Enterprise’s proposal to reclaim land in Nha Trang Bay for $1.53bn statue, undersea complex rejected

Nguyen Thanh Ha, chief of office of the Khanh Hoa People’s Committee, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the proposal is not only inconsistent with the current planning but also involves concerns about the environment, natural landscape, and ecosystem of Nha Trang Bay.

Meanwhile, Chau Ngo Anh Nhan, director of the Khanh Hoa Department of Finance, said that the proposed location for the 'Mother Au Co' statue project is the Cau Da beach area, about 200 meters from the shore in front of Bach Dang Park on Tran Phu Street in Nha Trang, with a proposed area of approximately 20 hectares of sea surface.

According to Nhan, the proposed location is inconsistent with the provincial master plan for the 2021–30 period, with a vision to 2050, which was approved by the prime minister in 2023.

As a result, the Department of Finance determined that the proposal by HCM57 Technology is not in accordance with the currently approved planning and does not meet the conditions required to proceed with further procedures under existing regulations.

The provincial administration received an official document dated June 17, 2025 from HCM57 Technology Co. Ltd., headquartered at the VCN Building on To Huu Street, Nam Nha Trang Ward, Khanh Hoa Province.

Vietnam eliminated the district-level administrative unit nationwide starting July 1 and restructured local administrations into a two-tiered system, including provinces/cities and wards/communes.

As a result, Nam Nha Trang Ward was formed through the merger of the former Van Thanh, Loc Tho, Vinh Nguyen, Tan Tien, and Phuoc Hoa Wards in the esrtwhile provincial capital of Nha Trang.

HCM57 Technology introduced the project to provincial leaders as 'The Mother Au Co statue: Vietnam’s and the world's largest cultural and tourism landmark.'

Au Co is believed to be an ancestor of the current Vietnamese people.

According to the company, the proposed statue was designed to be 257 meters tall, resembling a perfect island emerging from the sea, serving as a cultural and architectural icon. The design would have a circular shape.

The reclaimed land area for the 'Mother Au Co statue' project was expected to cover 207,394 square meters, with a diameter of over 0.5 kilometers.

The proposed location is around 257 meters from the shoreline, and a bridge would be constructed to connect the island to the mainland.

The statue would include a 57-meter pedestal and a 200-meter-tall statue, together with a 200-meter-high flagpole.

In addition to the statue, the company proposed developing a luxury underwater hotel, shopping mall, restaurant complex, and ticketed tourist attraction complex.

The company planned to develop the project between 2026 and 2028.