Abnormalities at the drying yard that was turned into a sand collection site in Thai Hoa town

From people's frustration

Recently, we received feedback from residents of Bac Ninh hamlet, Tay Hieu commune (Thai Hoa town), about a land plot believed to be the drying yard of a coffee business in the area appearing as a sand and gravel collection site.

It is worth mentioning that this sand collection site is located in a densely populated area. Every day, many large trucks carry sand here to collect, then load it onto tractor trailers to be transported elsewhere for consumption. This situation has been going on for a long time, affecting people's lives, damaging roads, polluting the environment but has not been completely resolved.

A resident of Bac Ninh hamlet informed us: A few months ago, Howo trucks carrying sand to this gathering place were very crowded, and at dusk, they were transported to another place by tractor-trailers. Because the road connecting Provincial Road 545 (now named Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street) to the gathering place is a concrete road, short and has many curves, so every time the trucks carrying sand come in and out, they often scatter sand, causing environmental pollution and damage to the hamlet's roads.

At times, the trailer even crashed into the wall, damaging people’s houses. People were very upset when heavy trucks carrying sand continuously came in and out but authorities did not check and handle the situation.

To verify the information reflected by the people, we were directly present at the area where the sand gathering place is mentioned above and can confirm that the people's reflection is well-founded. We even felt the shaking when the heavy truck carrying sand slowly moved deeper into the yard.

According to the information we have, the land that became the sand dump has a total area of ​​18,898m2.²According to local people and authorities, this land is managed by Thai Hoa Nghe An Company. Previously, it was used as a drying yard and warehouse for agricultural products. In addition to this land, Thai Hoa Nghe An Company also manages 3,700.1m², located almost opposite the land we mentioned above, on the same Hai Thuong Lan Ong street. In fact, the land has been rented by other units to use as warehouses, sand storage areas, and even as scrap storage areas.

Contacting the local authorities, Mr. Duong Dinh Duong - Chairman of Tay Hieu Commune People's Committee provided us with 2 maps with the symbol of TSK land plot (other headquarters land), and both recorded the management information of Thai Hoa Nghe An Company. In which, land plot number 78, has an area of ​​3,700.1m²(located on the left side of the road from Thai Hoa town to Tan Ky), and plot of land number 51, with an area of ​​18,898m2², located in the opposite direction, which is now being used as a sand storage area. There is no further information or records.

On November 5, 2024, representatives of the People's Committee and the Tay Hieu Commune Police were present at the above-mentioned sand gathering point for inspection. According to the inspection record, at the scene, the authorities discovered 18 piles of construction sand, each pile of sand weighing about 30m³, along with some vehicles and machinery.

According to the inspection report, the owner of this warehouse is Ms. Phan Thi Duong (born in 1964), residing in Trung Cap block, Long Son ward, Thai Hoa town. In August 2024, Ms. Duong allowed a resident in Hoa Hieu ward, Thai Hoa town to use as a construction sand collection site.

Mr. Duong also said that these two plots of land belong to the company, the commune does not manage them, and this company has stopped operating but has rented them to another individual as a sand storage site. Mr. Duong also informed that the commune has suspended the operation of this sand storage site and requested that the sand be unloaded elsewhere.

Abnormal

From the little information above, we contacted the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Thai Hoa Town, Ms. Tran Thi Tinh - Head of the Department said that she did not know that the two above-mentioned lands were under the management of Thai Hoa Nghe An Company.

Registering to work with the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Nghe An, we received the answer that there was no information about the land lease of Thai Hoa Nghe An Company in Tay Hieu Commune, Thai Hoa Town, stored in the file. This means that this unit has not completed the land lease procedures.

According to an officer of the Business Registration Office, Department of Planning and Investment, Thai Hoa Nghe An Company's full name is Thai Hoa Nghe An LLC, with business registration number 2900701964, first registered on September 22, 2005 and changed for the 4th time, on October 31, 2012. The head office is registered at Hung Bac hamlet, Tay Hieu commune, Thai Hoa town, with a charter capital of 10 billion VND.

Thai Hoa Nghe An Company Limited is no longer operating at the registered address. In particular, since 2015, this company has been listed as a tax risk by the Phu Quy II Tax Department. The parent company of this company is Thai Hoa Group Joint Stock Company, headquartered in Dong Da District, Hanoi City, which has also ceased operations but has not yet completed the tax code closure procedure.

It is worth mentioning that Thai Hoa Group Joint Stock Company, with Mr. Nguyen Van An (born in 1956) as Chairman of the Board of Directors and General Director, was established in 1996, converted into a joint stock company in 2008 and listed on the stock exchange in 2010. During its operation, Thai Hoa Group Joint Stock Company has established 15 affiliated enterprises, such as: Thai Hoa Hoa Binh, Thai Hoa Lam Dong, Thai Hoa Laos, Thai Hoa Quang Tri, Thai Hoa Son La, Thai Hoa Buon Ma Thuot, Thai Hoa Nghe An, An Giang Coffee, ... operating mainly in the coffee sector.

Since 2010, Thai Hoa Group Corporation has been in a difficult situation, borrowing from many banks, with a total debt of more than 726 billion VND and being unable to repay the debt. By October 2016, Chairman of the Board of Directors Nguyen Van An and his wife, Ngo Thi Hanh, were temporarily detained for investigation for signs of fraud.

In 2018, the Hanoi People's Court sentenced Mr. Nguyen Van An to 20 years in prison and Ms. Ngo Thi Hanh to 13 years in prison for "Fraudulent appropriation of property". Although both Mr. An and his wife later filed an appeal, the Hanoi High People's Court sentenced Mr. Nguyen Van An to 18 years in prison for "Fraudulent appropriation of property" and 3 years in prison for "Forgery of documents of an organization". The total sentence for both crimes is 21 years in prison, the term of imprisonment starting from February 19, 2020.

As for Ms. Hanh, her prison sentence was reduced from 13 years according to the first instance trial to 9 years for the crimes of "Fraudulent appropriation of property" and "Forgery of documents of an organization".

Obviously, there have been too many irregularities in the management unit of the two large land plots in Tay Hieu commune, which we mentioned above. According to an officer of the Land Management Department, Nghe An Department of Natural Resources and Environment, if the land has not been leased, the responsibility for management belongs to the locality.