Over 30 Years of Stalled Development Cripples Residents' Lives

In Bac Lieu City, Ca Mau Province, southern Vietnam, a commercial center development project, stalled for over 30 years, is severely impacting the lives of local residents. Due to this "stalled" project, residents lacking land compensation or resettlement prospects have been forced to relocate or live in substandard conditions. The project in question, approved in early 1995 by the then Minh Hai Provincial People's Committee, was for the construction of a commercial center in Ward 3 (now Bac Lieu City). Initially planned for a total area of 40,280 square meters with an investment of over 21 billion VND (at the time), a business cooperation contract was signed in May 1995 between the Project Management Board and Thai Duong Company. However, due to various reasons, the contract between the two entities was suspended in 2009. Since then, construction has stagnated, and land acquisition and compensation for residents remain incomplete, leaving 45 households, comprising hundreds of people, in a difficult situation. Phan Ba Loc, one of the affected residents, stated, "My family has two adjacent grade-4 houses with a total area of 84 square meters, located within the project's planned zone. But due to the unfinished project, my family has not received compensation or been allocated resettlement. For over 30 years, more than 10 family members have been forced to work and earn a living elsewhere. My siblings work as bricklayers or factory workers in industrial zones. I opened a small, makeshift barbershop on my own land to get by day by day..." Residents are unable to sell or renovate their properties, leading to deteriorating housing conditions and problems like leaky roofs. According to the Bac Lieu City People's Committee, the project was initially led by the Bac Lieu District People's Committee, but issues with the investor, Thai Duong Company, remain unresolved. Thai Duong Company has long since dissolved, and the whereabouts of its former director are unknown to local authorities. An initial investigation by the Ca Mau Provincial Inspectorate has pointed out several irregularities in land acquisition and handover prior to the land allocation decision. Specifically, in 1995, before the Prime Minister's land allocation decision, the Chairman of the then Minh Hai Provincial People's Committee signed Decisions No. 187 and 188/QD-UB to reclaim land and hand over the site to the Bac Lieu District Commercial Center Project Management Board. This was determined to be an overreach of authority according to the 1993 Land Law. Furthermore, the partial land allocation to Thai Duong Company was deemed inconsistent with the Prime Minister's decision. The project, which started in 1995 with a planned completion in 2000, underwent four schedule adjustments, extending to the end of 2010, but construction completely halted in July 2009. To resolve this long-standing issue spanning over 30 years, the Ca Mau Provincial Inspectorate has recommended that the Provincial People's Committee direct the Bac Lieu City People's Committee to urgently work with Thai Duong Company to liquidate the economic contract No. 05-95. If an agreement cannot be reached, the case should be transferred to the court for resolution. Additionally, relevant authorities are urged to review and collect all outstanding financial obligations, clarify the unproven land use fee of over 14.9 billion VND paid to the state budget, and hold accountable individuals and organizations involved in advising on and issuing irregular land and investment decisions over the years. Source: Nhan Dan