Residents of Gia Bình Commune face a difficult choice: abandon their homes for a new airport project without compensation, or lose their electricity and water access.
The Latest: On Aug. 3, authorities in Gia Bình Commune, Bắc Ninh Province, ordered residents of the Trại Quỳnh Bội and Đỗ Xá communities in Quỳnh Phú Village to urgently relocate by Aug. 15 and Aug. 30, respectively.
- Their land is slated to be cleared for the Gia Bình Airport project.
- If residents fail to comply, commune authorities stated that they will cut electricity, water, and telecommunications services “to hand over the site to the investor.”
The Details: Residents report a lack of support from the local government regarding their forced displacement.
M.,—a resident of Trại Quỳnh Bội in Gia Bình Commune—told Luật Khoa Magazine that he had not received compensation or been allocated resettlement land. His family has been forced to find temporary accommodations without assistance from the Gia Bình government.
- “I haven’t heard anything about compensation. We haven’t received any support,” he stated
- “There is still no resettlement land,” he added. “We may have to ask friends or neighbors in the village whether they have land or some kind of shelter where we can stay temporarily.”
After the designated deadlines, any property that has not been removed will be handed over to the investor for demolition and site clearance, as its owners will be “considered to have no further need to use it.”
When asked about the threatened utility cutoff after Aug. 15, M. indicated that residents have little choice but to comply.
- “No one wants to relocate, but everyone has to obey,” he said. “The government says electricity will be cut on Aug. 15 if we don’t move. Without moving, what would we live on?”
While M. knew the relocation deadline, he possessed little clear information about compensation or resettlement.
- “I heard that resettlement land might be available around the middle of August, but I don’t know whether that will happen,” he said. “As for compensation, I heard that might come soon.”
Ultimately, M. said that he accepted the project “for the future of our children” but regretted losing the house his family had built only three years ago.
Luật Khoa Magazine repeatedly called Gia Bình Commune leaders on the morning of Aug. 4 regarding the situation, but no one answered.
The Background: Gia Bình authorities had previously announced the relocation deadlines on July 8.
- This marks the second documented instance in which Gia Bình authorities have threatened to cut electricity and water to compel residents to relocate.
- In mid-June 2026, residents affected by an earlier phase of land clearance also expressed anger over the use of utility cutoffs to evict them from their homes.
Hoàng Nam wrote this article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on August 4, 2026.
