Vietnam's North-South High-Speed Rail: Land Acquisition and Resettlement in Nghe An Province Split into Independent Projects

Nghe An Province, Vietnam, has decided to implement the land acquisition, compensation, resettlement, and relocation of technical infrastructure for the North-South high-speed railway project as independent projects. On July 20, 2023, the Nghe An Provincial People's Committee held a meeting to review the processes and procedures for carrying out these tasks within the province. This decision is a measure to accelerate the progress of the North-South high-speed railway project, a nationally important infrastructure project in Vietnam. Previously, in large-scale infrastructure projects, aspects such as land acquisition and resident relocation have often been factors causing delays. By separating these tasks into individual projects, the aim is to establish a system where specialized departments and companies can respond more intensively and rapidly, thereby resolving bottlenecks. The Vietnamese government considers the North-South high-speed railway project one of its top priorities in its national development strategy, aiming for sustained economic growth and balanced national development. However, the project has faced numerous challenges from its inception, particularly the complex and time-consuming processes of land acquisition and resident relocation. In the past, proposals to proceed by dividing the project into 17 sub-projects and considerations to change the project owner have been discussed. This move by Nghe An Province to create independent projects is a concrete step towards developing a nationwide high-speed rail network, with expectations of ripple effects in other regions. Under Vietnam's one-party system, while the driving force for state-led large-scale development projects is strong, the process of gaining consensus with local communities and protecting residents' rights are crucial issues. In particular, the balance between a development strategy prioritizing economic growth and social equity is constantly being examined. Source: Nhan Dan