No common voice after dialogue
On April 21, Lao Dong Newspaper reporters were present at the Ring Road 2, running through Na Hoi - Ta Chai commune of Bac Ha district to record the current status of project implementation after many years of approval.
Up to now, 5 years after the start of construction, this road is still unfinished and messy.
As one of the households whose houses were forced and had to set up tents to temporarily live, Ms. Sung Thi Xuong (residing in Na Hoi Nung village, Na Hoi commune) could not help but feel indignant:
"We, the people, have a consistent viewpoint of agreeing and supporting the State in implementing road construction for economic development. As for the recovery of all land outside the road construction area for subdivision, the households do not agree. If we take all the agricultural land, how will we live?
Regarding the government's public visits, Ms. Xuong said that up to now, despite many meetings to resolve the problem, there has been no common voice between the two sides.
"For many years, some households have had their houses forcibly converted and have had to temporarily live in tents set up along the road. As for the authorities at all levels, they are still struggling to find solutions and we continue to wait, Ms. Sung Thi Xuong added.
Meanwhile, Ms. Sung Thi Yen (residing in Na Hoi Nung village, Na Hoi commune) also said that people are very upset because of the reclaimed and enforced land outside the project list. As for meetings or meetings with people, they cannot solve any problems.
"We do not know when our problems can be completely resolved. This road is still unfinished and cannot be completed, the contractor is proceeding to build a branch road first," Ms. Sung Thi Yen explained.
According to the households, they hope to have a comprehensive solution for both the government and the people. But there is still a common view of wanting to keep agricultural land to continue farming. The land recovery will only take place within the scope and area of the traffic route.
It is known that the investment project to build Ring Road 2 (section DT 153 to the People's Committees of Na Hoi, Na Kim and Ta Chai communes is 4.3 km long, with a road surface and sidewalk width of 20.5 m.) invested by the People's Committee of Bac Ha district, Lao Cai province, with a capital of more than 300 billion VND.
The construction unit is a joint venture of Anh Nguyen Company Limited - Vu Thanh Company Limited. The project started in 2019, expected to be completed in 1,000 days.
According to statistics, there are a total of 420 households in the area affected by the project. The area of compensation and site clearance land is 36.9 hectares, of which the area for traffic works is 25.9 hectares, the area for residential areas is 11 hectares.
The government directs to resolve
On April 20, speaking with a reporter from Lao Dong Newspaper, Secretary of the Bac Ha District Party Committee Nguyen Duy Hoa said: "The district has also tried very hard to listen, but after the recent dialogue, households have made recommendations and the government has not yet reached a common voice about any solution. This is a very difficult story. Therefore, in the coming time, the locality will continue to propagate and mobilize people".
Regarding the prolonged complaint about the project's over-the-counter lawsuit, at the meeting at the end of April, Mr. Nguyen Hong Diep, Head of the Central Citizen Reception Committee, pointed out that the government still lacks in propaganda and explanation, leading to people not clearly understanding their rights.
The Head of the Citizen Reception Committee proposed that the People's Committee of Lao Cai province assign the Secretary and Chairman of the People's Committee of Bac Ha district to directly meet with each household, resolve each specific content, and ensure maximum rights for the people.
Deputy Director of the Government Inspectorate Department I Ngo Manh Hung suggested that the government consider and support people to stabilize their lives, especially for households in difficulty.
Mr. Hung called on people to cooperate, clarified the problems for the government to resolve, and emphasized the need to end the complaints so that the project can be implemented soon, avoiding further waste.
Also within the framework of the dialogue, Mr. Trinh Xuan Truong, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Committee of Lao Cai province, hoped that through the dialogue, difficulties would be resolved, problems would be completely resolved, and the project would be prolonged, causing waste of investment resources.
Mr. Trinh Xuan Truong directed the Secretary of Bac Ha district to work with each household, apply beneficial policies, and report to the Provincial Party Committee in May 2025.
Previously, Lao Dong Newspaper published a series of articles "People living miserably on the 300 billion VND road project in Lao Cai" and "The Chairman of Bac Ha District talks about the 300 billion VND road behind schedule" reflecting on the Ring Road 2 project in Bac Ha District. Up to now, affected people are still waiting for a solution from the local government.
