The outstanding issues and obstacles of the Samurai Nghi Thach project need to be resolved promptly.

Report and recommendations from the People's Committee of Dong Loc Commune

Document No. 72/UBND-KT dated July 18, 2025, from the People's Committee of Dong Loc Commune to the People's Committee of Nghe An Province; Nghe An Newspaper, Radio and Television contains the following content. as follows:

"On July 6, 2025, Nghe An Newspaper and Radio and Television published an article..."A moment of silence at the Samurai Nghi Thach project."The report reflects many shortcomings of the project, as well as the fact that the project site has become an environmental black spot. After inspection, the People's Committee of Dong Loc commune found that the reports from Nghe An Newspaper and Radio and Television were accurate."

On December 12, 2014, the Provincial People's Committee issued a decision allowing Samurai Co., Ltd. to lease the land for the construction of a factory for manufacturing and assembling refrigeration and household appliances. On April 23, 2015, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment issued a Certificate of Land Use Rights for an area of ​​15,252 m2 to Samurai Co., Ltd. for use in production and business purposes under an annual land lease agreement.

By 2016, the Provincial People's Committee had approved the conversion of land use for the project to subdivide residential land plots, as stated in document No. 3755/UBND-NN dated June 1, 2016. The Provincial People's Committee then issued Decision No. 3422/QĐ-UBND dated July 14, 2016, approving the detailed construction plan at a scale of 1/500 for the subdivision of residential land plots in Nghi Thach commune. However, from 2016 to the present, Samurai Co., Ltd. has not completed the necessary procedures to be allocated land for the project as required.

Therefore, the People's Committee of Dong Loc Commune respectfully requests the People's Committee of Nghe An Province to direct relevant departments and agencies to work with the investor to expedite the project implementation. If the investor fails to implement the project according to the approved schedule, appropriate legal action should be taken.

We request that the Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Dong Loc Commune, Phung Ngoc Tu, provide more details on the obstacles preventing "Samurai Co., Ltd. from completing the procedures for land allocation." According to Mr. Phung Ngoc Tu, due to the project's delay and voter feedback, the former Nghi Loc district has repeatedly submitted reports to the Provincial People's Committee and relevant departments and agencies. Recently, a provincial inspection team has examined the stalled projects, including the Samurai Co., Ltd. project; however, the former Nghi Loc district has not yet accessed the team's conclusions.

Deputy Chairman of Dong Loc Commune People's Committee, Phung Ngoc Tu, explained: “If the obstacles stem from the investor, only the investor knows. If the obstacles arise from administrative procedures, they mainly involve provincial-level agencies. Administrative procedures under the authority of the former district level were handled by the former Nghi Loc district when instructed by provincial-level agencies. Therefore, we don't know the specific obstacles the project is facing; we can only report and request that the competent authorities consider and handle them according to regulations…”

According to Mr. Phung Ngoc Tu, along with submitting a report and recommendations to the Provincial People's Committee, the Dong Loc Commune People's Committee will soon implement measures to ensure that no problems arise on the land where Samurai Co., Ltd. is carrying out its project, causing harm to the local people.

Specifically, Mr. Phung Ngoc Tu said: “The People's Committee of Dong Loc commune will issue a document requesting Samurai Co., Ltd. to be responsible for managing the land for the project while awaiting resolution of the issues by the competent authorities. This includes ensuring environmental hygiene and preventing illegal construction…”

This needs to be resolved quickly!

Over the past few days, we have gained access to quite a few documents related to the Samurai Company Limited project. Of particular note is Document No. 3533/SKHĐT-DN dated October 2, 2020, from the former Department of Planning and Investment regarding the "Review of the process and procedures for implementing the residential land subdivision project in Nghi Thach commune, Nghi Loc district (formerly)".

