Ba Vì residents are pushing back against one of Việt Nam’s largest real estate developers with physical blockades, round-the-clock watches, and social media outcries.
The Latest: As of the morning of Oct. 1, footage of a collective protest against the proposed Ba Vì Safari project has gone viral on social media.
- A video circulating on platforms like Threads shows residents unfurling a red banner with yellow lettering that reads plainly:
“RESIDENTS OF GIÁP THƯỢNG AND SƠN LÝ VILLAGES, BA VÌ COMMUNE, DO NOT AGREE TO THE PROJECT BEING BROUGHT INTO OUR COMMUNITY.”
- This marks the first publicly available footage of a collective demonstration against the development.
The Details: On Sept. 30, Threads user sungaphao*** reposted a TikTok video—which has since been removed or made private—showing a group of people, predominantly women wearing conical hats, sitting and kneeling on the road in front of the banner.
- Notably, one individual is seen holding a framed portrait of Hồ Chí Minh. Text overlaid on the video states: “Ba Vì Safari project. The people are suffering so much.”
- The Threads caption accompanying the video reads:
“Oh, the anguished cries of these women and mothers over the construction of Animal Farm (Safari). I don’t know what compensation they’re being offered, but it’s heartbreaking to watch. And the media are even branding them reactionaries trying to undermine the government.”
- By Oct. 1, the post had accumulated more than 3,800 likes, 167 replies, 588 reposts, and 646 shares.
From Social Media: Social media users expressed significant anger over the situation.
User kkittylov*** commented:
“Reading the comments on this TikTok video made my blood boil. They call the residents attention-seekers, money-grubbers, and greedy. Not an ounce of compassion.”
- This comment received more than 290 likes within 10 hours.
Another user, tran.ngoc***, stated:
“It would be one thing if the land were being designated for infrastructure like bridges and drainage. But an amusement park?”
- This comment garnered more than 100 likes.
Additionally, one commenter noted:
“The residents were so careful, displaying a portrait of Uncle Hồ, yet they’re still being branded reactionaries.”
The Background: The unrest centers on Mặt Trời (Sun) Real Estate Group Joint Stock Company, a subsidiary of Sun Group, which is currently seeking permission from Hà Nội authorities to develop an ecotourism complex in Ba Vì without competitive bidding.
- The two villages identified on the protest banner, Giáp Thượng and Sơn Lý, are the locations whose representatives the Ba Vì Commune People’s Committee invited to a meeting on the afternoon of Sept. 29.
Although the safari project has not been formally approved, Ba Vì Commune authorities have already announced an Oct. 10 groundbreaking date.
- Outraged that local authorities did not consult them and fearful of losing their land, residents have mobilized to organize round-the-clock watches and erect banners to actively oppose the project’s progression.
Thành Phương wrote this news article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on October 1, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine translated it into English.
