85 housing and construction structures identified within the project area after investment policy approval

According to the Dong Nai Province Land Development Center, around 85 cases of residential buildings and other structures have been identified on the land designated for clearance under the remaining section of the Ben Luc - Long Thanh Expressway project, specifically at the planned interchange with National Highway 51. These constructions were built after the Ministry of Transport (now the Ministry of Construction) approved the project’s investment policy.

Construction of the interchange between National Highway 51 and the Ben Luc - Long Thanh Expressway. Photo: Pham Tung

Specifically, the project received investment policy approval from the Ministry of Transport (currently the Ministry of Construction) in October 2010. Subsequently, in September 2011, the Prime Minister approved the resettlement, compensation, and support policy framework, which included the land area designated for the interchange between National Highway 51 and the Ben Luc-Long Thanh Expressway, located within Interchange No. 9 of the expressway project. However, at that time, the project investor reported that construction of Interchange No. 9 would be carried out only after the development of the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway. As a result, land measurement and mapping procedures for clearance in this area had not yet been conducted, and no official notice of land acquisition had been issued.

As of now, during the land acquisition and site clearance process for the construction of the planned interchange, approximately 85 cases have been identified in which residential buildings and other structures were erected on the land subject to recovery after the project’s investment policy was approved in 2010. Among these, about 44 cases involve newly formed land parcels created through informal transactions, such as handwritten sale or gift agreements, some of which were even issued registration receipts as early as 2014. Under the 2024 Land Law, these 44 cases do not meet the eligibility requirements for resettlement allocation. As a result, authorities are encountering significant challenges in persuading affected households to relocate and hand over the land for project implementation.

For these cases, the Dong Nai Provincial Land Development Center has proposed that the Provincial People’s Committee approve the application of the 2024 Land Law, along with its guiding decrees, official instructions, and relevant provincial decisions in effect at the time of land acquisition, by the Long Thanh Branch of the Land Development Center, the agency responsible for site clearance.

To construct the interchange between National Highway 51 and the Ben Luc - Long Thanh Expressway, provincial authorities will need to acquire nearly 3 hectares of land from 115 affected cases. Among them, approximately 75 households (including those considered under generational provisions) are expected to be eligible for resettlement assistance.

By Pham Tung - Translated by Hong Van, Minho