Measuring land, demolishing houses
Under the morning sunlight behind the rocky mountains and rocks in the border area, the sound of excavators, the sound of hammers hitting the steel, the sound of workers calling each other resounded, overwhelming the forest wind.
At the Dong Dang - Tra Linh Expressway construction site, heavy dump trucks lined up carrying soil and rocks, crossing the road along the mountainside. Not far away, engineers are busy reviewing the drawings, and workers are also working overtime in the cold weather of the border area. They not only built a road, but also built hope for an entire border area.
These days, the entire political system of Cao Bang and Lang Son provinces has stepped in, focusing on site clearance, striving to hand over clean land before March 31, 2025 and speeding up the completion of phase 1 of the project.
Coming to Hung Son commune, Trang Dinh district on a day in mid-March, on a flat plot of land, Mr. Nong Van Tram (Coong village, Hung Son commune) was busy preparing his lunch. A simple meal by the warm fire amidst the clouds and winds of border mountains.
Pointing to the temporary hut, inside which are items moved from the old house, Mr. Tram shared: "Today is the third day my family has moved here, the old house was about 5 m ago, our family of four have lived there for 20 years. demolish the old house, build a temporary hut here, and after the highway is completed, we will have a new house".
According to Mr. Tram, his family has received basically all the support, including 3 sao of rice fields, houses and three graves with a total support amount of 670 million VND.
"A temporary hut is a hundred-favorite inconvenience, from food, accommodation, and living, but we are willing to give up our house for the project to be implemented. When the main road is opened, people can travel and trade goods much more conveniently" - Mr. Tram said.
Who doesnt love an old house? But if we keep the house without a road, and live hard until tomorrow, will it be a waste?" - Ms. Loc Thi Sen (Ban Coong village, Hung Son commune) shared with PV, when she reminded her granddaughter to come to her old house to carry water to cook dinner.
Mrs. Sen is 84 years old this year. Her son died early, her daughter-in-law went to work far away, she lived with her two grandchildren in a temporary hut next to the project, after the old house was given up to open a large road.
Mrs. Sen was moved: "I have lived all these years in my life, just hoping that my children and grandchildren would not have to wander through the fields to get a job in the city. We also hope that the government will soon arrange resettlement areas for people to build houses, have new housing, to settle down and make a living".
Talking with reporters, Mr. Ma Chi Mac - Chairman of the People's Committee of Hung Son commune, Trang Dinh district - shared that there are more than 5 km of highways passing through the commune, affecting the houses of 28 households. Up to now, 100% of households have accepted relocation, including many houses with a new scent of paint.
"The government recognizes and is grateful for the contributions of the people in the site clearance work. We have also asked for resources to support people to rent houses and build temporary shelters. Currently, the commune has arranged 2 concentrated resettlement areas and the leveling work is being carried out to ensure that people soon have new places to live, settle down, and make a living" - the leader informed.
Accelerating site clearance for the VND14,000 billion expressway project
According to the report of the People's Committee of Lang Son province, by the end of March 11, 2025, districts and cities have handed over the site with a total length of 49.98/59.76 km, the handed over area is 447.9/557.8 ha, equivalent to 80.3% of the area to be cleared.
Regarding the organization of construction and installation, the contractor has mobilized 1,084 personnel and 531 equipment to deploy 45 production teams to dig and build drainage culverts and bridges. The total output value of the project reached by March 11, 2025 was VND 682 billion, reaching 10.4% of the contract value.
The Chairman of Lang Son Provincial People's Committee also requested the People's Committees of districts and cities to urgently arrange temporary housing plans or support housing rental for households that have to relocate; complete the relocation of technical infrastructure; implement other support measures to completely handle cases of using agricultural land for the wrong purpose in March 2025.
