The Cam Pha Town People’s Committee in northern Quang Ninh province has directed the Do Gia Capital Ltd. Co to suspend the construction of an urban area project in a buffer zone for Ha Long Bay.

The 31.8-ha project in Block 10B, Quang Hanh ward, Cam Pha town includes 3.88 ha of the buffer zone. Approved in October 2021, construction began in July 2023 and was scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 2026.

The project has total investment capital of over VND1.23 trillion ($51 million).

In August 2023, Do Gia began to level the ground for construction, but inspectors from the Ha Long Bay Management Board found that the company had dumped soil directly into the water area of the buffer zone without embankments, which can pollute the environment and the ecosystem in Ha Long Bay.