Enough reasons to be slow

Present at the project component 1, component 2 of Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway (section through Dong Nai), the reporter noted that up to now, the contractor has deployed construction machinery along the route. However, the section through Phuoc Tan and Tam Phuoc wards still has many problems with the site so construction cannot be started yet.

Long Thanh District Party Secretary Duong Minh Dung (second from right) directly participated in mobilizing individuals and organizations to allocate land for highway construction.

While inspecting the field and handling documents and procedures related to the site clearance work of component 1 project, Mr. Mai Phong Phu, Deputy Director of the Compensation, Site Clearance and Resettlement Support Project Management Board of Dong Nai province, said that the section passing through Bien Hoa city has approved the compensation plan for about 64% of the documents, and has handed over nearly 20 hectares of land to the construction unit.

Mr. Phu explained that the procedures must be correct, the time for public posting is several months, so the records are prolonged. Many agricultural plots are divided into plots, built houses, and bought and sold by hand through many owners, making it take a long time to find the landowner. To compensate for agricultural land users whose land is recovered but do not reside in the locality, there must be confirmation from the commune where the land is located and where that person resides, which takes a lot of time.

"The main difficulty is that people still have many questions about compensation and resettlement prices. Many files require consultation with functional units and community opinions for a whole month," said Mr. Phu.

Similarly, Mr. Tran Van Than, Vice Chairman of Long Thanh District People's Committee, said that only 36 hectares of land, equivalent to more than 46%, have been handed over to component project 1. Meanwhile, 81/151 hectares, or about 54%, have been handed over to component project 2. Part of the reason for the delay is that the resettlement area has not been completed. "This August, people will be allowed to build houses in the Long Duc resettlement area after the plots have been drawn. The Long Phuoc resettlement area has only been 30% completed," said Mr. Than.

Having a site is still difficult to construct

Bien Hoa - Vung Tau Expressway is 53.7km long, the section through Dong Nai is 34.2km long, the section through Ba Ria - Vung Tau province is 19.5km long. Of which, the section through Ba Ria - Vung Tau province is progressing very well, the contractor is waiting for favorable weather to pave asphalt concrete, and open to technical traffic on April 30, 2025. Meanwhile, the section through Dong Nai has not yet completed site clearance.

Component 3 of Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3 project has not yet handed over all the land.

In component project 1A - Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3, while Nhon Trach bridge is under construction, the land transfer on the Nhon Trach approach road has just been completed. In component project 3 (11.2km) also passing through Nhon Trach district, the land transfer has not yet been completed.

Mr. Nguyen The Phong, acting Chairman of Nhon Trach District People's Committee, said that there are still some households having problems, so the district will continue to propagate and mobilize.

In addition to the two inter-regional connectivity projects mentioned above, Dong Nai also has other provincial projects that are due to be completed in 2024 but have not yet completed the groundwork, including: Bien Hoa City Central Axis Road, Thong Nhat Bridge, Vam Cai Sut, and Huong Lo 2.

According to Mr. Ngo The, Director of Dong Nai Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board, the investor of the above projects, due to the site not being handed over on time, the projects cannot be completed in 2024 as planned. The unit was forced to request approval to adjust the project and extend the implementation time.

Similarly, a representative of contractor Lizen, constructing the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway, said that they had mobilized machinery and personnel to construct the project's component 2 section through Long Thanh, but the site was handed over in a "mixed" manner, so it could not be implemented quickly.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Ha, Director of Project Management Board Component 2 of Bien Hoa - Vung Tau Expressway, said that the land handover was intermittent and not continuous, making construction difficult. The locality handed over about 54% of the land, but in reality, only about 43% of the land was constructed. The remaining area was only cleared because people had not received money yet.

No announcement of supervision, rewards and punishments

At the summary meeting of the first "30-day and night" campaign to build the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway in June 2024, Mr. Vo Tan Duc, acting Chairman of the Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee, said that the expressway through two localities, of which the section through Ba Ria - Vung Tau has been handed over, and many extended sections of the road are about to be paved. Therefore, the provincial leaders are urging units and localities to speed up the land clearance work, working day and night, including holidays. "If the land is handed over late, by April 30, 2025, Ba Ria - Vung Tau province opens the expressway to traffic, when the vehicle reaches the border of Dong Nai and turns onto National Highway 51, Dong Nai will be very embarrassed," said Mr. Duc.

People giving up land to build Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway, looking at route direction and land clearance plan.

Dong Nai province then extended the "30-day and night" campaign for site clearance for key projects in the province until July 30, and assigned the Department of Home Affairs to implement regulations on supervision, rewards, and penalties for units and individuals in implementing the signing of the agreement.

However, up to now, the site clearance work for these key projects has not been completed. Dong Nai province has not yet announced how it will monitor and reward and punish the site clearance work in the localities.