“We keep watch through the night, and even under the blazing midday sun.”
The Latest: Since Sept. 28, social media users have reported that residents of Ba Vì commune have gathered, spread out mats, and stayed awake through the night to prevent outsiders from entering their villages.
From Social Media: The following are social media posts—including screenshots of private messages—taken from the social media platform, Threads.
- Luật Khoa has not independently verified the conversations, established when or where the nighttime photographs were taken, or confirmed whether a groundbreaking ritual took place in the early morning.
The account save.b*** posted:
“Sun Group is holding a groundbreaking ritual without having held a residents’ meeting or sought residents’ opinions. At 8 p.m., they put up the tent; at 7 p.m., they announced the groundbreaking in the village’s Zalo group. Residents knew nothing about the plans beforehand. People have had to take turns keeping watch day and night to stop unfamiliar vehicles from entering.”
At 7 p.m. on Sept. 29, save.b*** wrote:
“At 7 tonight, residents again spread out mats at checkpoints to stop them from coming to perform a groundbreaking ritual. The commune sent notices inviting households representing the villages—designated by the village chiefs—to a meeting at the commune offices.”
On Sept. 30, the account thhu*** posted:
“Residents haven’t agreed, yet they’ve already come to break ground for the safari project. At 2 a.m., they sneaked up the hill to perform a ritual and were discovered by residents.”
The account __du***, identifying themselves as a third-generation village resident, wrote:
“If this isn’t residents opposing the project, what is it? Why else would we have to keep watch for people ‘sneaking in to perform rituals’?”
- Responding to a comment, the user added: “I’m just reporting what’s really happening in my hometown. No misinformation or fake news…”
Early on Sept. 30, the account cherrieheh*** posted a screenshot of a conversation that included the message: “We’re now splitting into groups to watch every route into the area where they want to break ground.”
- An accompanying nighttime photograph showed people and motorcycles gathered on a dark road.
- “According to the proposed map posted by the commune, many households would be affected,” the user wrote. “Several villages, in fact.”
Unable to Contact: Luật Khoa could not reach Mặt Trời (Sun) Real Estate Joint Stock Company by phone.
- Additionally, public email addresses for either Sun Group or Mặt Trời Real Estate Joint Stock Company could not be found.
The Background: On Sept. 28, domestic media reported that Mặt Trời Real Estate Group Joint Stock Company, a Sun Group member company, had submitted an application to Hà Nội’s Department of Finance.
- The application sought investment policy approval for the Ba Vì Ecotourism Complex, including a safari park.
According to these reports, Sun Group proposes being selected under the “special circumstances” provisions of Capital Law 02/2026.
- In other words, the company is asking to be chosen as the investor without competitive bidding.
Thành Phương wrote this news article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on September 30, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine translated it into English.
