Seven households in Sa Nam hamlet are worried about their houses collapsing and their roads being lost.
Right near the center of Van An commune (formerly Nam Dan town), seven households are living in constant fear on the riverbank as more soil and rocks slide into the river each day. Some houses have already started to crack, splitting their yards and gardens in two.
Landslides are encroaching on people's homes and roads.
After Typhoon No. 10, residents of Sa Nam hamlet, Van An commune, returned from their storm shelters to find another section of their yards had collapsed into the river. Following Typhoon No. 10, the landslide had encroached nearly half a meter further into the road, forcing some families to relocate. This is the situation faced by seven households in Sa Nam hamlet, Van An commune.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh only dares to visit home occasionally and is heartbroken to witness the cracks in her yard widening each day, and parts of the outbuildings collapsing into the river one by one. “Currently, the chicken coop has collapsed into the river, the backyard and bathroom have cracked and half-collapsed, and the walls of the main house have a wide crack almost the size of a hand. My husband, children, and I don’t dare stay in the house for long,” Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh confided.
Pointing to the cracks in the walls of Mrs. Minh's house and four other households, the head of Sa Nam hamlet, Hoang Van Don, said that during the three typhoons from number 5 to number 10 that directly affected Nghe An, the households in Sa Nam hamlet had to constantly relocate to avoid the storms, and each time they returned home, their yards, walls, and roads were further damaged by landslides.
“Currently, the main road running along the river through the residential area of the hamlet, especially the section passing through the location of 7 households here, has cracked in half. The final section near the old Nam Dan bridge has collapsed by 2/3; there is a risk that two nearby households, those of Mr. Vo Dinh Luong and Mr. Nguyen Tien Ba, will not only lose the road but also have their houses collapse into the river if the embankment is not built soon,” said Mr. Hoang Van Don.
Mr. Tran Van Hien, whose house is right next to Mr. Vo Dinh Luong's, said: "I've lived here since 1976. Previously, the road running along the river was much wider. Over time, especially since the riverbed dredging, the cracks have become increasingly deeper into the road. From the 2024 floods until now, the riverbed has eroded the road by 3-5 meters. The households whose houses are threatened with collapse have also been living here since the 1970s," Mr. Hien stated.
It is urgent to build a retaining wall.
The landslide situation has been inspected and documented by authorities at all levels. Recently, during a working trip to various localities, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Van De personally inspected the landslide site on the low canal bank downstream of the Bara Nam Dan sluice gate in Van An commune.
Mr. Bui Dinh Thuy, an economic specialist at the People's Committee of Van An commune, stated: The situation of riverbank erosion along the Dao River section from Nam Dan I Canal to Cut River is as follows: On the northern bank (left bank) of Sa Nam block, there is a long crack causing land subsidence into the Dao River. Currently, according to the actual site, the length of the crack and subsidence is approximately 152m, with a width of 2.5 to 3m, and a crack width of (30 - 50)cm. The road in the block, extending 152m, has subsided into the Dao River bank. Notably, the erosion area borders the houses of 7 households in Sa Nam block.
In addition, on the right bank of the Phan Boi Chau area, there are several long cracks and small landslides along the riverbank at some points. Currently, there are 19 households located within the protected area of the irrigation works along both banks of the Dao River that have experienced landslides or are at high risk of landslides, including: 9 households on the left bank in the Sa Nam area and 10 households on the right bank in the Phan Boi Chau area. These households have been settled there since before 1995.
Mr. Thuy added: Recently, voters in Van An commune (formerly Nam Dan town area) have made many suggestions and requests regarding the subsidence and erosion of the Dao River bank from Nam Dan 1 Canal to Cut River, especially the section where some households live, threatening the lives and property of the people.
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However, the problem remains unresolved to this day. To ensure the safety of people's lives and property, the People's Committee of Van An commune has reported and proposed a solution to the landslide to the People's Committee of Nghe An province and the Department of Agriculture and Environment. Accordingly, they requested the Provincial People's Committee to provide funding for the relocation and resettlement of households located within the protected area of the irrigation project to a safe location. They also requested approval and funding for the construction of a 2 km embankment along the Dao River from the Bara Nam Dan I sluice gate to the Cut River.
Following typhoons No. 9 and No. 10, the provincial People's Committee leaders visited the site twice to inspect the landslide situation in Van An hamlet and along the river section passing through the sluice gate, in Phan Boi Chau ward.
The people are eagerly awaiting measures from all levels of government and relevant agencies to provide support and prevent landslides so that they can live in peace.
