Unease at the foot of Mount Quyet

Living in fear of death.

For many years, every time it rains, the entire family of Mr. Do Doan Khanh in Block 3, Trung Do Ward (Vinh City) has to rush out of their house to find safe shelter. This is also the common situation of hundreds of households living at the foot of Quyet Mountain, especially those on Ngo Thi Nham Street.

Mount Quyet viewed from above. Photo: Tien Hung

“Every time it rains, we’re terrified. Sometimes rocks and soil fall down in torrents,” Mr. Khanh said. However, due to insufficient funds to buy a house and move to a new place, Mr. Khanh, like other residents here, has to endure living with the threat of landslides, waiting for the government to arrange resettlement. However, for more than 10 years, this has remained just a dream. According to the locals, landslides at Dung Quyet mountain have been occurring since 2008, when the road to the temple of King Quang Trung was being constructed, and the area was already affected by landslides.

Residents living at the foot of Mount Quyet are weary of waiting for resettlement. Photo: Tien Hung

Even now, Mr. Le Van Lap, residing in Block 2, Trung Do Ward, cannot forget the first landslide in 2010. That time, after a torrential rain, landslides occurred in multiple locations, burying a large amount of earth and rocks. Although there were no casualties, 13 houses and much property were severely damaged. Not long after, also in Block 2, hundreds of cubic meters of earth and rocks suddenly collapsed from the mountain, burying many vegetable gardens and wells. Since then, the gardens of the people at the foot of the mountain have been gradually encroached upon.

"Around 9 PM that night, my whole family was getting ready for bed when we suddenly heard a loud explosion, followed by the sound of rushing water. Everyone panicked and rushed out of the house. As soon as we ran out into the street, dozens of tons of earth and rocks fell down, then spilled through the garden and onto the road. Luckily, no one was injured, but all the kitchen appliances like the refrigerator, washing machine, pots and pans... were swept away by the earth and rocks," Mr. Lap recounted. It took the residents here half a month to clean up after the massive landslide.

Rocks and soil flooded into people's homes during the 2019 landslide. Photo: TH

The most serious incident was the landslide in October 2019. That time, after a prolonged period of heavy rain and flooding, a massive amount of earth and rocks collapsed onto many houses in Block 3, Trung Do Ward. Seven houses were flooded, with some even completely buried under the debris… Fortunately, because the residents proactively evacuated, there were no casualties.

Landslides have threatened residents for more than 10 years. Photo: TH

Mr. Dang Phi Truong, a local resident, said that for more than 10 years, landslides during storms have been a frequent occurrence, causing anxiety among the people. “In recent years, whenever there’s heavy rain and flooding, we have to evacuate because we’re afraid of landslides. In 2020, we were informed that we would be compensated 1.9 million VND per square meter.”²"We were supposed to relocate, but my family couldn't because this amount of money isn't enough to buy land for resettlement," Mr. Truong said.

Concerns arising from illegally constructed graves.

Besides the worries about rocks and soil, the people at the foot of Mount Quyet also fear the tombs built on the mountain. During each landslide, many tombs, built with sturdy piles of bricks and stones, collapse onto the houses below. On one occasion, more than 30 tombs slid down from the mountain. Meanwhile, the problem of illegal tomb construction here remains unresolved.

According to the leaders of Trung Do ward, the authorities banned burials on Quyet Mountain more than 20 years ago. However, in recent years, during surveys, the number of rebuilt graves has increased alarmingly. In 2015, there were approximately 1,700 graves on Quyet Mountain. By October 2019, a survey revealed 1,921 scattered graves. The majority of these graves are concentrated in Blocks 2 and 4 of the ward. To date, the number of graves has reached over 3,000. Thus, in just a few years, more than 1,300 new graves have been created.

Many clans fenced off large areas to seize land, turning the rare open, flat plots of land on Mount Quyet into cemeteries. Photo: Tien Hung

According to our reporter's observations, along the road leading to the Hoang De - Quang Trung temple, there are areas that now resemble cemeteries. Many families and clans have even fenced off large areas of land to claim it as family cemeteries. Furthermore, upon closer inspection, many of the graves here are merely symbolic graves... "They just build them there to claim the land, and then later bring the remains up for reburial," said Mr. Nguyen Van Long, a resident living at the foot of Quyet Mountain.

Not long ago, a family in Cua Nam ward discovered they were secretly burying a relative on Quyet mountain at night. “It was around 2 AM when people saw the hearse going up the mountain and reported it to the authorities. But by the time we arrived, they had already buried the deceased. We couldn't stop them. Regarding the illegally constructed graves, they always build them secretly at night. By the time we arrive, they're already finished,” a Trung Do ward official recounted.

Many of the graves on Quyết Mountain are symbolic graves. Photo: Tiến Hùng

The problem of illegally constructed tombs on Quyết Mountain not only causes anxiety among residents due to landslides and collapses onto houses below, but also raises concerns about forest fires. The Quyết Mountain area is particularly characterized by pine forests, which are highly susceptible to fire when leaves fall onto the tombs. Not long ago, a family, while visiting a grave, caused a serious forest fire due to careless incense burning.

"We are aware of this situation. Currently, the local authorities have proposed relocating all the graves away from Quyết Mountain," said Mr. Trần Quảng Đại, chairman of the People's Committee of Trung Đô ward.

The tombs on Quyết Mountain pose a potential risk of forest fires. Photo: Tiến Hùng

According to Mr. Dai, whenever there are storms, the ward authorities worry about evacuating residents because more than 100 families are living in areas at risk of landslides. During the hot season, they fear forest fires because their houses are close to Mount Quyet, and during the rainy season, they fear landslides. To date, only 6 families at risk of landslides have received assistance to relocate themselves. Currently, the Vinh City People's Committee has surveyed 5 hectares of land for resettlement to relocate more than 100 households in the landslide-prone area. However, the implementation time and completion date for relocating the residents are still unknown. Meanwhile, the remaining more than 200 households within the planned area still don't know when they will be "freed."