Can't leave, can't stay
Ms. Bui Thi Gai's family (63 years old, Binh Phuc residential group, Dong Hoi ward, Quang Tri province) is located in the area where the Le Ky riverside residential area project is implemented. In 2025, her family agreed to the site clearance compensation plan but has not yet received compensation money.
For many years, her family has had to live in a seriously degraded level 4 house.
Ms. Gai said that every time it rains heavily, water leaks everywhere. The wells in the house are also heavily contaminated with alum, with a cloudy yellow color, which is very difficult to use. Surrounding the residential area are canals and ditches with thick black water, emitting a foul odor, directly affecting people's lives and health. "We hope to be compensated and cleared land soon to stabilize our lives" - Ms. Gai said.
Not only Ms. Gai's family, many households in the project area are also in a similar situation. Houses are damaged but cannot be renovated because they are waiting for clearance, while the project is prolonged year after year.
According to people, what makes them angry is that the site clearance plan has been agreed upon for a long time, but the compensation payment has not been made. Many households do not dare to invest in repairing their houses because they are worried that they will still have to dismantle them to serve the project after renovation.
It is worth mentioning that although located right in the center of Quang Tri province, the living conditions of many households in the project area are very difficult. People want to move, but it is not known when they will be resolved, and if they continue to stay, their lives will become increasingly degraded.
Waiting for the province to consider, it is not clear when capital will be allocated
The above project has been implemented since 2017 with a total investment of 179 billion VND, of which compensation, support and resettlement costs are more than 113 billion VND. To date, the project has completed about 80% of the volume. However, more than 100m of the 36m road connecting Pham Van Dong road with Dien Bien Phu road has not been able to be constructed due to site clearance issues. According to the initial plan, the project will be completed in 2025. However, due to problems arising, the progress has been adjusted and is expected to be completed in 2026.
According to the Quang Tri Provincial Department of Construction (project investor), the unfinished volume is mainly concentrated on the 36m road (Pham Van Dong extended road). This is a section of more than 100m that cannot be constructed to open the route connecting to Dien Bien Phu road. The main cause is identified as difficulties in compensation and site clearance. In addition, the transition between the 2013 Land Law and the 2024 Land Law, especially regulations related to compensation, support, and resettlement when the State recovers land, also affects the project implementation progress.
After a long period of mobilization, households agreed to the site clearance plan with a total cost of more than 25 billion VND. On January 7, 2026, the Quang Tri Provincial Department of Construction issued a document requesting an advance of 30 billion VND to pay compensation, support, and resettlement to serve the project. Following that, on February 11, 2026, the Quang Tri Provincial Land Development Fund issued a report requesting the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee to consider allocating capital from the Land Development Fund to allocate funds for the Department of Construction to pay site clearance compensation and remaining expenses to continue completing the project. Most recently, on April 7, 2026, the Department of Construction continued to send a document to the Quang Tri Provincial People's Committee requesting to allocate capital to serve site clearance work.
As of May 10, the Department of Construction has not yet been allocated funds as proposed. Currently, the Quang Tri Provincial People's Committee is still considering it" - said the leader of the Quang Tri Provincial Department of Construction.
While the capital allocation has not yet yielded results, people in the project area continue to live in difficult circumstances right in their homes, while the nearly 180 billion VND residential area project is still unfinished as the construction completion time is approaching.
