Bắc Ninh Catholic communities plead for compassion and fair compensation as the multi-trillion đồng Gia Bình International Airport clears their homes, charity houses, and sacred grounds.
The Latest: On the morning of June 10, the head of the Bắc Ninh Diocese voiced concerns over the displacement of local residents to make way for the Gia Bình International Airport.
Bishop Joseph Đỗ Quang Khang stated that he had witnessed “many families forced to live in temporary housing, facing compounded difficulties over shelter, work, schooling, faith life, and daily activities” due to the land clearance process managed by provincial authorities.
During a meeting with representatives of the Bắc Ninh provincial government at the bishop’s residence, Bishop Khang emphasized that “all development is truly meaningful only when people are placed at the center.”
- He further stated that “before speaking of major projects or long-term development goals, it is necessary to care for the concrete lives of those who are directly sacrificing their private interests for the common good.”
Bishop Khang also called on authorities to pay greater attention to social welfare during the relocation process.
- He emphasized that stabilizing housing, ensuring essential living conditions, securing jobs, protecting children’s schooling, and preserving residents’ spiritual life should be treated as top priorities.
Other Voices From the Clergy: The displacement is creating friction and emotional strains across the Catholic community.
Father Peter Nguyễn Công Văn, the vicar general, confirmed the escalating difficulties regarding resettlement.
- He stated, “Several churches […] have had their electricity and water cut. Now, if your families were there, if your parents were there, if your wives and children were there, think about it.”
Sister Maria Trần Thị Thu Hương, representing the Sisters of Our Lady of Unity, reported that while much of the local agricultural land is being compensated at about 200 million đồng (approximately $7,600) per sào (1 sào is about 360 square meters), land belonging to their charity home is currently valued at only about 90 million đồng per sào.
- She complained, “If the charity home has to move but there is no resettlement site yet, where will the 40 children with disabilities and the sisters go?”
Official Response: At the meeting, Phạm Văn Thịnh, vice chairman of the Bắc Ninh People’s Committee, acknowledged the hardship. “Relocating to make way for the Gia Bình Airport project is a very great sacrifice by the people,” he said, adding that “when implementing any project, the important thing is to put ourselves in the people’s position to understand their difficulties, losses, and concerns.”
A representative of the Bắc Ninh provincial police echoed this sentiment, promising that no resident would be left behind during the project’s implementation.
Outcry From Residents: Despite these assurances, residents continue to express their distress online.
- On June 8, an article titled “Until When” by Jos Văn Quý was posted on the Diocese’s official platforms, garnering over 200 reactions.
- Quý wrote: “The image of excavators tearing down homes within the planning area of a major national project is striking. Walls collapse. Tiled roofs are stripped away. Belongings are loaded onto trucks. Trucks operate nonstop. The countryside is changing day by day to make way for an airport project. I looked for a long time. Not because of the excavators. Not because of the scale of the project. But because I suddenly thought of the saying passed down by our ancestors: ‘Settle down to build a livelihood.’”
- Another piece titled “When the Dead Must Also Leave Their Homeland…!!!,” published the same day by a writer named An Bình, received more than 1,700 reactions.
- The author wrote: “Before my eyes, there was no longer the familiar scene of a Catholic cemetery with orderly rows of graves and crosses stretching toward the beloved parish church. Instead, there were deep trenches gouged into the earth, overturned patches of land, and fresh marks left by excavators and bulldozers. Everything appeared chaotic, empty, and heartbreakingly desolate.”
The Background: The National Assembly approved the Gia Bình International Airport Project—one of the fastest-moving infrastructure developments currently underway in Việt Nam—in December 2025. Intended to serve both civilian and security-defense purposes, the scope of the project has expanded massively in just a few years.
- In January 2023, the minister of national defense approved a helicopter airport—named the “People’s Public Security Air Force Regiment Helicopter Airport,”—requiring approximately 125 hectares of land in Xuân Lai Commune.
- By June 27, 2024, the government proposed that the National Assembly approve 1 trillion đồng for the Gia Bình Airport project, now under the management of the Ministry of Public Security.
- On Feb. 20, 2025, the Ministry of Transport issued Decision No. 207 to turn the Ministry of Public Security’s “Gia Bình Airport Project” into “Gia Bình International Airport.”
- On April 11, 2025 the Ministry of Construction subsequently issued Decision No. 408 to expand the planned area to about 408.5 hectares.
- On Aug. 1, 2025, the Ministry of Construction drastically increased the scale of the Gia Bình International Airport to nearly 1,960 hectares, through Decision No. 1204.
- On Dec. 11, 2025, the National Assembly passed Resolution No. 256/2025, locking in the investment policy for the 1,959.95-hectare site with a total investment of 196.378 trillion đồng.
