A corner of Lach Tray river dike area, where many violations regarding dike management and construction have occurred. Photo: Nguyen Hoan
Specifically, at the end of January, the North Lach Tray dike management district discovered that Mr. Van Tran Hoan – General Director of Song Hong Joint Stock Company, Chairman of Hai Phong Football Club, had independently dumped backfill material, raised the ground level, and built structures on the riverbank outside the dike. The construction covers an area of about 118m2, from km22+550 to km22+850 of Lach Tray dike.
After discovering the violation, the North Lach Tray dike management district coordinated with Vinh Nien ward People’s Committee to inspect, make a record, and recommend Hai Phong City People’s Committee, Le Chan district People’s Committee to prevent and handle the violation. However, Mr. Van Tran Hoan not only did not comply with the requirements of the authorities, but also continued to have workers erect scaffolding and install steel beams with an area of about 160m2.
At the beginning of February 2024, Mr. Do Gia Khanh – Director of Hai Phong Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, continued to send a letter proposing Hai Phong City People’s Committee instruct specialized agencies to take measures to prevent and handle violations regarding land, construction, planning, dike regulation with the Chairman of Hai Phong Football Club.
According to our investigation, in May 2021, Mr. Van Tran Hoan proposed Hai Phong City People’s Committee to rent an empty land area of more than 5ha of Lach Tray river dike to use as a training ground for players of Hai Phong Football Club. At that time, the Hai Phong Department of Natural Resources and Environment Vietnam Island Sea determined that this land area is in the flood drainage area, planned for trees. To meet the training needs of the players, the department proposed that Le Chan district terminate the lease contracts with land tenants for aquaculture purposes and temporarily rent it to Mr. Van Tran Hoan, with a fixed term but not change the land use purpose, only plant trees, grass for training.
By August 2021, even though they had not received any land use plan documents, the dike management force discovered that the area outside Lach Tray river dike (km23+990-km24+70) had been filled, expanded to the riverbank, built roads, embankments, violated the regulations on dike regulation.
At the beginning of 2023, Vinh Nien ward People’s Committee continued to record and discover that Mr. Van Tran Hoan took advantage of the night to have a crane truck transport prefabricated steel frame houses near the sports training ground. Vinh Nien ward People’s Committee established a dossier and requested demolition, relocation of the violating construction, but Mr. Van Tran Hoan did not comply.
Lach Tray river dike has a prime location in the city gateway of Hai Phong. This area is close to a series of the most bustling urban areas in the Port City. Hai Phong City People’s Committee has issued many directives to Le Chan district People’s Committee to handle a series of violating constructions along Lach Tray river dike, but so far there has been no result.
