As Tô Lâm promises equitable housing and other forms of social welfare, the reality is far different for thousands of displaced citizens.
The Latest: On the morning of Oct. 5, President Tô Lâm addressed the Communist Party Central Committee at its fourth plenary session in Ba Đình hall, emphasizing housing and broader social welfare as top priorities.
- In his first speech delivered using a teleprompter, he called on the party to make housing a measure of development quality.
The Details: President Tô Lâm stated that the government must “improve people’s material and spiritual well-being, expand opportunities, and ensure equitable access to benefits,” according to Nhân Dân (The People) newspaper.
- He further elaborated, “Education, health care, culture, housing, and social welfare must be factored into the quality of development, with attention to vulnerable people and disadvantaged areas,” he said in his opening address.
- He stressed that, “Every decision must put national interests and the people’s legitimate rights and interests above all else.”
- The president also emphasized “listening, considering sound opinions, and addressing legitimate interests,” alongside “ensuring that people can contribute to policymaking, oversee implementation, and share in the benefits.”
Displaced Residents: The Central Committee meeting took place not far from an area being cleared along the Red River.
- Thousands of residents in Hà Nội and Bắc Ninh—specifically in the areas of Hồng Hà, Lĩnh Nam, Ba Vì, and Gia Bình—were losing their land and homes or facing clearance plans against their wishes, often with inadequate compensation.
- Additionally, protests in areas undergoing or designated for clearance began earlier this year and show no signs of subsiding.
- Neither Tô Lâm nor other party leaders have publicly addressed these residents’ grievances or met with them to resolve these ongoing disputes.
Furthermore, in September, Hà Nội authorities issued regulations that permitted land recovery before the completion of residents’ resettlement.
- This action runs contrary to the sequence required under the current Land Law.
Trịnh Hữu Long wrote this news article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on October 6, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine translated it into English.
