Issues persist even after the termination of land leases for improper purposes at government offices in Vinh City.

(Baonghean)Recently, many administrative and public service agencies and units have taken advantage of prime land locations to lease land for purposes other than those intended. This not only violates state regulations but also causes disruption to public order, traffic safety, urban landscape, and, most importantly, public outrage. To address this situation, the Provincial People's Committee has issued three official letters requesting agencies and units to immediately cease the misuse of land.

Immediately after receiving the provincial People's Committee's official letter requesting an end to the misuse of land, many agencies and units in Vinh City seriously complied. Along Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, one of the busiest commercial streets in Vinh and also home to many state administrative agencies and units, many shops and kiosks have closed and put up signs indicating relocation. For many years, the Department of Education and Training had allocated approximately 30 square meters of land to a private enterprise for commercial purposes, but after receiving the provincial letter, they terminated the contract and reclaimed the business premises. Also along Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, the Department of Finance and Pricing, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism simultaneously terminated their lease contracts and reclaimed the business kiosks.

On Le Hong Phong Street, a bustling "street food area" has long existed, often causing traffic congestion and safety issues during peak hours. Residents have repeatedly petitioned authorities about this complex situation, but it has yet to be resolved. This location is on land leased from the North Central Meteorological and Hydrological Station. Mr. Nguyen Xuan Chinh, Deputy Director of the North Central Meteorological and Hydrological Station, stated: "After receiving a document from the province requesting an end to the misuse of land, we notified the businesses and extended the deadline for reclaiming the land. Because the lease contracts were short-term, terminating them with the businesses was not difficult, and the removal of 17 business kiosks on the unit's land was completed on April 19th."

Kiosks on Nguyen Duc Canh Street (Vinh City) after land was reclaimed for misuse.

On Le Hong Phong Street, an entire row of kiosks specializing in photocopying and printing, belonging to a unit of the armed forces, has also been reclaimed… Currently, walking along the streets of Vinh City, one sees many rows of kiosks closed and displaying signs indicating a change of business location. This movement shows that many administrative and public service agencies and units are complying with the reclamation of land that was used for purposes other than intended. However, a current concern is that many agencies and units, after reclaiming the shops and kiosks, simply abandon them, resulting in dilapidated shops and kiosks that have been demolished, their roofs removed, and doors taken down… creating a “shabby” appearance for Vinh City.

At the intersection of Nguyen Thi Minh Khai and Nguyen Duc Canh streets, the scene is one of desolation: empty, dilapidated kiosks littered with trash, having been demolished and their doors removed. These kiosks were reclaimed by the Department of Justice but have not yet been renovated. The failure to fully fulfill responsibilities in reclaiming and returning land for improper purposes has occurred at several agencies and units, yet no timely solutions have been implemented. Mr. Nguyen Xuan Chinh, Deputy Director of the North Central Meteorological and Hydrological Station, stated: “After demolishing the rented kiosks, the unit had to spend hundreds of millions of dong to rent excavators, level the ground, and rebuild the fence…”. This is not something every unit can accomplish, and the fact that the North Central Meteorological and Hydrological Station was able to rebuild its fence in such a short time has earned it the recognition of being one of the units that effectively restored the land and improved the urban landscape in Vinh City.

It is known that during the process of reclaiming land used for improper purposes, some agencies and units have encountered complex issues. At the Provincial Political School, which has the advantage of a prime location on two main roads, Le Hong Phong and Hermann, in 2009 the school signed a contract to lease the first floor of the canteen and a level 4 residential building with an area of ​​498m2 for a period of 10 years (rent price 6 million VND/month). The lease contract stipulated that if the Political School unilaterally terminated the contract, it would have to compensate for the rent for 10 years, and also reimburse over 1 billion VND that the lessee had spent on renovations and repairs. Because of this large compensation amount, the Political School found it very difficult to terminate the contract. On April 15th, the inter-agency inspection team conducted an administrative violation report regarding the management and use of state assets. The total amount of money collected from renting out assets illegally at the Provincial Political School up to January 2013 was 240 million VND. The inter-agency inspection team requested the Political School to strictly terminate the illegal rental of assets. Speaking with us, Mr. Tran Viet Linh, Deputy Principal of the Provincial Political School, said: “The school has worked with the lessee and requested the termination of the contract. A letter has also been sent requesting the termination of the contract and the handover of the canteen area by July 1st, 2013.” Further investigation revealed that, although the lessee is Mr. Le Anh Xuan, the land is currently being used for the illegal purpose by the 333 Restaurant and the NEOLING International English Center. This situation is complex, and the handling process will be difficult.

The Provincial Cultural Center is also facing difficulties in handling the leased land within its premises. Since 2003, when the site belonged to the Provincial Library, a contract was signed with the Central Region Construction and Import-Export Trading Joint Stock Company to lease 350 square meters of land for 15 years, with a 50-meter frontage facing Nguyen Van Cu Street. The company's initial purpose was to open a cafe, but due to unsuccessful business, they subdivided the land into smaller kiosks for subleasing. After the Cultural Center took over the premises from the Provincial Library, they repeatedly invited the company to discuss and terminate the contract, but encountered many difficulties… Because of the binding terms of the lease agreement, some agencies and units are currently having difficulty resolving and terminating the contract with the lessee. This is one of the main reasons for the slow recovery of land used for improper purposes in some administrative and public service agencies and units.

Despite facing difficulties and obstacles in the land recovery process, it is clear that the administrative and public service agencies that illegally leased land must be held accountable, and the competent authorities need to promptly address these violations.

Text and photos: Hoang Vinh