Negligence Leads to Costly Consequences: A Tale of Mismanaged Construction Demolition
On May 15, Mr. Tô Văn Huỳnh, a resident of Nha Trang City in Khánh Hòa Province, received a notification regarding the resolution of his accusations against the People’s Committee of Lộc Thọ Ward pertaining to the forced demolition of a hotel construction project located at 9/2D Nguyễn Thiện Thuật Street, which exceeded the permitted number of floors.
Iron and Steel Worth Tons, Discarded as Garbage?
Among Mr. Huỳnh’s accusations, one notable aspect was the acknowledgment by the Chairman of the Nha Trang City People’s Committee that the allegation regarding the disposal of electrical systems, fire protection equipment, air conditioning units, ventilation systems, and iron structures without informing Mr. Huỳnh of their storage location, was partially true.
During a working session on March 14, 2025, the construction unit responsible for the forced demolition (Thanh Bình Construction Service Development Co., Ltd.) confirmed that they had dismantled and transported the ceiling pipe systems to a garbage dump site.
Regarding the iron structures on the top floor of the building, the construction unit argued that they cut and dismantled them according to their location and also transported them to a garbage dump site.
Similarly, the iron and steel components of the structure were reinforced and, you guessed it, transported to a garbage dump site.
While the Nha Trang City People’s Committee acknowledged that the demolition plan required the construction unit to transport assets and belongings to a designated site for handover to the authorities, they also pointed out that Government Decree 166, which pertains to forced demolitions, does not stipulate that the enforcing unit must inform the violator of the storage location.
As a result, the Chairman of Nha Trang City, Mr. Trần Minh Chiến, concluded that Mr. Huỳnh’s accusation was only partially true.
Furthermore, the People’s Committee of Lộc Thọ Ward was found to have inadequately supervised and inspected the construction unit, leading to the improper accumulation of waste generated during the demolition process, which deviated from the approved plan.
However, according to Mr. Huỳnh, during the forced demolition process, the local authorities sold all the iron and steel, fire protection equipment, and copper air conditioning pipes, amounting to 70 tons (worth nearly 700 million VND). Mr. Huỳnh provided images and clips of 11 instances where scrap metal from the hotel was transported and sold to scrap yards.
Tons of iron and steel allegedly taken to the garbage dump by the construction unit.
Demolition Gone Awry: Unintended Consequences
Mr. Trần Minh Chiến, Chairman of Nha Trang City, validated another accusation made by Mr. Huỳnh regarding the unauthorized demolition of an Alu ramp worth VND 15.2 million and a camera worth VND 3.5 million.
Additionally, the citizen’s accusation regarding the non-return of assets, despite having paid the property preservation and forced demolition fees, was found to be partially true. While the People’s Committee of Lộc Thọ Ward organized the handover of assets, they failed to ensure timely delivery as directed by the Nha Trang City People’s Committee.
Mr. Huỳnh’s hotel, which was subjected to forced demolition in July 2024, remains unfinished.
Previously, in July 2024, Lộc Thọ Ward took charge of the forced demolition of the hotel located at 9/2D Nguyễn Thiện Thuật Street. Mr. Huỳnh filed multiple accusations, the most pressing being the unauthorized sale of his assets during the demolition process, including iron and steel, fire protection equipment, and air conditioning pipes, totaling 70 tons (worth nearly 700 million VND).
Adding to the woes, the forced demolition has exceeded its deadline by almost seven months (since October 3, 2024), and the construction site has not yet been handed back to Mr. Huỳnh. Despite paying nearly VND 1.8 billion in forced demolition fees, the People’s Committee of Lộc Thọ Ward has urged Mr. Huỳnh on three occasions to self-demolish the violations on the 7th floor.
This unusual case has attracted significant public attention and media scrutiny, as the construction unit responsible for the forced demolition was accused of selling the citizen’s assets without authorization during the process.
The responsibility for carrying out this forced demolition was entrusted to the People’s Committee of Lộc Thọ Ward by the Nha Trang City People’s Committee.
