Construction of $1b trump tower in vietnam could start next year: report

A proposed Trump Tower in Vietnam will cost an estimated $1 billion and construction of the skyscraper that would be at least 60 floors could start as soon as next year, according to a

report. Plans for the building are preliminary and no final decisions have been made, Reuters reported Friday. The tower is the second major project the Trump Organization, President Donald

Trump’s family business, is pursuing in the southeast Asian nation. Eric Trump, senior vice president of the Trump Organization, visited Vietnam last week to survey the site for the tower in

the country’s southern business hub of Ho Chi Minh City and to attend the groundbreaking for a $1.5 billion golf resort in northern Vietnam.  The approval for the golf club, according to

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, had been expedited by the authorities. EXPLORE MORE Vietnamese officials stated in a letter that the golf course needed special support from the top ranks of

government because it was “receiving special attention from the Trump administration and President Donald Trump personally,” according to The New York Times. The Trump Organization denied

these claims in a statement to The Post. “Trump International, Hanoi at Hung Yen is a completely private transaction with one of Vietnam’s premier developers,” a Trump Organization

spokesperson said. “This transaction was finalized prior to President Trump’s re-election and The Trump Organization has had no involvement with any governmental agency or authority.” For

the golf project, the Trump Organization will operate the club while its partner, Vietnamese real estate developer Kinhbac City, focuses on developing it, a source told Reuters. A similar

split is expected for the new Trump Tower, with the investment to come mostly from local partners, the source said. If permits are obtained for a building larger than 60 stories, the

investment could end up being larger than $1 billion, the source told Reuters. During the golf course’s ceremony, Eric Trump bragged that the Vietnamese projects would be “the envy of all of

Asia and of the entire world.” He promised to visit the country frequently as work on the projects takes place. The major Trump family projects come as Vietnam faces a 10% tariff from

President Trump, staring down a much harsher 46% levy that the White House put on pause last month. The country is a popular manufacturing alternative to China, exporting significant amounts

of clothing, footwear and electronics to the US. The Trump Organization operates luxury towers and golf courses across the US, Europe and the Middle East.