Continuous Delays and Missed Deadlines for Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway
The Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway, a major transportation project in southern Vietnam, has faced significant delays. With a length of 34.2km in the province of Dong Nai alone, the project consists of two components: one managed by the Dong Nai provincial government (16km) and the other by the Ministry of Transport (18.2km). The expressway begins in Bien Hoa City and ends in Long Thanh district. To make way for this project, authorities in Dong Nai have to acquire over 290 hectares of land, displacing approximately 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 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 were repeatedly pushed back to June 30, then September 15, and most recently to October 15, 2024.
The biggest challenge for the province is land compensation and resettlement issues, as well as legal hurdles and agreement on compensation packages. So far, Bien Hoa city has only handed over 45% of the required land, despite the expressway passing through just over 6km of its area. Similarly, Long Thanh district has provided only about 63% of the land for the first component of the project.
On September 24, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh inspected the progress of the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway project, accompanied by a government delegation.
During this visit, the Prime Minister instructed Dong Nai province 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.
In a report to the Prime Minister, provincial leaders 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 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 leaders stated.
“Now that the rains have subsided, provincial leaders will meet with contractors to encourage and accelerate project progress,” they added.
Affected Residents Await Resettlement Land Allocation
On October 15, reporters from VTC News visited Khu Vuon Dua in Phuong Phuoc Tan, Bien Hoa, to assess the progress of land handover by residents.
According to the People’s Committee of Bien Hoa city, Khu Vuon Dua is the slowest area in terms of land clearance in the entire province due to the large number of households to be relocated, many absentee landowners, and illegal construction on agricultural land.
Representatives from the management unit of the second component of the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway acknowledge challenges due to insufficient land for roadbed filling.
Residents impacted by the expressway project express their willingness to give up their land for the project but face difficulties in relocating due to the lack of allocated resettlement land.
Nguyen Thi An, a resident of Bien Hoa, shared her concerns: “My family received the land handover decision a long time ago, and the People’s Committee has measured the land and proposed compensation, but we still haven’t received the 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 have concerns about the compensation being unfair,” 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, construction on the expressway project in Dong Nai is underway, including roadbed filling, superstructure casting, super-T beam casting, drainage systems, culverts, and overpasses. However, the progress remains slow, with package 18 of the first component achieving only slightly over 3% completion, package 21 reaching nearly 10%, and the second component progressing at around 13%.
Representatives from the management unit of the second component acknowledged that while the land clearance for their section is mostly sufficient for construction, they are facing challenges due to insufficient land for roadbed filling.
The Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway, with a total length of nearly 54km, traverses over 34km in Dong Nai province and nearly 20km in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province. The project, with an 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 government (16km), the second by the Ministry of Transport (18.2km), and the third by the Ba Ria-Vung Tau provincial government (19.5km).
On October 27, 2023, the People’s Committee of Dong Nai province arranged for the resettlement of households affected by the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway project in two locations: 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, with authorities conducting land demarcation, lot allocation, and a lottery for plot selection for the resettled households.
Meanwhile, construction in the Long Phuoc resettlement area has reached over 45% completion, and it is expected to provide approximately 1,048 resettlement lots once finished.
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