results to Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in December.

Vietnam will have 89 golf courses by 2020, most of which will only be licensed in highland and coastal areas or on land deemed unsuitable for agriculture, according to a zoning plan approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung last year.

The plan has most golf courses located in north central and coastal south central areas of the country.

Golf courses will no longer be licensed on land formerly used for rice cultivation, industrial zones, urban zones and forests, especially protective forests and special-use forests.

Infertile rice-growing land can be considered for development but will only account for less than five percent of the total area licensed to each project.

Each 18-hole golf course will have a maximum area of 100 hectares.

The plan also regulates that golf course developers must not use land licensed for courses to build housing facilities and villas for trading purposes.

Land rentals for golf courses are generally much lower than those for property projects. Investors had previously exploited this loophole to cash in on their investments.

Golf course developers who fail to kick start their projects within 12 months after receiving the licenses will have their licenses revoked.

The investors will also have a deadline of 48 months after receiving license to put the facilities into operation.

Each developer is also required to submit an environmental report before winning approval.

Investors must also draw up measures to employ local laborers, especially those whose land has been cleared to make ways for the projects.

A report by the Ministry of Planning and Investment said Vietnam’s both operational and under construction golf courses cover 45,000 hectares of land – most of which had been used for crops.

The rush to build golf courses started two years ago as Vietnam’s tourism czars were working to position the country as Asia’s next big golf destination.

It has forced farmers off their land to make way for ritzy new clubhouses, and raised concerns over scarce water resources and run-offs from pesticide use.

Source: Tuoi Tre