Provincial officials deployed to support site clearance at the grassroots

Site clearance for project implementation remains one of the most challenging stages, and quite a few wards and communes across Dong Nai province are still encountering obstacles.

Leaders of the Provincial Delegation of NA Deputies and leaders of the Provincial People's Committee inspect the project in Phuoc An commune, Dong Nai province. Photo: Le An

To support localities in removing difficulties in site clearance, the Dong Nai Provincial People’s Committee has established two task forces and directed the Provincial Land Fund Development Center to deploy personnel to assist the localities.

Stalled by land pricing issue

Regarding the over-31-hectare resettlement area project in Tam Phuoc Ward, residents drew lots for land plots in early 2025, and as of late June, a groundbreaking ceremony for infrastructure construction was held. However, no official land price has yet been determined for valuation, and for the formulation of compensation and support plans.

Chu Tien Dung, Deputy Director of the Provincial Land Fund Development Center, the unit responsible for infrastructure construction of the resettlement area, stated: “We are waiting for the specific land pricing to be issued in order to apply them and develop compensation and support planning for affected organizations and individuals.” Earlier, the center had issued official documents and directly worked with the ward People’s Committee to urge implementation, but there has been no resolution. The center has proposed that the provincial People’s Committee direct local authorities to accelerate the determination of specific land prices so that site clearance can be completed and project implementation expedited.

In recent times, the process of determining specific land prices has remained slow. In addition to objective reasons, such as overlapping and inconsistent legal regulations on land pricing and land finance, there are also subjective causes such as limited capacity and number of qualified consulting units, slow coordination in providing necessary data for valuation, and a lack of essential input information (such as basic design documents and land use classifications). Furthermore, commune-level authorities, who have only recently been assigned this responsibility, are still struggling to adapt to their new role.

Diep Truong Vu, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment

Similarly, the 49-ha resettlement area infrastructure construction project in Phuoc Tan ward faces the same bottleneck. According to the Chairwoman of Phuoc Tan Ward People's Committee, Thieu Thi Minh Huong, the above resettlement area project is built to arrange accommodation for households whose land is acquired to serve the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway. The ward has received a request for confirmation of land origin from the Provincial Land Fund Development Center, but has only confirmed 118 out of 414 applications. Because there is no specific land price, it is impossible to establish a compensation and resettlement support plan.

According to Thieu Thi Minh Huong, because Phuoc Tan ward has not merged with any other ward, it didn’t have any additional personnel. The ward has requested the Provincial Land Fund Development Center to assign 4 more officers to support the work of determining the specific land price of the project, but this has not been met. Although the Ward Land Price Valuation Council has been established, it does not have any officials holding a valuation certificate, so the ward has proposed the addition of one certified staff member.

In addition to the obstacles mentioned above, localities involved in land clearance for significant projects, such as industrial zones, expressways, ring roads, and urban developments, are also facing significant challenges in finding qualified land valuation consultants and securing financial resources to contract such consultants. Moreover, for some types of crops, updated unit prices have yet to be issued, making it difficult to formulate accurate compensation plans.

According to Dinh Tien Hai, Acting Deputy Director of the Provincial Construction Investment Project Management Board, compensation, support, and resettlement procedures for the Western North-South Expressway project, specifically the Gia Nghia - Chon Thanh section (passing through the former Binh Phuoc Province area), have been completed. However, the land pricing and approval of compensation plans are still being processed by local authorities, with the approved decisions expected to be issued by November 2025.

Provincial officials deployed to support the grassroots

Competent state authorities determine land prices at specific times and for particular land plots. These prices serve as the basis for calculating compensation, support, and resettlement entitlements when the state expropriates land, as well as determining land use fees, lease rates, and related taxes and charges. Delays in land pricing directly hinder site clearance and affect project implementation progress.

The cleared area within the Long Thanh International Airport Project. Photo: Le An

At the recent online government conference on socio-economic performance with localities, Vo Tan Duc, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Dong Nai Provincial People’s Committee, noted that public investment disbursement during the first half of 2025 and the month following the administrative merger remained low. One of the main reasons, he emphasized, was the delayed progress in compensation, land clearance, and resettlement arrangements. These delays were due to challenges in finalizing commune-level land valuation councils, difficulty in selecting valuation units, unclear delegation of authority for advisory and procedural responsibilities, the absence of annual land-use planning, and outdated compensation policies.

Ho Van Ha, Provincial Party Committee member and Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee, also acknowledged that site clearance remains a key bottleneck in accelerating public investment disbursement. That’s why the Provincial People’s Committee recently established two specialized task forces to address challenges related to compensation, support, and resettlement for key projects. These task forces consist of leaders from provincial departments, the Provincial Land Fund Development Center, and People's Committees of relevant wards and communes. The provincial leadership stressed that these teams must be promptly mobilized to assist localities in resolving land clearance issues.

In addition, provincial authorities have assigned the Department of Agriculture and Environment to urgently issue legal normative documents so that commune-level authorities can carry out their work with confidence. Concurrently, training programs must be organized immediately for local officials and civil servants, especially regarding certification on land price valuation.

For localities facing difficulties in land price determination and valuation, the Provincial People’s Committee has directed the Department of Agriculture and Environment and the Provincial Land Fund Development Center to deploy personnel on-site to provide direct support. Communal People's Committees are instructed to coordinate closely with provincial agencies to expedite land origin verification, formulate and approve compensation plans, ensuring timely land clearance for project implementation.

By: Le An
Translated by: Quoc Dung - Thu Ha