The Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghe An province held a regular citizen reception session in April 2025.

Attending the citizen reception session were representatives from the Provincial National Assembly Delegation, the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Council, several advisory and support agencies of the Provincial Party Committee, and relevant departments, sectors, and localities.

During a public consultation session, Mr. Tran Van Nhung and Ms. Nguyen Thi Quynh Nga from Son Ha hamlet, Dong Hieu commune, Thai Hoa town, petitioned the competent authorities to provide additional unemployment support for households whose land was reclaimed by the State for the implementation of the High-Tech Experimental Zone and Nursery Project in Dong Hieu commune.

The project for a high-tech experimental zone and incubation center in Dong Hieu commune, Thai Hoa town, was invested in during the medium-term period of 2015-2020 from the State budget for science and technology development. Its objective was to establish a scientific and technological research facility under the Center for Application of Advanced Science and Technology, Department of Science and Technology, to promote the development of science and technology in the western region of Nghe An province, operating on a non-profit basis.

The project, implemented on an area of ​​20.5 hectares, had a total investment of 28.87 billion VND, of which 8 billion VND was for land clearance. The project was completed in December 2020 and has been operational for nearly 5 years now.

Regarding the citizens' petition, according to the Provincial Citizen Reception Board, the People's Committee of Thai Hoa town, when preparing the land clearance plan in 2017 and 2018 for the project, did not include funding for training, vocational retraining, and job placement for people whose land was expropriated. Therefore, 22 households in Son Ha hamlet, Dong Hieu commune, Thai Hoa town submitted a petition (the petition of Mr. Tran Van Nhung representing 12 households approved in phase 1; the petition of Mr. Le Cong Quang representing 10 households approved in phase 2).

To date, according to the draft supplementary support plan prepared by the People's Committee of Thai Hoa town in 2023, the total funding for training, vocational retraining, and job search support for 22 households on 12.12 hectares of reclaimed land is over 10.3 billion VND.

Therefore, the aforementioned funding for training, career chuyển đổi, and job search is an expense incurred after the project ends, and is not included in the total investment. This additional cost cannot be covered through the project.

Meanwhile, the Center for Advanced Science and Technology Application is a public service unit operating under a self-financing mechanism, fully self-sufficient in covering its operating expenses. It cannot afford to allocate funds to pay the aforementioned support and therefore requires investment from the State budget.

At the public consultation session, leaders from the Department of Science and Technology, Agriculture and Environment, Finance, and the People's Committee of Thai Hoa town all stated that the citizens' requests were legitimate, specifically the proposal to adjust the total investment of the project to provide additional funding for training, vocational retraining, and job placement for affected households.

After listening to the opinions of citizens and relevant departments and localities, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Hong Vinh clearly outlined the responsibilities of all parties involved in the project implementation process.

The Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee instructed relevant departments, agencies, and localities to conduct a comprehensive review of all policies related to the project, not just funding for training, career chuyển đổi, and job search, to avoid any complications.

Sharing with citizens, the head of the People's Committee of Nghe An province clearly stated the course of action: it is mandatory to require adjustments to the investment project to address the issues raised by the citizens.

The advantage is that the project is not yet fully settled, so adjustments are possible. Therefore, the Chairman of the People's Committee has instructed the People's Committee of Thai Hoa town to develop a supplementary plan to address the citizens' requests. Based on that, the Department of Science and Technology will finalize the project adjustment dossier to serve as the basis for payment to the households.

Affirming the directive to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Hong Vinh reassured citizens that even if the district-level government ceases to exist, the province and commune-level authorities will be responsible for payment.