Only 2.5 months would be allowed for site clearance after compensation and resettlement plans are approved.
Driving the News: On May 27, state media reported that the Đại Quang Minh–THACO–Hòa Phát consortium, the investor behind the Red River Landscape Boulevard project, had sent a document to the Hà Nội People’s Committee regarding the implementation timeline and related proposals of the project.
- For the construction of a public park in Phú Thượng Ward, the investor proposed the following schedule: project approval before June 15, 2026; technical design approval before June 22; site clearance, excluding the area of Liên Ngạc Cemetery, before June 15; land handover before June 20; and construction across the entire allocated land area before June 22.
- For the main boulevard, the investor proposed the following timeline: appraisal and approval of detailed plans and locations under the 1/500 zoning plan before June 15; approval of the compensation and resettlement project before July 5; clearance of public and agricultural land within the project area before Sept. 20; land handover and construction before Sept. 25.
- The consortium also asked city authorities to direct commune- and ward-level people’s committees to carry out legal procedures in parallel, including reviewing and documenting land origins and preparing compensation projects, in order to shorten the timeline for compensation and site clearance and meet the conditions for construction.
What Residents are Saying: In Facebook groups related to the Red River Landscape Boulevard project, many users have expressed anger over the project’s fast-tracked schedule.
- In the group “Hội Cư dân Hà Nội – Quy hoạch Thành Phố Sông Hồng; Hồ Tây,” one member posted an analysis of the investor’s document. The person argued that, under the Constitution and the Land Law, the community must demand a clear separation between what serves the public interest, what is commercial, and what benefits the investor.
The user also stated that the site clearance and compensation process appeared more like “racing against the deadline” than “following proper procedures.” The post concluded: “Development cannot be built on legal ambiguity, progress cannot be used as a reason to shorten people’s right to participate, and riverside land cannot be turned into a testing ground for unclear land recovery mechanisms.”
- In the same group, another account posted part of the document and noted that the timeline was “rushed as if there were a funeral at home.”
- In the group “Dự Án Trục Đại Lộ Cảnh Quan Sông Hồng Mới Nhất,” many users also posted objections to the rapid timeline of the project and called for a review of the eligibility of the investor to participate.
- Similar comments have appeared in other groups, including “Đại lộ Sông Hồng—Thành Phố Ven Sông—Chia Sẻ Thông Tin” and “Siêu Dự Án Đại Lộ Cảnh Quan Đô Thị Hai Bên Bờ Sông Hồng.”
Why It Matters: In early May 2026, Hà Nội authorities announced that they had agreed to gradually relocate and replan all residential areas outside the dike to serve the Red River Landscape Boulevard project. Since then, many Facebook groups have been created to share information and voice the anger and opposition of residents. People in affected areas have repeatedly posted appeals and petitions, with a central demand: no blanket clearance, priority for preserving existing residential communities, and adequate compensation.
- Among them is a petition by residents of Hồng Hà Ward in Hà Nội, asking authorities to “clarify signs of irregularities in financial management and land use” and proposing the preservation of existing residential communities within the project area. The petition emphasized that there must be no blanket clearance.
- Residents within the project area have also issued an open letter demanding an immediate halt to all implementation steps until a detailed planning map is available, compensation based on market prices, on-site resettlement, and other guarantees.
- Many other public appeals have called on authorities to preserve and renovate existing residential neighborhoods rather than carry out blanket clearance.
- Recently, a nonprofit website called “Cộng đồng ven sông Hồng,” or “Red River Communities,” has also appeared, aiming to provide residents with information and guidance on how to submit petitions.
Context: On the morning of May 11, 2026, the Hà Nội People’s Council approved the investment policy for the Red River Landscape Boulevard project, with 100% of delegates present voting in favor. The project is a strategic megaproject for Hà Nội, aimed at redesigning urban space along the Red River and improving the quality of the capital’s central urban area.
- The project passes through 16 communes and wards, covers about 11,418 hectares of land, and has a preliminary investment cost of about 736.963 trillion đồng, or $28 billion. It is expected to affect around 200,000 residents.
- Compared with the previous proposal, the new investment policy removed three wards from the project area — Vĩnh Tuy, Hoàng Mai, and Vĩnh Hưng — and reduced the total investment by about 118 trillion đồng, or $4.49 billion.
Under the Law: Article 87 of the 2024 Land Law states that compensation, support, and resettlement plans must be publicly posted at commune-level people’s committee offices and common community spaces in areas where land is subject to recovery for 30 days. Immediately after this posting period, authorities must hold in-person meetings to collect opinions from residents in the affected area. People who are absent for legitimate reasons may submit written comments.
The Bigger Picture: In Việt Nam, land has long been one of the most common sources of disputes between citizens and the state. Each year, administrative cases are dominated by lawsuits challenging land-related administrative decisions and actions, with defendants often being people’s committees and their chairpersons at different levels.
- In the past, several tragic cases have stemmed from state-enforced land recovery for project site clearance, including Đồng Tâm in 2020 and Văn Giang in 2012.
- As of March 30, 2025, Việt Nam had 4,489 land projects facing difficulties and bottlenecks, with a total investment value of more than 3.352 quadrillion đồng.
Lê Sáng wrote this article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on May 28, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine has the copyrights to the English translation.
