On Vietnam’s coast, bigger is better...or is it?

Vietnam’s once pristine coastline is being transformed by a wave of huge tourism developments. Fishing villages and empty beaches are giving way to golf courses and high-rise luxury hotels.

For Vietnamese who are just emerging from decades of rural poverty, it is hard to see what is being lost. But with the global economy turning sour, it is no longer clear that the tourist market for such massive luxury projects exists anymore.

From central Vietnam, Matt Steinglass has more.

Vietnam’s Idylic Langur Oasis Under Threat

Saturday, 28 February 2009 00:00 Matt Steinglass

For the past nine years Canadian Sylvio Lamarche has run one of the last laid-back beach resorts in Vietnam.

Jungle Beach, just north of Nha Trang, is a cluster of simple bamboo huts at the foot of jungle-covered mountains. The mountains are home to a troop of rare langurs, unlike those found anywhere else.

But the ape’s idyllic sanctuary is under threat. The Vietnamese government has announced huge plans to develop the area, including the construction of a massive oil refinery.

From central Vietnam, Matt Steinglass has more.

Big and Bigger On Vietnam’s Holiday Coast

Saturday, 28 March 2009 14:22 Matt Steinglass

Vietnam’s once pristine coastline is being transformed by a wave of huge tourism developments.

Fishing villages and empty beaches are giving way to golf courses and high-rise luxury hotels.

For Vietnamese who are just emerging from decades of rural poverty, it is hard to see what is being lost.

But with the global economy turning sour, it is no longer clear that the tourist market for such massive luxury projects exists anymore.