The eleven-letter giant sign has been removed.

Hoa Binh People’s Committee previously approved the VND11-billion (USD434,781) signboard project on Ong Tuong Hill which consisted of 11 huge letters. The project was scheduled to be completed this year.

The letters used on the signboard are 10 metres high and 1.4 metres wide and were constructed of steel and aluminum. The automatic LED lighting system will be also applied.

However, the project raised strong public controversy, saying that Hoa Binh remains a poor locality, so the investment should be prioritised for infrastructure development.

According to the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the investment for the project was high because it is located on complicated terrain.

The provincial people’s committee then urged departments of culture, sports and tourism and planning and investment to investigate the wastefulness of the project.

Niem added that the project implementation is being considered for being extended to checking investment procedures again to have the best solution in line with laws. The investor will also call for private investment sources to support part of the project.

The report on the project will be reported to local authorities in the fourth quarter of this year.