More than a year after their land leases expired, hundreds of aquaculture households are still anxiously waiting.

People are worried.

Recently, many voters in Quynh Anh commune (formerly Quynh Bang commune, Quynh Luu district) and Quynh Mai ward (formerly Quynh Xuan ward, Hoang Mai town) have complained that their land lease contract with Trinh Mon Company has expired but has not yet been renewed.

According to reports, Trinh Mon Company's land lease contract with the Provincial People's Committee expired in October 2024. More than a year has passed, but the renewal or re-signing of the contract has not yet been carried out. This has led to delays in the land lease contracts between local residents and the company.

Mr. Ho Van Vinh, residing in Minh Thang village, Quynh Anh commune, a long-time member of Trinh Mon Farm (now Trinh Mon Company), said that shrimp farming inherently involves many risks. In 2009, his family converted their rice fields into shrimp ponds. At that time, the initial investment costs for digging ponds, installing electricity, and purchasing machinery and equipment for farming amounted to approximately 370 million VND – a considerable sum at that time.

According to Mr. Vinh, shrimp farming is highly dependent on environmental conditions, water sources, and the consumer market, so it always carries many risks. In particular, the Mai Giang River area has two estuaries, Quen and Corn, which block both ends, and are frequently used by fishing boats. The operation of seafood processing facilities also causes water pollution at times. "Some years the shrimp thrive, but other years disease outbreaks or water pollution can cause farmers to lose everything," Mr. Vinh shared.

With the company's land lease contract having expired, Mr. Vinh, like many other aquaculture farmers in the area, hopes that the authorities will soon find a solution so that people can continue production with peace of mind. "Whether the province or the commune leases the land, it doesn't matter, as long as it's stable and long-term so that shrimp farmers don't have to worry," Mr. Vinh expressed.

Furthermore, many households expressed concern that the delay in renewing land lease contracts would make it difficult for them to access support programs and projects, as well as bank loans, thereby affecting their investment and production expansion plans. Some opinions suggested that if Trinh Mon Company is not allowed to continue leasing the land, the State should consider reclaiming the area and handing it over to local authorities for management, so that people can receive land allocation or lease directly.

Mr. Ho Nghia Duong, Chairman of the People's Committee of Quynh Anh commune, said that the locality is currently coordinating with Trinh Mon Company to review the entire area of ​​aquaculture land in the commune, and at the same time, study the replanning of the aquaculture area in a way that is more suitable to the actual conditions, in order to improve land use efficiency and stabilize livelihoods for the people.

According to statistics, the total area for aquaculture in Quynh Anh commune currently exceeds 450 hectares, of which approximately 50 hectares are under the management of Trinh Mon Company. The majority of this area has long been leased to local households from the company for raising shrimp, fish, and other aquatic species. In recent years, due to water pollution, shrimp and other aquatic farming has not been very effective. In fact, many households have had to abandon their ponds due to production losses.

In Quynh Mai ward (formerly Quynh Xuan ward, Hoang Mai town), there are currently about 141 hectares of land used for aquaculture, including internal transportation and irrigation systems, managed by Trinh Mon Company. With the company's land lease contract having expired, many households hope that the authorities will soon find a definitive solution to ensure their rights are protected and to help them feel secure in their long-term production.

Mr. Ho Van Nghia, a specialist from the Economic and Infrastructure Department of the Quynh Mai Ward People's Committee, said that at the end of 2025, the locality coordinated with the company to conduct a field survey of aquaculture land areas. The locality also requested that if any areas are not managed or used effectively by the company, they should be handed over to the locality for management and production development. Currently, the locality is awaiting the results of the company's land survey and review before proceeding with the next steps.

This needs to be resolved definitively as soon as possible.

According to our research, Trinh Mon Company was formerly Trinh Mon Farm, established in the 1950s and under the former Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The farm was involved in land reclamation, aquaculture, rice cultivation, rice seed production, and other agricultural activities.

In 2006, Trinh Mon Farm underwent privatization, with the State retaining 51% of the shares. A few years later, the State divested its shares, and private shareholders acquired them, transforming the company into a 100% privately owned entity.

Currently, the company has approximately 328 hectares of remaining land, distributed across the communes of Quynh Van, Quynh Anh, and the ward of Quynh Mai. After equitization, the Provincial People's Committee signed a land lease contract with the company for a period of 20 years, from October 2004 to October 2024.

Speaking with us, Ms. Dinh Thi Phuong – Representative of Trinh Mon Company – said: After the land lease contract expired, the company submitted an application for renewal. However, due to the transition from a state-owned enterprise to a 100% privately-owned joint-stock company, the legal procedures need to be reviewed and adjusted before completing the next steps.

On October 10, 2024, the former Department of Natural Resources and Environment (now the Department of Agriculture and Environment) received an application for extension from Trinh Mon Company for land plots in Quynh Luu district and Hoang Mai town. However, the agency subsequently returned the application and requested the company to cooperate with local land registration offices to complete the surveying and updating of cadastral maps as a legal basis in accordance with regulations.

According to Ms. Phuong, the company has hired a consulting firm to carry out surveying and updating of cadastral maps for the land areas under its management. Most areas have been completed, except for Quynh Bang commune (now Quynh Anh commune), which is why the land lease renewal process is still incomplete.

In reality, delays in renewing or renegotiating land lease contracts not only affect business operations but also directly impact the livelihoods of many aquaculture households in the area. Therefore, local people hope that the authorities will soon consider and find a definitive solution so that they can feel secure in their production and long-term economic development.