Continuous Delays in Handover of Land for the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway Project
The Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway, spanning 34.2km through Dong Nai province (with a 16km-long first component managed by the Dong Nai People’s Committee and an 18.2km-long second component under the Ministry of Transport), starts from Bien Hoa city and ends in Long Thanh district. To facilitate this project, Dong Nai authorities need to acquire over 290 hectares of land, impacting 3,500 households.
In Khu Pho Vuon Dua (Phuong Phuoc Tan, TP Bien Hoa), houses in the project’s path remain largely untouched, awaiting demolition.
Initially, Dong Nai was expected to hand over 70% of the required land by June 30, 2023, and the remaining 30% by December 31, 2023. These deadlines were subsequently adjusted to June 30, then September 15, and most recently, a further extension was requested until October 15, 2024.
The province’s most significant challenge is land compensation and resettlement issues, along with legal hurdles and agreement on compensation packages. Bien Hoa city, through which a mere 6km of the expressway will pass, has only managed to hand over 45% of the required land so far. Similarly, Long Thanh district has provided just under 63% of the land for the first component of the project.
On September 24, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, accompanied by a Government delegation, inspected the progress of the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway project.
During this visit, the Prime Minister instructed Dong Nai to complete land clearance for the second component of the project by October 15.
Rare glimpse of houses along Dinh Quang An street being demolished to make way for the expressway project.
In a report to the Prime Minister, Dong Nai authorities affirmed their commitment to delivering the land for the second component of the project.
“Dong Nai province pledges to substantially complete land clearance for the expressway section passing through the province by October 15. Regarding quarries, we have made recommendations and requested guidance from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment on the necessary procedures,” the provincial leader stated.
“Currently, the rain has subsided in Dong Nai, and the provincial leadership will meet with the contractors to encourage and expedite project progress,” they added.
Affected Residents Await Resettlement Land Allocation
On October 15, VTC News reporters visited Khu Vuon Dua in Phuong Phuoc Tan, Bien Hoa, to observe the progress of land handover by residents.
According to statistics from the People’s Committee of Bien Hoa, Khu Vuon Dua is the slowest area in terms of land clearance in the entire province due to the large number of households requiring relocation, numerous vacant lots, and illegal construction on agricultural land.
Representatives from the management unit of the second component of the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway project acknowledged that construction units are facing challenges due to a lack of soil for road embankments.
Residents impacted by the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway project expressed their willingness to yield their land for the project but highlighted the challenge of relocating without allocated resettlement land.
Nguyen Thi An, a resident of Bien Hoa, shared: “My family received the land handover decision a long time ago, and the ward authorities have measured the land and proposed compensation, but we have not yet been allocated resettlement land, so we don’t know where to move.”
“Most people here agree to give up their land for the national project, but we still have concerns about the compensation, which we feel is not reasonable,” she added.
Previously, the leaders of Dong Nai province committed to the Prime Minister that by October 15, they would hand over the land for the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway project.
According to the reporters’ observations, the project has commenced construction on several components, including road embankments, structure casting, super-T beam casting, drainage systems, culverts, and cross bridges. However, the progress remains slow, with package 18 of the first component achieving just over 3% completion, package 21 reaching nearly 10%, and the second component at approximately 13%.
According to the management unit of the second component, while the land clearance for this section has substantially met the construction requirements, the construction units are facing challenges due to a shortage of soil for road embankments.
The Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway, nearly 54km in length, traverses over 34km in Dong Nai and nearly 20km in Ba Ria-Vung Tau. The project, with a total investment of more than VND 17,800 billion, broke ground in June 2023.
The project comprises three components: the first, managed by the Dong Nai People’s Committee, spans 16km; the second, under the Ministry of Transport, covers 18.2km; and the third, overseen by the Ba Ria-Vung Tau People’s Committee, extends for 19.5km.
On October 27, 2023, the Dong Nai People’s Committee arranged resettlement areas for households affected by the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway project, including the Long Phuoc resettlement area (33.9 hectares) and the Long Duc resettlement area (30 hectares), both in Long Thanh district.
Construction in the Long Duc resettlement area has progressed to over 95% completion, and authorities have demarcated, divided, and conducted lotteries for land plots for the affected households. Meanwhile, construction in the Long Phuoc resettlement area has reached over 45% completion, and once finished, it will provide approximately 1,048 resettlement land lots.
