Continuous Delays and Missed Deadlines for Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway
The Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway, a 34.2km-long highway that traverses Dong Nai province, has faced significant delays. The project consists of two components: a 16km-long section managed by the Dong Nai People’s Committee and an 18.2km-long section under the Ministry of Transport. The expressway starts in Bien Hoa city and ends in Long Thanh district, requiring the relocation of over 3,500 households and the reclamation of more than 290 hectares of land.
Houses in Vuon Dua ward, Phuoc Tan ward, Bien Hoa city, remain intact, awaiting demolition for the project.
Initially, Dong Nai province committed to handing over 70% of the required land by June 30, 2023, and the remaining 30% by December 31, 2023. However, these deadlines have been repeatedly pushed back, with the latest extension requested until October 15, 2024.
The province faces challenges in land clearance, legal issues, compensation negotiations, and resettlement arrangements. As of now, only 45% of the required land has been cleared in Bien Hoa city, despite the expressway passing through a mere 6km stretch of the city. Similarly, the People’s Committee of Long Thanh district has handed over just about 63% of the land for the first component of the project.
On September 24, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh inspected the construction progress of the expressway. During this visit, he instructed the province to complete land clearance for the second component by October 15.
Rare glimpse of houses along Dinh Quang An street being demolished to make way for the expressway.
In response, the provincial leaders assured the Prime Minister of their commitment to delivering the land for the second component by the given deadline. They also sought guidance and support from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment regarding procedural matters related to quarries. With the rains subsiding, the leaders pledged to engage with contractors to accelerate project progress.
Affected Residents Await Resettlement Land Allocation
On October 15, VTC News reporters visited Vuon Dua ward in Phuoc Tan ward, Bien Hoa city, to assess the progress of land handover by residents. According to the People’s Committee of Bien Hoa city, Vuon Dua ward has been the slowest in land clearance due to the large number of households to be relocated, many absentee landowners, and illegal construction on agricultural land.
Representatives of the second component’s project management unit acknowledged the ongoing challenges due to the lack of fill material.
Residents impacted by the expressway project expressed their willingness to yield their land for the construction but faced difficulties in relocating due to the lack of allocated resettlement land. Ms. Nguyen Thi An, a resident of Bien Hoa city, shared her concerns: “My family received the land handover decision a long time ago, and the ward authorities have measured the land and proposed compensation. However, as we have not been allocated resettlement land, we don’t know where to move.” She also added that while most residents agree to hand over their land for the national project, they feel that the compensation offered is not reasonable.
Previously, the leaders of Dong Nai province pledged to the Prime Minister that they would deliver the land for the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway project by October 15.
According to the reporters’ observations, the construction of the expressway through Dong Nai province is progressing with various activities, including road embankment, superstructure casting, super-T girder casting, drainage system installation, culverts, and overpasses. However, the progress of the project’s packages remains slow. For instance, Package 18 has achieved just over 3% progress, Package 21 is at nearly 10%, and the second component is at approximately 13%.
While the project management unit for the second component reported that the land clearance for their section is sufficient for construction, they emphasized the ongoing challenge of acquiring enough fill material for road embankment construction.
The Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway, nearly 54km in length, traverses over 34km in Dong Nai province and nearly 20km in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province. The project, with a total investment of more than VND 17,800 billion, commenced in June 2023.
It is divided into three components: the first, managed by the Dong Nai provincial 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 provincial People’s Committee, extends for 19.5km.
On October 27, 2023, the Dong Nai provincial People’s Committee arranged for the resettlement of households affected by the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway project in two resettlement areas: Long Phuoc (33.9 hectares) and Long Duc (30 hectares), both in Long Thanh district.
Construction in the Long Duc resettlement area has progressed, with over 95% of the total project volume completed. Authorities have demarcated, divided into plots, and conducted a lottery for land positions for the resettled households.
Meanwhile, construction in the Long Phuoc resettlement area has achieved over 45% completion, and it is expected to provide approximately 1,048 plots of land for resettlement once finished.
