The Hanoi-based GIICO International Investment Group has announced a plan to build a 2-billion USD tourism complex on Cat Ba Island in the northern city of Hai Phong.

According to Dien dan Doanh nghiep (The Business Forum) online, the Venus Cat Ba-Ha Long project will include resorts, hotels, trade centres and hospitals, as well as golf courses, entertainment parks and reserve areas for wild animals.

The complex will cover a total area of about 310 hectares and is expected to be completed by 2022.

Located some 45 kilometres east of Hai Phong and 150 kilometres southeast of Hanoi, Cat Ba covers more than 17,000 hectares of land and 9,200 hectares of sea. It is already recognised by UNESCO as a World Biosphere Reserve, as it boasts tropical rain forests on limestone islands, mangrove forests, coral reefs, beaches and cave networks. It is home to some 2,320 types of fauna and flora.-VNA