Dress up for Tet
Kha Van Can Street (Hiệp Bình Chánh Ward, Thu Duc City) is adjacent to the railway corridor on one side and connects with 48 Street, where many bustling shops and restaurants are located. Just two months ago, this 300m long stretch of road was only about 2.5m wide.
Despite the narrow road, the dense population often faces the nightmare of traffic jams, especially during peak hours. The road is also frequently flooded after every rain.
At the end of 2023, the local government upgraded this road section, expanding it to nearly 6m, twice its original width. The wide road surface is dressed in a new attire for Tet, making it convenient for people to travel. The surrounding shops can easily do business as well. The urban landscape becomes more elegant and modern.
Kha Van Can Street
To expand this road section, Mr. Tran Anh Kiet (58 years old, Head of Community Protection Committee of Hiep Binh Chanh Ward) donated 300 square meters of his family’s occupied land and transferred back 700 square meters of land from the cooperative that was previously transferred to his family, with a total area of about 1,000 square meters for the government to build the road. If calculated at the minimum land compensation price, the land that Mr. Kiet donated to the state is worth about 4-5 billion VND.
Chairman of Hiep Binh Chanh Ward People’s Committee, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, said that besides the recently upgraded road section, there are still many narrow sections along Kha Van Can Street that make it difficult for people to travel. The local government is in the process of listing and mobilizing households to donate land to quickly upgrade and expand the road system.
“This amount of money is very large to me. Instead of doing charity work, donating land to build roads will help me and my neighbors travel conveniently. I think like that, so I donated the land instead of trying to measure the amount of money because in that case, I can’t donate anything,” Mr. Kiet shared about his decision to donate land to build the road.
Both the government and the people benefit
According to Mr. Kiet, this piece of land belonged to his parents, which he used to build a fish pond and then rent out as a parking lot, a drinking place, etc. After a while, to ensure the safety of the railway corridor, Mr. Kiet left this land empty. Opposite, he also has another piece of land that is currently rented as a store.
“If the road is wider, the businesses and tenants will also have more favorable conditions. That way, I also benefit from donating the land. With the remaining 1m wide piece of land next to the railway corridor, I handed it over to the local authorities to plant trees and beautify the road. In the near future, anyone passing by this road will be surprised by its expanded width and the colorful flowers and plants surrounding it,” Mr. Kiet laughed.
Once frequently flooded, Kha Van Can Street has been expanded and cleared, thanks in part to donation of land, making it convenient for people to travel. Photo: Nhàn Lê
Mr. Kiet said that every day he witnesses many people struggling with long traffic jams, and he desires to do something to change the place where everyone is tangled up. As the Head of the Community Protection Committee of Hiep Binh Chanh Ward, every day Mr. Kiet and his colleagues have to come to this road section to coordinate and organize traffic. However, he soon realized that this was just a temporary solution. Therefore, instead of waiting for the government to compensate and clear the ground, which would take a long time, Mr. Kiet decided to donate land to quickly complete the new road.
Not expecting to be honored
This is not the first time that Mr. Kiet’s family has donated land to build roads. In the 2000s, he donated hundreds of meters of land to build 48 Street. As a result, the entire area changed, more houses were built, and business activities became more vibrant. With his contributions to the community, Mr. Kiet was honored as an exemplary citizen of Thu Duc City in 2023. Many neighboring households, seeing his actions, also agreed to donate land to open up new roads.
“I donate land not to expect to be honored. What makes me happiest is seeing the place where I was born and raised change every day. From a swamp, surrounded by rice fields in my childhood memories, this place has become a bustling neighborhood. The roads are gradually changing. Soon, the remaining part of Kha Van Can Street will be expanded, synchronized, and connected. That is the greatest happiness for me,” Mr. Kiet expressed.
Mr. Tran Anh Kiet (58 years old, Head of Community Protection Committee of Hiep Binh Chanh Ward) donated 300 square meters of his family’s land and transferred back 700 square meters of land from the cooperative to his family, with a total area of about 1,000 square meters for the government to build the road. Photo: Nhàn Lê
Chairman of Hiep Binh Chanh Ward People’s Committee, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, said that thanks to Mr. Kiet’s donation, the local government was able to quickly expand and upgrade this road section before Tet, bringing joy and excitement to the people.
According to Mr. Tuan, if they had to follow the procedures such as estimating the value, determining compensation prices, etc. to clear the ground, it would be very difficult and time-consuming to arrange the budget. Therefore, in addition to Mr. Kiet’s case, in the past year, the local authorities have also mobilized 16 households to donate 390 square meters of land to widen alley 182 of Hiep Binh Road. Previously, this alley was only 1-2m wide, but after expansion, a 16-seater car can now pass through.
