People are exhausted from waiting
In mid-September 2025, Lao Dong Newspaper received a petition for help from hundreds of households who contributed capital to buy land at the Bac Cau Bang New Urban Area Project (phase 2) in Thong Nhat Commune, Quang Ninh Province, invested by Thong Nhat 508 Joint Stock Company.
Ms. To Thi Minh Nga (born in 1962, Ha Long ward) said: In January 2008, I and 4 close friends contributed capital to buy a 1,200m2 plot of land for 1.1 million VND/m2, in phase 2 of the project, and paid 792 million VND to Thong Nhat 508 Joint Stock Company.
According to the contract, the company will hand over the land in the fourth quarter of 2009; if delayed, it will refund the capital contribution to customers according to the interest rate of the non-term deposit of the bank where the company opened the deposit account.
"However, after that, all commitments were not implemented. I have come to the company many times to get an official answer from the director and know that the company has changed directors for 3 generations and only met the secretary to give a very general answer.
On July 3, 2019, the People's Committee of Quang Ninh province issued Decision No. 2780/QD-UBND "Cess the implementation of Decision 3279/QD-UBND for a part of the 62.8ha area in phase 2 of the Bac Cau Bang Project", with the reason that the land was allocated for site clearance but had not been cleared, the project implementation time had expired. I was really shocked and extremely worried, said Ms. Nga.
The project has been "shelved" for nearly two decades
According to the investigation of Lao Dong Newspaper reporters, the Bac Cau Bang project was approved by the People's Committee of Quang Ninh province in 2003. In 2005, the project adjusted the investor to Thong Nhat 508 Joint Stock Company (under Traffic Construction Corporation 5).
The project has a scale of 134 hectares, a total investment of 418 billion VND, divided into 2 phases. Phase 1 was approved under Decision No. 2206/QD-UBND dated July 5, 2004. Phase 2 was approved under Decision No. 1426/QD-UBND dated May 18, 2005.
The two approved phases are only 10 months apart and have the same 1/1,000 scale planning map.
According to information from Thong Nhat 508 Joint Stock Company, about 500 households have contributed capital to buy land in phase 2 of the project.
Ms. Ta Thi Phuong (born in 1962, Ha Long ward) said: "At that time, I had to sell gold and borrow money from my mother to buy a 90m2 plot of land in the project, which had been paid 70 million VND. But nearly 2 decades have passed, I don't know where my land is. We hope that the People's Committee of Quang Ninh province will reconsider the decision to reclaim land in phase 2 to ensure the rights of the people. The investor must organize a meeting with customers, provide transparent information on the project status and have a clear solution for us".
Through a survey by reporters at the project, up to now, the investor has only leveled the ground, paved stone, and poured concrete for some internal roads in the planning phase 1, built and installed the power system on the main road, the project is abandoned, overgrown with reed grass.
Mr. Do Huu Thanh - Deputy Director of Thong Nhat 508 Joint Stock Company - admitted: "The project's delay is the company's fault. The decision to approve phase 1 is to level the entire area of 134 hectares, build infrastructure (electricity, roads, trees, sidewalks, water supply) on an area of 56 hectares. Phase 2 will only build infrastructure on the remaining area. After households complained to the province in 2019, the company has worked with the province many times to continue implementing the project and the province has just approved the implementation of phase 1, while phase 2, the company's leadership continues to implement the policy".
Working with a reporter from Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Bui Minh Tan - Chairman of Thong Nhat Commune People's Committee - said: "Immediately after working with reporters, this Saturday (October 3), the Commune People's Committee will hold a meeting to invite investors to work on related issues. The reporter will meet next Tuesday (October 7) to provide specific information about the project's status to inform readers accurately".
From a project expected to change the face of the area, Bac Cau Bang has now become a " pain" for hundreds of households. After nearly 2 decades of waiting, hundreds of billions of VND of people are " buried" under the project, while their rights have not been guaranteed.
Public opinion is waiting for the Quang Ninh provincial government and the investor to have a transparent and definitive solution, ensuring the legitimate rights of hundreds of households - those who have put their trust and assets into this project for their entire lives.
