Tourists Visit Bat Pagoda (Ma Toc) Source: Author of Thesis

Figure 15: Tourists visiting Bat Pagoda (Ma Toc) Source: thesis author

Figure 16: Main hall at Bat Pagoda Source: thesis author

Figure 17: Ngo racing festival in Soc Trang Source: http://festivalluagaovietnam.vn

Figure 18: A Pia cake production facility in Soc Trang. Source: http://www.baodulich.net.vn

Figure 19: A Lap Xuong military base in Soc Trang. Source: vnexpress.net

Figure 20: Soc Trang's specialty Bun nuoc leo Source: http://www.vietravel-vn.com

APPENDIX NO. 3

LIST OF IMPORTANT PROJECTS IN SOC TRANG PROVINCE

Source: Soc Trang Province Investment Promotion Center Website address: http://www.ipc.soctrang.gov.vn/

SONG PHUNG ECO-TOURISM PROJECT (FLOATING ISLE NO. 3)

PROJECT SUMMARY

Location: Song Phung Commune, Long Phu District, Soc Trang Province.

Project scale : 79 hectares

Investment period: 2009 – 2015

This is a modern eco-tourism area with many high-class entertainment and resort activities with the unique characteristics of the Mekong Delta river culture region.

INVESTMENT CALL PLAN

Legal basis:

- Pursuant to the Land Law dated February 26, 2003,

- Pursuant to the Construction Law of November 26, 2003,

- Pursuant to the Investment Law dated November 29, 2005,

- Pursuant to Decree 142/2005/ND-CP dated November 14, 2005 of the Government on collection of land and water surface rents.

- Pursuant to Decree 69/2009/ND-CP dated August 13, 2009 of the Government on Additional regulations on land use planning, land prices, land recovery, compensation, support and resettlement.

- Pursuant to Decision No. 1575/QD-UBND, dated October 11, 2004 of the Chairman of the People's Committee of Soc Trang province on approving the detailed planning of Song Phung Tourist Area (No. 3 floating island eco-tourism area), Long Phu district, Soc Trang province.

- Pursuant to Decision No. 35/2006/QD – UBT, dated June 7, 2006 of the People's Committee of Soc Trang province on promulgating the percentage rate to calculate land rental price in Soc Trang province.

- Pursuant to Decision No. 42/2008/QD-UBND, dated December 30, 2008 of the Chairman of the People's Committee of Soc Trang province on promulgating the Regulation on land prices in Soc Trang province.

- Pursuant to Official Dispatch No. 1446/CT UBND – HC, dated September 24, 2009 of the Chairman of the People's Committee of Soc Trang province on developing a Plan to call for investment in tourist areas;

- Pursuant to Decision No. 40/QDHC – CT UBND, dated January 19, 2010 of the Chairman of the People's Committee of Soc Trang province on approving the Plan and Investment Call Scheme for the Song Phung Tourist Area Project, Long Phu district, Soc Trang province.

Call content:

Soc Trang Provincial People's Committee calls on domestic and foreign investors to participate in investing in the construction of Song Phung Eco-tourism Area, Long Phu District, Soc Trang Province through the form of registering as project investors.

A. Functional zoning and land use structure planning. Functional zoning.

 The planning layout is divided into 3 main areas corresponding to 3 development stages according to investment gradation:

 Area I (phase I): Located at the end of the sandbar, is a centralized service center, including outdoor and service beaches, restaurants, kiosks, bird and animal breeding areas, complex entertainment areas, cultural exhibition areas, fairs... and wharfs, medical stations, and management houses.

 Area II (phase II): Located in the middle of the islet, arranged along both sides of the main road, the side adjacent to Hau River (looking towards Tra Vinh) is the hotel system.

high-class; in the center is a square area combined with an outdoor stage, water dance and other types of underwater art performances...

 Area III (phase III): Located at the beginning of the sandbar, where the cable car, fruit garden, fish farm and reserve for future development are located.

Land use structure.

