As tensions rise over Hà Nội’s sweeping Red River Landscape Boulevard Project, local authorities are amplifying warnings against “incitement,” leading to direct online pushback from residents facing relocation.
The Latest: On June 24, the People’s Committee of Bồ Đề Ward in Hà Nội posted a warning on its official website and Facebook page titled “Identifying Tactics That Exploit the Red River Megaproject to Incite Opposition Against the Party and State.”
- The post, originally published by the People’s Public Security Newspaper on May 27 during a wave of public opposition to the project, cautions residents to remain “alert” to avoid viewing the land clearance in a “negative and distorted” manner.
The Details: The republished article asserts that authorities “planned” and “carefully calculated” the positive and negative impacts of the megaproject.
- Officials stated that they intend to “maximize protection of the lawful rights and interests of the people,” “build resettlement areas capable of relocating 85,000 households,” and provide “adequate compensation.”
However, the article claims that “hostile forces” exploited “different streams of opinion” regarding the project’s scale, implementation timeline, and livelihood protections to “incite sabotage, create conflict between the people and the authorities, and characterize the project as ‘driving out, suppressing, and abandoning residents,’ etc.” According to the People’s Public Security Newspaper, “distorted propaganda narratives” created “information disorder.”
Online Backlash: Several Facebook groups had been created to share information and express residents’ frustration over the project; despite the official narrative, the Bồ Đề Ward Facebook post faced immediate public pushback on June 24.
- An account named Cuahang Hoa Quả garnered more than 27 likes with an image of a banner reading: “The collective residents of the ancient Bắc Cầu Village in Bồ Đề Ward petition city leaders to consider the people’s thoughts and aspirations and preserve the existing residential area for the welfare of thousands of households.” The comment also included a QR code linking to a Zalo group named “Bắc Cầu – Legal – News.”
- Another user, Long Nguyenhoang commented: “We are residents living along the Red River. This area is where we were born and grew up. What is wrong with speaking up about our thoughts and aspirations, and what makes it inciting?”
- Similarly, an account named Thanh Hà stated: “It is unacceptable to label scientists’ criticisms and residents’ thoughts and aspirations as incitement or sabotage. These issues are entirely legitimate and require specific responses from the authorities.”
The Background: Bồ Đề Ward is one of 16 wards within the planning area for the Red River Landscape Boulevard Project.
- The megaproject threatens the homes and land of hundreds of thousands of residents, including those in centuries-old settlements such as Bắc Biên in Bồ Đề Ward.
- Residents of this ancient village have warned that forced relocation would cause cultural rupture and the loss of a thousand-year-old “soul.”
- The ward has also become one of the focal points of public debate over site clearance.
In late May, Bồ Đề Ward People’s Council chair Vũ Thị Thành became one of the first local officials to threaten residents over the display of banners and slogans—a common form of peaceful protest.
- She warned that authorities would conduct “direct persuasion” if residents did not remove the materials themselves.
Why It Matters: The situation highlights the friction between urban development and citizen rights in Hà Nội.
- Notably, the republished public security article acknowledged systemic flaws, admitting that compensation payments are “inconsistent with market prices.” It also conceded that “some units have been slow and not transparent in publicly disclosing prices to reassure residents before handing over land” and that “the transition to resettlement areas has not met residents’ needs.”
- At present, official plans for site clearance, compensation, and relocation arrangements remain unfinished, yet home demolitions continue rapidly, leaving residents deeply frustrated.
- Affected residents have continued to express frustration in various ways, claiming that authorities have not adequately addressed their demands.
Thành Phương wrote this article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on June 25, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine has the copyrights to the English translation.
