New DSEDJ campsite at Cheoc Van ready this year

A new government facility dedicated to the younger generation, which includes a campsite and a youth activity center, will be ready before this year’s end, the Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) has said in response to an inquiry from the Times.

In the same response, the DSEDJ also explained that the facility, located at Cheoc Van Beach, would be part of the existing Cheoc Van Youth Hostel as an “extended supporting facility.”

The Cheoc Van Youth Hostel is intended to be a camping and activity area and can accommodate up to 10 two-person tents and two four-person tents all at once, or up to 28 campers.

“The construction project is expected to be completed this year,” the bureau also said, adding that when it begins operating, the facility will feature “nature conservation and outdoor experiential activities,” offering diverse, outdoor activity spaces, as well as a learning space for  schools and youth groups.

Built on the slopes of the Cheoc Van Nautical Center, the campsite will also be complemented by other facilities that exist on the same land plot. These other facilities used to function alongside the nautical center but are now defunct.

The specific works involved in the site’s construction include the revamping and repurposing of these previous facilities, as well as the construction of other pre-made structures that can be removed at any time.

Three years ago, the government announced it would build a youth camping and activities complex on a vacant land plot alongside the Cheoc Van Nautical Center. The complex, it said, would comprise a total area of 1,109 square meters.

One of the requirements for the approval of the project was that all the trees growing on the land plot should remain. The contractor was required to pay special attention to the stabilization of the slope, so as to avoid any future collapses or landslides.

It was also required that the buildings’ architecture harmonize with the ecological environment and natural landscape by adopting arborization solutions.

With this extension, DSEDJ sees the capacity of the Cheoc Van Youth Hostel more than double; according to DSEDJ, the current hostel facilities can only host a maximum of 24 people in two 10-bed dormitories and two two-bed rooms.