Regarding the project's legal procedures, according to statistics from the former Department of Planning and Investment, Samurai Co., Ltd. was granted Land Use Right Certificate, House Ownership and Other Assets Attached to Land No. BY 969837 dated April 23, 2015, by the former Department of Natural Resources and Environment, covering an area of ​​15,252.0 m2 in Nghi Thach commune, with the purpose of use being non-agricultural production land (factory for manufacturing and assembling refrigeration and household appliances), with a land use term until September 26, 2064.

On June 1, 2016, the Provincial People's Committee issued document No. 3755/UBND-NN agreeing in principle to allow Samurai Co., Ltd. to convert the land use purpose of the area to residential land. On July 14, 2016, the Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 3422/QD-UBND approving the detailed construction plan (1/500 scale) for the subdivision of residential land plots in Nghi Thach commune, Nghi Loc district, with Samurai Co., Ltd. as the investor. On June 7, 2017, the Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 2425/QD-UBND approving the investment principle for the residential land subdivision project for Samurai Co., Ltd. On June 13, 2017, the former Department of Planning and Investment issued Investment Registration Certificate No. 3304424882 to Samurai Co., Ltd. to implement the residential land subdivision project in Nghi Thach commune, Nghi Loc district.

Regarding the results of the review of processes and procedures, in Document No. 3533/SKHĐT-DN dated October 2, 2020, the former Department of Planning and Investment reported to the Provincial People's Committee specifically the opinions of the former Department of Natural Resources and Environment and the Department of Construction; and also the system of legal regulations related to the project. Through this, it was determined that:"The request by Samurai Co., Ltd. to change the land use purpose from non-agricultural production land to residential land for the implementation of a residential land subdivision project in Nghi Thach commune, Nghi Loc district, and the approval of the investment policy by the Provincial People's Committee in Decision No. 2425/QD.UBND dated June 7, 2017, is in accordance with the provisions of the 2014 Investment Law and the 2013 Land Law."

However, in studying the regulations of the 2014 Housing Law, the (former) Department of Planning and Investment expressed concerns about the designation of investors without auction or bidding, stating:“Samurai Co., Ltd. does not yet meet the requirements to be designated as the investor for the Residential Land Subdivision Project in Nghi Thach commune, Nghi Loc district (formerly) (The company has legal land use rights but the land is not yet legally registered as residential land)”.

Therefore, we recommend the following to the Provincial People's Committee:"Regarding compliance with the 2014 Housing Law, there is currently no consensus on the method of selecting investors. Therefore, the former Department of Planning and Investment respectfully requests the Provincial People's Committee to assign the Department of Construction (the state management agency for housing) to consult with the Ministry of Construction for specific opinions before reporting to the Provincial People's Committee.".

In April 2021, Samurai Co., Ltd. submitted Proposal No. 03/TTr to the Provincial People's Committee explaining the issues raised by the former Department of Planning and Investment in Document No. 3533/SKHĐT-DN, and requesting permission to continue implementing the project. The Provincial People's Committee responded to Samurai Co., Ltd.'s request with Document No. 2860/UBND-NN dated May 11, 2021, instructing the former Department of Planning and Investment to coordinate with the former Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the former Department of Construction, and other relevant agencies to consider and advise on handling the matter in accordance with the law…

With the information provided above, we can somewhat understand the obstacles in the Samurai Company Limited project. Significantly, because these obstacles have not been definitively resolved, the project has dragged on for many years, leading to wasted land and causing negative consequences for the local community, as well as concerns and petitions from constituents.

Therefore, we request that the competent authorities pay attention to resolving this issue definitively in accordance with the Prime Minister's directives at the National Conference summarizing the removal of difficulties and obstacles for projects and land according to Conclusion No. 77-KL/TW of the Politburo and Resolution No. 170/2024/QH15 of the National Assembly (dated July 17, 2025). Specifically: If a project has violations, it must be dealt with strictly; if there are signs of violations, they must be carefully considered before making a decision; and if there are legal procedural obstacles, they must be resolved promptly!