A sprawling $28 billion urban megaproject threatens to pave over Hà Nội’s ancient riverside communities, igniting fierce resistance from residents who refuse to be erased.
The Latest: In recent days, intense public opposition to the total clearance of residential areas along the Red River for the Red River Landscape Boulevard project has surged across social media.
The most vocal opponents are the residents of Hà Nội’s ancient villages, who are organizing banner campaigns and digital petitions to demand that the government “keep existing residential areas intact.”
The Details: On May 28, an account named Đặng Thùy Chi shared images of protest banners in Thúy Lĩnh village within Lĩnh Nam Ward, noting that the area is “not only a place to live, but also the memory, tradition, and livelihood of generations of residents.”
The post, which garnered nearly 800 interactions, highlighted residents calling for “preserving the culture of Hà Nội’s suburban areas,” demanding “planning and restoration under the model of ‘village within city, city within village,’” and urging authorities to be “properly implementing the directive of General Secretary and President Tô Lâm: Do not let people’s opinions sink into silence.”
That same day, Facebook user Đặng Thị Hải posted a video of đình làng Đại Lan in xã Nam Phù, a nationally recognized historical-cultural relic. The video narration stated:
“Even amid such brutal war, the people of Đại Lan ancient village were determined not to be afraid, clinging to the land and preserving the village until today. Yet now, the state wants to erase our ancient village of Đại Lan and relocate us elsewhere. In the name of social development, it is turning its back on the past, denying the past and forcing us to sacrifice the blood and bones of our ancestors.”
By the evening of May 27, numerous accounts in the Facebook group Làng Đại Lan – Xã Nam Phù shared images of banners reading:
“The people of the Red River area in Đại Lan Village – Nam Phù Commune firmly petition authorities at all levels to consider the people’s thoughts and aspirations and keep existing residential areas intact for the livelihoods of thousands and tens of thousands of households,” and;
“Everyone has only one ancestral homeland. If it is lost, everything is lost.”
Statements From Other Villages: Residents of Bắc Biên, an ancient village in Bồ Đề Ward, echoed these sentiments days earlier.
Chu Văn Uông, a village elder, stated:
“Our history is closely tied to the river. Now that there is information about a plan to clear the area and move residents elsewhere, we are distressed. Relocating the village could break apart the entire clan structure and sever the strong bonds of the community. How can we answer our ancestors? If residents are moved elsewhere, who will light incense every day under the communal house roof where Lý Thường Kiệt is worshipped? Who will preserve the thousand-year soul of our forefathers?”
The Red River Landscape Boulevard Project: The catalyst for this unrest is the Red River Landscape Boulevard project, a strategic megaproject designed to redesign the urban space along the river and improve the central urban area of the capital.
On the morning of May 11, 2026, the Hà Nội People’s Council unanimously approved the investment policy for the project.
The boulevard is slated to pass through 16 wards and communes, covering approximately 11,418 hectares.
It carries a preliminary total investment of about 736.963 trillion đồng, or $28 billion, and is expected to directly affect roughly 200,000 residents.
Compared to a previous policy iteration, the new version removed three wards—Vĩnh Tuy, Hoàng Mai, and Vĩnh Hưng—from the project area, which reduced the total investment by approximately 118 trillion đồng, or $4.49 billion.
In early May 2026, Hà Nội authorities confirmed that they had agreed to gradually relocate and replan all residential areas outside the dike to facilitate the construction.
Why It Matters: Alongside the development of the Red River civilization, historic settlements like Bát Tràng village, Bắc Biên ancient village, and Bắc Cầu village organically formed along the riverbanks.
As Nguyễn Văn Chính, an expert on the history of Bắc Biên village and its national treasure, the An Xá ancient copper bell, explained:
“The value of a national treasure or a national relic complex can only be fully realized when it exists in an organic relationship with the local community—the people who directly look after it every day, practice its beliefs, and pass down its village conventions. If the village no longer exists, the relics will become cold, soulless architectural blocks, losing the human roots that created their thousand-year historical value.”
Affected residents are continuously submitting letters and petitions to demand adequate compensation and an end to the total clearance policy.
Residents of Hồng Hà Ward submitted a petition asking authorities to “clarify signs of inadequacy in financial management, land use and propose, preserving existing residential areas in Hồng Hà Ward.”
Furthermore, an open letter from residents in the project zone demands an immediate halt to all implementation steps until a detailed planning map is provided, alongside guarantees for on-site resettlement and market-price compensation.
A newly formed nonprofit website, “Cộng đồng ven sông Hồng,” has also launched to equip residents with legal knowledge and petition guidelines.
Hoàng Nam wrote this article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on June 1, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine has the copyrights to the English translation.
