Residents drive Dong Nai's emulation campaign

The special 500-day-and-night emulation campaign, themed "Solidarity – Discipline – Efficiency – Breakthroughs for a civilized and modern Dong Nai," is being implemented across Dong Nai City's political system through a wide range of practical initiatives, with local residents serving as one of its key driving forces.

Although they are not eligible for compensation or site clearance assistance, many households living along Nguyen Thai Hoc Street in Trang Dai ward have voluntarily dismantled parts of their homes and other structures and handed over land to facilitate the road's upcoming expansion and upgrading.

Public support makes the difference

Tran Van Lan, whose family owns a 10-meter-wide house fronting Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, said he immediately supported the road improvement project by voluntarily removing the front wall and retreating the frontage by three meters in line with the planned road boundary.

"At the end of June, ward officials visited my family to encourage us to sign a commitment to hand over the site before July 15. I told them there was no need for a written commitment because I would hand it over before July 5 — 10 days ahead of schedule," he said.

Residents of Trang Dai ward voluntarily dismantle parts of their homes and other property to hand over land for the expansion of Nguyen Thai Hoc Street.

Nguyen Thi Hoa, who lives near the beginning of Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, said her family had been renting out the front portion of their house for commercial purposes but decided to terminate the lease in order to remove the structure and hand over the land for the road project.

"Once the road is widened, there won't be enough space left for commercial rental because the remaining land will only be sufficient for residential use. Even so, we're happy to contribute because this road has been badly deteriorated for many years, and having a wider, more modern road is worth it," she said.

Nguyen Huu Hoa, an official in Trang Dai ward responsible for a mobilization team covering nearly 150 households along Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, said the ward People's Committee held a dialogue with residents on June 21 regarding the road expansion project. Just three days later, many residents had already begun dismantling their homes and relocating their belongings while waiting for authorities to receive the cleared site. What is particularly encouraging is that most households did not ask the State for compensation during the land clearance process. Only some elderly or disadvantaged residents requested assistance from the ward in relocating their belongings.

Thanks to similar public support, Dong Xoai ward recently broke ground on the Hai Thuong Lan Ong Road project. Once completed, the nearly 1.9-kilometer road, with a planned width of 28 meters, will connect Dong Xoai and Binh Phuoc wards.

Following the principle of "the State and the people working together," 48 households voluntarily donated nearly 3.2 hectares of land for the project, with the donated land estimated to be worth approximately VND15 billion.

Staying close to the people builds greater consensus

Dong Nai is currently implementing hundreds of infrastructure projects, including roads, housing developments and schools. Many are nationally significant projects such as the North-South High-Speed Railway, the Thu Thiem–Long Thanh International Airport Urban Railway, the extension of the Ben Thanh–Suoi Tien Metro Line from Ho Chi Minh City to Dong Nai City's new administrative center and Long Thanh International Airport, the Dau Giay–Tan Phu Expressway and the Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 4.

The progress of these projects depends heavily on site clearance. Nguyen Cao Tai, Director of the Dong Nai City Land Fund Development Center, said the center is working closely with the People’s Committees of wards and communes to monitor site handover schedules. In many wards and communes, the two-tier local government model has reduced administrative intermediate layers and brought authorities closer to residents. As a result, communication and public outreach have become more effective, enabling local authorities to build public consensus more quickly during compensation and site clearance.

Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee and Chairman of the Dong Nai People's Committee Nguyen Van Ut:  People are the driving force behind double-digit growth

The city is implementing the special 500-day-and-night emulation campaign with strong determination. The campaign is intended to mobilize the strength of the entire political system and the combined efforts of all people. Every resident can make a small contribution that together creates tremendous momentum for the city's development. Every additional percentage point of economic growth is invaluable in helping Dong Nai achieve double-digit growth and contribute to the country's overall development.

Nguyen Xuan Thanh, Party Secretary and Chairman of the People's Council of Tan Hiep ward, said the riverside road project along the Cai River, which stretches 1.7 kilometers through the ward, is both a key municipal infrastructure project and the ward's largest-ever land acquisition project since its establishment on July 1, 2025.

The project affects 243 households and one organization. To ensure progress, the ward Party Committee strengthened its leadership and direction by assigning officials to visit every affected household, conduct extensive public outreach and apply the most appropriate compensation and support policies. As a result, by the end of April, 100 percent of the required land had been handed over to the city.

Ta Quang Truong, Party Secretary and Chairman of the People's Council of Xuan Hoa commune, said the commune is home to several major transport projects, including Provincial Road 773, access roads serving the North-South High-Speed Railway, and a 17-kilometer section of land designated for the railway line and station.

For Provincial Road 773, about 80 percent of site clearance in the commune has been completed, with many residents voluntarily handing over their land before receiving compensation. Regarding the North-South High-Speed Railway project, the commune has completed surveys of all affected households and their resettlement demand, and is ready to move forward with the next stages of implementation.

By C Nghia – Translated by M.Nguyet, Thu Ha