Symbol

Soil type	Area (ha)	Rate (%)
I	Functional land	69.90	88.39
Area A	Fruit garden	24.43	30.90
Area B	Amusement, recreation, camping, picnic area	5.85	7.40
Area C	Cable car area	0.90	1.13
Area D	Resort area	0.65	0.82
Area E	Administrative and executive area	0.36	0.46
Area F	Reserve land	9.21	11.65
Area G	Sports competition area	1.00	1.26
Area H	The kiosks	0.72	0.91
Zone I	Amusement park complex	6.62	8.37
Area J	Hotel area with swimming pool	3.82	4.83
Area K	Water sports and recreation area	1.66	2.10
Area L	Beach and river bathing services	5.83	7.37
Area M	Natural animal and bird breeding area	2.65	3.35
Area N	Cultural, exhibition and fair area	2.35	2.97
Area O	Outdoor sports area	3.17	4.01
Area P	Medical - management area	0.37	0.47
Area Q	Water Art Center	0.31	0.39
II	Traffic land	9.17	11.60
Total		79.07	100.00

Maybe you are interested!

Power supply.

The tourist area is supplied with electricity from the (15) 22KV line from Song Phung commune.

Water supply.

The water source used is underground water, taken from drilled wells. The water source must be treated to meet quality standards according to clean water quality standards 20 TCN – 82 – 81

B. Project advantages. Project attractiveness

The tourist area is located on the Hau River, adjacent to the Nam Song Hau National Highway (the route connecting Can Tho City and Hau Giang), which is a favorable condition for water and road traffic, and is the hub of tourist routes on the Hau River.

Fertile land. Abundant water resources.

The project is located on a newly emerged sandbar area, the ecosystem is almost intact, at the beginning of the sandbar is where the cable car is located, this will become an important highlight, attracting tourists' views from afar. Sandbar No. 3 is also invested by the state in leasing items, leveling the ground in phase 1, planting forests and especially building a road leading to Song Phung tourist area (connecting from Nam Song Hau National Highway to the river bank).

Procedure:

- Has approved investment call

- Detailed planning has been approved.

- Clean land

- The province has invested in the embankment, leveling phase I (32.71 ha), and planting protective forests.

- The province is planning a project to build a road leading to the tourist area.

- Regarding investment and construction policies and procedures, they are fully available according to regulations, so investors can immediately implement without wasting time on initial procedures.

Project effectiveness

- To transform some poor, flooded islet areas into modern eco-tourism areas, with infrastructure systems that meet optimal requirements to serve the needs of recreation, entertainment, and daily activities of tourists, but still maintain the unique features of the Mekong Delta river culture.

- Increase revenue for the budget.

- Effectively exploit local tourism potential, to manage and protect the natural landscape environment, contributing to improving infrastructure.

- Solving regular and stable jobs for local direct workers, service types will transform the economic structure, improving people's lives.

C. Form of investment appeal

- Calling for investors to invest in the entire project in the form of land lease. The project investor is leased land by the State with land rental fees, self-invests in the construction of the entire infrastructure system of the project (leveling the ground in phase 2, traffic system, yard, drainage system and lighting system) and organizes the construction of works according to the approved planning (water supply system, domestic electricity...) self-organizes the exploitation and business of the entire project, and is responsible for profits and losses.

- Before the investment announcement deadline expires, based on the number of validly registered investors, the following cases will be handled:

+ In case there is only one registration file: The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism will consider the request to submit to the Provincial People's Committee for selection as the project investor.

+ In case there are two or more registration dossiers: The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism shall coordinate with relevant departments and branches to review the investor's capacity and submit it to the Provincial People's Committee Chairman for approval.

+ In case there is no registration dossier: The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism submits to the Provincial People's Committee a request to extend the investment calling period.

D. Requirements on the project investor's subjects and experience. Project investors calling for investment include:

- Domestic enterprises established and operating under the provisions of the Enterprise Law.

- Foreign investors and Vietnamese people residing abroad carry out investment activities in accordance with the Investment Law.

- Cooperatives are established and operate in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Cooperatives.

Conditions of project investor