Proactive preparation for resettlement in growth-driving urban areas

The Bien Hoa, Long Thanh and Nhon Trach areas are emerging as key growth poles of Dong Nai City. Most major transport infrastructure, urban development and industrial projects are concentrated in these areas.

Resettlement area in Nhon Trach urban area. Photo: Hoang Loc

According to the plan, from now until 2030, the city will develop 89 resettlement projects, providing approximately 46,700 land plots. Many of these projects will be implemented in growth-driving urban areas to accelerate site clearance and help stabilize residents' livelihoods.

High demand for resettlement

As a locality where many key projects are underway or about to begin, Long Thanh Ward is facing significant pressure on securing sufficient land for resettlement. However, the ward currently has only just over 60 resettlement plots remaining. For just three upcoming projects—the drainage system outside Long Thanh International Airport, the expansion of DT.769 Road, and the railway connecting to the airport—the locality needs approximately 400 resettlement plots.

Nguyen Huu Nguyen, Secretary of the Ward Party Committee and Chairman of the Long Thanh Ward People's Council, said that most existing resettlement areas in the ward have already had all their available plots allocated. At present, the locality still has a 47-hectare resettlement project in a favorable location, but its implementation is facing numerous difficulties.

According to Nguyen, the 47-hectare project had previously been scheduled for land acquisition, but before the plan could be carried out, the transition to the two-tier local government model took place. After such a long period, the value of assets attached to the land, especially crops, has changed significantly compared to the original inventory, creating difficulties for compensation work. In addition, implementing the project requires additional resettlement arrangements, while some households have not agreed to the relocation plan to the Long Duc Resettlement Area.

“Our ward's resettlement land reserve is running low. Meanwhile, the Loc An – Binh Son Resettlement Area still has about 1,200 plots that have not yet been handed over to the locality for management and use. We propose that this land be transferred to the ward as soon as possible. We also recommend studying the use of rubber plantation land bank and other public land to develop additional resettlement areas”, Nguyen said.

Not only Long Thanh, but Nhon Trach Ward is also facing pressure on its resettlement land supply as many transportation, railway and production–business projects are scheduled for implementation in the coming period.

Lu Thanh Nam, Deputy Secretary of the Ward Party Committee and Chairman of the Nhon Trach Ward People's Committee, said that the locality has completed four resettlement areas with approximately 1,100 plots. However, only 59 plots remain, and they have already been earmarked for households whose land will be acquired.

According to preliminary statistics, the locality will need more than 1,000 additional resettlement plots in the coming years. Meanwhile, two resettlement projects have already received investment policy approval but cannot proceed with infrastructure construction due to two reasons: site clearance has not been completed, and the implementation periods of the projects have expired.

Therefore, the Chairman of the Nhon Trach Ward People's Committee proposed that the city revoke the previous investment approvals and assign the ward as the project investor so implementation can continue.

"If these obstacles can be resolved, the ward will gain more than 1,000 additional resettlement plots from the two projects, which will basically meet future demand”, Nam said.

In Bien Hoa, pressure on resettlement is even greater. Before the implementation of the two-tier local government model, the demand for resettlement was estimated at around 3,000 cases. Although several resettlement areas have been launched in recent years, they still fall short of actual needs.

According to the Bien Hoa Ward report, of the eight resettlement areas planned by the city, seven have completed infrastructure construction but together provide only just over 570 land plots. This scale remains relatively modest compared with actual demand, especially as the city prepares to implement numerous urban renovation projects, riverside development initiatives and transportation works.

Proactively preparing land reserves

Practice shows that demand for resettlement land in growth-driving urban areas is substantial. Therefore, in addition to resolving obstacles affecting ongoing projects, proactively preparing new land reserves has become an urgent requirement.

To address the resettlement challenge, in 2025 the Dong Nai provincial People's Committee (now Dong Nai municipal People's Committee) issued a plan to develop 89 resettlement projects by 2030 to serve key infrastructure projects. However, implementation has remained slower than expected.

Loc An - Binh Son Resettlement Area in the Long Thanh urban area.

For example, in Bien Hoa, five resettlement projects were scheduled to commence construction in 2026, but only one has actually broken ground. In Long Thanh, neither of the two projects planned for commencement this year has been launched. Likewise, in Nhon Trach, none of the five projects scheduled to begin construction in 2026 has started. According to local authorities, the main causes include difficulties in site clearance, planning adjustments, compensation price determination and legal procedures.

A positive signal is that construction of two large-scale resettlement areas in Bien Hoa is being accelerated. Huynh Tan Loc, Deputy Director of the Dong Nai City Land Fund Development Center, said that the Tam Phuoc Resettlement Area, with nearly 1,300 plots, is expected to hand over about 600 plots by the end of September 2026 and approximately 1,000 plots by the end of the year. Meanwhile, the Phuoc Tan Resettlement Area, with nearly 1,100 plots, is also expected to hand over about 450 plots by the end of September and around 1,000 plots by the end of 2026.

"Construction is being carried out around the clock with three shifts and four crews to complete infrastructure as quickly as possible and hand over resettlement land to local authorities. This will help residents settle into their new homes sooner, facilitate faster site clearance, accelerate key projects and improve public investment disbursement”, Loc said.

During a recent working session with departments, agencies and the three localities of Bien Hoa, Long Thanh and Nhon Trach, Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee Vo Tan Duc emphasized that resettlement is not only a crucial part of compensation and site clearance efforts but also a decisive factor affecting project implementation schedules.

According to Deputy Secretary Vo Tan Duc, effectively addressing resettlement issues will protect the legitimate rights and interests of residents affected by land acquisition, reduce complaints and disputes, and create clean site for projects to proceed on schedule, thereby providing room for sustainable development.

For future resettlement areas, he stressed that both technical infrastructure and social infrastructure must be developed in a coordinated manner. The city should also consider developing regional-scale resettlement areas instead of the fragmented, small-scale ones developed previously. The Party Committee of the City People's Committee has directed a comprehensive review of resettlement demand across the city, particularly in the three growth-driving urban areas, while developing a detailed roadmap for investment, project commencement and completion, and studying the expansion of existing resettlement areas to meet future development needs.

According to Plan No. 118/KH-UBND dated October 3, 2025, issued by the Dong Nai provincial People's Committee (now Dong Nai municipal People’s Committee) for the 2025-2030 period, a total of 31 resettlement areas will be developed in key localities during the period, including 21 projects in Bien Hoa, four in Long Thanh and six in Nhon Trach.

By Hoang Loc - Translated by  Diec Quyen, Thu Ha