As reported by Lao Dong Newspaper, the Ban Kieng hydropower project, Tung Ba commune (Tuyen Quang) with a capacity of 3.6MW, has been implemented for nearly 20 years but most of the time is on paper, without construction activities.
In 2024, the project changed owners with the expectation of recovery and can be put into use from the third quarter of 2025. However, since then, some shortcomings in the construction process have been revealed, causing people to be upset and protest.
On October 14, the Department of Industry and Trade of Tuyen Quang province organized an inspection and dialogue between units including: Tung Ba Commune People's Committee, leaders of Ban Kieng and Hong Minh villages and Ton Tho Agricultural Lam Company (investor).
At the dialogue, people reported the situation of landslides from the construction area to the fields, silted up canals and ditches, causing damage to crops...
Mr. Vuong Van Luc - Secretary of the Ban Kieng village Party Cell said that people hope that the company will soon reconnect the old water pipeline from the source of the broken capital due to landslides, clear the stream to ensure domestic water and irrigation.
Similarly, Mr. Truong Van Tai - Head of Ban Kieng village also shared that before building a hydropower plant, the water source was clean and sufficient for year-round use, but now the turbid water is often not enough for daily life and production.
Faced with that reality, Mr. Hoang Trung Ta - Chairman of Tung Ba Commune People's Committee confirmed the people's reflection as well-founded and requested the company to urgently provide temporary domestic water, dredge tanks, and clear streams to restore flow.
Along with the government's opinion, people also proposed to temporarily suspend construction to fix the landslide area, ensuring safety before continuing to implement the Ban Kieng hydropower project.
Mr. Chu Kim Hung - Deputy General Director of Ton Tho Agricultural Lam Company said that in fact, the project has been suspended since May 2025 until now; the enterprise has accepted the people's opinions and committed to only continue construction when the incidents have been resolved.
The enterprise affirmed that during the suspension period, the unit will focus on repairing and paying compensation to people who suffered losses. All support items were fully paid, without causing long complaints or reflections.
Regarding the quality of the project, the company representative said that the concrete pouring is subject to technical supervision and inspection machinery to ensure standards.
The Department of Industry and Trade informed that it will invite an independent appraisal unit to assess the quality and inspect the project to avoid the risk of insecurity, especially during the rainy season in the upstream area.
Mr. Hoang Trung Ta - Chairman of Tung Ba Commune People's Committee added that the commune has also requested the unit to temporarily suspend operations at the construction site because if they continue to dig until they have overcome the problem, landslides will still be at risk.
"The source of domestic water is very urgent, lacking water for drinking and bathing, we request the unit to urgently temporarily repair the problem, dredge, stormwater embankment, and ensure flow," said Mr. Ta.
