FLC Joint Stock : Failing to protect environment jeopardizes real estate projects, says FLC CEO

The fate of a real estate project will be in danger if the investor does not care about protection of its surroundings, FLC Group's General Director Le Thanh Vinh said at the Hospitality Indochina 2017 workshop in Ho Chi Minh City on May 3.
Hospitality Indochina is an annual event centering around issues of the hospitality real estate market in the Indochina region. This year's workshop drew the participation of 250 executives of domestic and foreign organizations and companies that operate in the sector.

The workshop was focused on sustainability in the Vietnamese tourism industry and words by FLC's general director caught much attention.

Le Thanh Vinh, general director of a developer of a large number of projects across Vietnam, stressed that protecting the environment and preserving nature is a must for any long-term and professional investors.

'A resort real estate project has a long life span. If its surroundings are undermined by its investor's lack of responsibility for environmental protection, the project itself will be jeopardized,' Vinh said.

FLC Group's General Director Le Thanh Vinh.

Environmental protection is not the responsibility of the investor only, a consensus of the whole society is needed to ensure sustainable tourism development, he added.

'Only when locals see the need and join hands to protect the environment can the project and the tourism advantages are sustainable,' the CEO said.

He took FLC's sizable resort projects in Sam Son and Quy Nhon as examples of sustainability.

'When FLC started investing in Sam Son and Quy Nhon, many locals were cautious about the group. However, we have gradually changed their mindset by creating many jobs and helping locals improve their income,' Vinh noted.

Many locals in Sam Son town used to discharge waste and wastewater directly into the sea, causing severe pollution along the beach. But after FLC's arrival, which led to more tourists and more income, an increasing number of people are jointly protecting the environment and the local government has decided to invest in a waste treatment facility.

'These measures have proven effective. In contrast to chaos and dirtiness before, Sam Son's sea is becoming cleaner, thus attracting more holidaymakers although things remain to be done,' Vinh said.

Another example is Nhon Ly commune in Quy Nhon town, where the FLC Quy Nhon project is located, locals have shifted from fishing to working for FLC or organizing tours on their own. Now they believe that preserving the landscape means protecting their living.

Each FLC-invested project now recruits around 1,500 full-time employees on average, of which 95% are locals.

Theo VnEconomy