The Latest: Following the Hà Nội People’s Council’s approval of the investment policy for the Red River Scenic Boulevard Project on May 11, affected residents have issued an urgent petition and an open letter to the party and the state. The residents, describing themselves as “residents facing the risk of losing their homes, land, and villages,” are calling for the protection of their rights and interests while demanding market-rate compensation.
The Details: In their open letter, residents raised nine major questions scrutinizing the project’s timeline, the investor’s capacity, the calculation of the total investment, the issue of land used as payment for investors, and the relocation plans.
They specifically questioned why the project is being rushed while grievances from the Thủ Thiêm Project remain unresolved. Furthermore, they questioned why Đại Quang Minh, a company previously implicated in violations related to the Thủ Thiêm Project, is allowed to implement what is described as the largest megaproject in the capital’s history.
The residents outlined five key demands:
- Immediately halt all implementation steps until a detailed zoning map, known as the 1/500 plan, is publicly approved in accordance with proper procedures.
- Provide compensation at market rates and arrange on-site resettlement while organizing a public bidding process.
- Have the State Audit Office review the total investment and all land parcels used as payment to investors.
- Remove all commercial business components, including golf courses, resorts, and luxury urban areas
- Publicly disclose the consortium’s full proposal, the expected compensation plan, and the land recovery boundary map so residents can review and respond.
This pushback follows Notice No. 467, issued on May 6 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and the Hà Nội People’s Committee, which agreed to gradually relocate and rezone all residential areas outside the dike.
In response, a petition from Hồng Hà Ward residents explicitly calls for authorities to “clarify signs of irregularities in financial management and land use and propose preserving existing residential communities in Hồng Hà Ward” within the project area. The petition emphasized that authorities must not carry out blanket clearance. Other online posts have similarly urged authorities to upgrade existing communities rather than execute wholesale evictions.
By the afternoon of May 18, the open letter had gained measurable traction on social media. A post in the Facebook group “Hà Nội Residents — Red River City and West Lake Urban Planning” received 131 shares, while another post in the “Hồng Hà Ward Residents” group received 30 shares.
The Background: The Red River Scenic Boulevard project is slated for implementation from 2026 to 2038, with Đại Quang Minh, Trường Hải, and Hòa Phát serving as its investors. Approved on the morning of May 11, 2026, with 100 percent of present delegates voting in favor, the infrastructure initiative will pass through 16 communes and wards, covering approximately 11,418 hectares.
The preliminary total investment is calculated at 736.963 trillion đồng, or roughly $28 billion. However, compared with previous proposals, the newly approved investment policy removed three wards—Vĩnh Tuy, Hoàng Mai, and Vĩnh Hưng—from the project area. This adjustment reduced the total investment by approximately 118 trillion đồng, or about $4.49 billion.
Why It Matters: On the morning of May 12, State President Tô Lâm affirmed that “the people are the root” and that they are “the subject and the center of renewal and development.”
He additionally stressed that “legitimate public opinions must not be allowed to fall into silence.” However, he has not yet addressed the specific petitions originating from the residents living along the Red River dike, leaving a tense standoff between state-backed megaprojects and the survival of historic neighborhoods.
Lê Sáng wrote this article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on May 18, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine has the copyrights of the English translation.
