The handling of encroachment on the Vu Giang canal in Yen Thanh remains at a standstill.

Massive construction

The Nghe An newspaper received complaints from residents of Lien Thanh commune (Yen Thanh district) regarding the fact that many households have built houses illegally, encroaching on the Vu Giang canal, but the local authorities have not dealt with the issue decisively.

Upon investigating the situation on the ground, we found that the entire stretch of canal, over 1km long, from National Highway 7B to Cho Veo Bridge (Lien Thanh commune), bordering the inter-communal road, has been completely surrounded by houses. Many of these houses are solidly built, 2-3 stories high; some families have already laid foundations awaiting construction; and many areas have recently been leveled with earth...

According to Mr. NVH (residing in Hamlet 3, Lien Thanh Commune), the situation of households building houses encroaching on the Vu Giang River has been ongoing for a long time. Despite numerous requests from residents for action and inspections by the district authorities, no action has been taken.

Furthermore, on March 20, 2018, the Chairman of the People's Committee of Yen Thanh District signed Decision No. 2168/QD.UBND allowing the People's Committee of Lien Thanh Commune to select a location to develop a plan and build infrastructure to relocate the households from the 78 land plots mentioned above to a new planned area. The resettlement site was subsequently identified as the Con Me area, in Hamlet 2, Lien Thanh Commune, with a total area of ​​28,000 square meters.²However, the relocation of these households has not been carried out.

According to the reporter's investigation, along the Vu Giang canal connecting National Highway 7B to Cho Veo bridge and the section from Thong bridge to Khanh Thanh commune, from 1989 to 2001 (mainly in 1994 and 1995), the Lien Thanh commune People's Committee allocated land for residential purposes to 76 households and collected land use fees. The allocated land is located within the Vu Giang canal.

However, at that time, the local authorities did not specify the depth of the land plots, only allocating land based on its width along the road, and did not specify a time limit for use. After being allocated the land, many households proceeded to build houses. At this time, some households had already been granted land use right certificates. This inconsistency caused great frustration among many households (especially those who bought land at the same time but had not yet received land use right certificates).

A deadlock?

Many households argue that the commune's unauthorized land sales should have been dealt with by revoking land use right certificates and canceling land allocation decisions, rather than preventing people from building houses. In reality, many households have been living on the land for decades without needing land use right certificates.

Mr. Nguyen Ba Tan, Chairman of the Lien Thanh Commune People's Committee, said: "This is a historical issue that the locality has not been able to resolve for a long time. When households bought land, they all had land purchase invoices and paid annual taxes. To date, many households have been granted land use right certificates by the State..."

It is known that local authorities are currently implementing strict control measures to prevent further construction and expansion. While some cases of administrative violations have been penalized, it remains difficult to prevent them. Even after notices prohibiting buying, selling, and transferring properties, many households still proceed.

Mr. Le Van Hong, Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Yen Thanh District, stated: The construction of houses by households violating the Vu Giang canal's right-of-way in Lien Thanh commune has been confirmed. The impact of these violations varies depending on the specific case. According to the Law on Dikes, these households must relocate outside the canal area to ensure proper drainage.

During the reporter's work in Lien Thanh commune, many households also expressed the opinion that the Vu Giang canal area in this region is still wide, so perhaps it should be dredged, embankments built on both sides, and then legalized for households that have purchased land along the canal, avoiding the need for relocation and resettlement.

When discussing the above opinion with Mr. Thai Huu An, Head of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Yen Thanh District, Mr. An stated that the district had also submitted this opinion to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment and other relevant agencies and departments. However, handling the situation according to this plan is very costly, firstly because it requires geological and topographical surveys, calculations of flow rates, and the associated impacts, not to mention the cost of constructing embankments on both sides of the river...

Clearly, the situation where dozens of households have built permanent houses encroaching on the Vu Giang canal (the section flowing through Lien Thanh commune), violating the Land Law and the Dike Law, is undeniable. This has been clearly recognized by local authorities at all levels, and numerous recommendations and proposals for handling the issue have been made. However, to date, these recommendations have largely gone nowhere, a matter that needs reconsideration.