Giving up fields to build villages
The dirt road leading to Tak Cui village (Tra Tap commune, Da Nang city) in the last days of the year has dried up after the rainy season. On the new land, wooden houses with corrugated iron roofs are close together, with the sound of children calling each other to study under the bright grid lights.
Few people know that to have this residential area, many households have accepted "their share". The family of Ms. Ho Thi Di and Mr. Ho Van Thai, people of Tak Chay village, who have cinnamon plantations in Tak Cui, have voluntarily given land to the government to build houses for 7 other households.
The cinnamon field has not reached harvest time, but the family still agrees to give it up. People come to live, and together help transport materials, dismantle old houses, build new houses. This house is not only from the State's policy but also from village affection" - Ms. Di said, stroked the steps still smelling of new wood.
The new land is not large, interspersed between fields and gardens, not as "comfortable" as the old residence. But in return is safety and community warmth - what keeps people staying with the village.
In mid-September 2024, after a large landslide in Tak Chay village, 33 households were forced to leave their birthplace and move to Tak Cui, about 1km away. The luggage was just a few sheets of corrugated iron, a little wood and a bag of rice reserves.
The worry of "going and then living on what" somewhat subsided when the government supported building houses according to Resolution 23. Not only roofs, residential areas were invested in village roads, electricity, and domestic water - things that were still dreams for many highland households in the past.
More than 2 years of settling down from this support, Ms. Ho Thi Diep (Tak Chay village) has become accustomed to the new rhythm of life: "With electricity, it's easier for children to study in the evening. With more TVs and fans, I also have the motivation to do business.
In Tra Van commune, in the period 2021 - 2025, 147 households have been arranged stably, with a total capital of more than 14.3 billion VND according to Resolution 23. Not only bringing people out of the landslide area but also re-planning living space, associated with infrastructure and livelihoods. People are the center, the State only supports the part they cannot do themselves.
Residential security associated with forest protection
In the western border communes, the settlement problem also has another meaning: Keeping forests, keeping borders. When people have stable houses and clear production land, the need to encroach on forests for farming or free migration decreases significantly.
In Tay Giang commune, in the past 5 years, 190 households have been arranged stably with a budget of nearly 4.7 billion VND. The commune has invested in more than 11 areas to arrange concentrated and interspersed population in villages bordering forests.
The higher the terrain, the harder it is to do it, but if it is not done, people will have to cling to the forest to live" - Mr. Arat Blui - Chairman of Tay Giang Commune People's Committee - frankly said.
In Dac Pring commune, which is more than 130km from the center of Da Nang, arranging 72 households not only helps avoid natural disasters but also brings many changes: The poverty rate decreases by an average of 5 - 7% per year, national defense and security are maintained. According to commune leaders, to preserve forests, first of all, people must be preserved.
However, settling down in mountainous areas is still a difficult problem. After the floods at the end of 2025, La E commune had 50 households with damaged houses; in Con Zot village alone, cracks more than 110m long appeared, directly threatening 55 households.
We have proposed to arrange a concentrated resettlement area of 3.5ha, with a cost of more than 27 billion VND. If it is not done soon, the risk of unsafety is very high," Mr. Polong A Doc - Chairman of La Ee Commune People's Committee - worried.
At the macro level, in the period 2021 - 2025, the need to arrange population in ethnic minority areas is up to more than 5,400 households, but resources only meet about 30%. Complex terrain, high costs while support levels are still low are major "knotholes".
New thinking for the long journey
From the practical summary, Da Nang city is developing a master plan for the period 2026 - 2030, aiming for stable arrangement for more than 5,300 households, with an estimated budget of nearly 1,000 billion VND.
According to Mr. Truong Xuan Ty - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, mountainous settlements must be seen as a whole: Planning residential land - production land, infrastructure, social services, climate change adaptation and in accordance with customs of each community. "Doing it fragmentedly, we have to relocate again" - Mr. Ty emphasized.
In the mountainous western part of Da Nang, each newly built house is not only a place to avoid rain and floods, but also a "soft milestone" to keep people with the forest, with the village, with the border. When settling down becomes a foundation for development, the mountainous region is gradually transforming more sustainably.
Mr. Tran Nam Hung - Vice Chairman of Da Nang City People's Committee - emphasized that arranging and stabilizing mountainous populations is not only an immediate disaster response task, but a long-term strategy associated with sustainable development. "When people stick to the land, stick to the village, stick to the forest, the forest is preserved, the border is preserved, and security - national defense is consolidated from the grassroots level" - Mr. Hung said.
