Site clearance for Lao Cai – Hanoi – Hai Phong railway project

Expediting the installation of official boundary markers

The section of the Lao Cai – Hanoi – Hai Phong Railway Project passing through Hai Phong consists of a main line approximately 89.88 km long and two branch lines totaling 20.57 km, traversing 23 communes, wards, and special administrative zones, with six railway stations and three technical operation facilities. The project requires the acquisition of approximately 624 hectares of land, affecting more than 6,000 households, including around 1,750 households that will need to be resettled.

To facilitate site clearance, the city is implementing 14 resettlement projects covering a total area of nearly 60 hectares. However, progress in handing over the project's official boundary markers has been relatively slow. As of early July 2026, four localities had yet to receive the official boundary demarcation. In recent months, government agencies and local authorities have actively carried out site clearance preparations. Based on the preliminary project boundaries, local authorities have completed initial land ownership verification. However, official boundary markers are required before land acquisition notices can be issued and site clearance procedures can formally begin, as they provide the basis for preparing cadastral extracts of the affected areas.

Accordingly, on July 8, the Department of Agriculture and Environment chaired a working session with the Railway Project Management Board under the Ministry of Construction, the People's Committees of the communes, wards, and special zones along the project route, and the Land Registration Office. At the meeting, Mr. Duong Dinh On, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, requested that the Railway Project Management Board coordinate with the project design consultant to promptly install and hand over the official boundary markers to the People's Committees of Kien Hung and Kien Minh wards (site of the South Hai Phong Station), Duong Kinh Ward, and Ke Sat Ward, enabling local authorities to accurately determine the project boundaries and proceed with site clearance.

Based on the officially handed-over boundaries, before July 20, the Land Registration Office under the Department of Agriculture and Environment, in coordination with the communes, wards, and special zones of An Quang, An Lao, An Khanh, An Hung, Kien Thuy, Kien Minh, Kien Hai, Duong Kinh, Hai An, Dong Hai, Cat Hai, and Nam Do Son, will prepare cadastral extracts using spatial data corresponding to the approved project boundaries and carry out the subsequent procedures required for site clearance. Meanwhile, cadastral extracts will also be prepared for the communes and wards of Cam Giang, Ke Sat, Binh Giang, Yet Kieu, Gia Loc, Gia Phuc, Tan Ky, Tu Ky, Dai Son, Chi Minh, and Ha Dong, providing the legal basis for local authorities to issue land acquisition notices and implement compensation and support in accordance with applicable regulations.

Completing land acquisition procedures

Alongside the active involvement of the relevant authorities, local governments that have received the official boundary markers and completed cadastral surveys and extracts have proactively verified land ownership, conducted property inventories, and prepared compensation and assistance plans in accordance with regulations.

The section of the Lao Cai – Hanoi – Hai Phong Railway Project passing through Gia Loc Commune is approximately 5.7 km long. As soon as land measurement and cadastral mapping for land acquisition were substantially completed, the commune issued land acquisition notices, carried out property inventories, and prepared compensation and support plans in compliance with legal requirements. According to the leadership of the Gia Loc Commune People's Committee, for Component Project No. 1, the locality has completed site clearance for nearly 70% of the required area and has paid compensation and support to 81% of the affected households.

Compensation and support activities for Component Project No. 1 are expected to be fully completed in September 2026. For Component Project No. 2, which requires the acquisition of 23.33 hectares of land and affects 533 households and one business establishment, the commune aims to substantially complete site clearance for agricultural land by August 2026 and finalize compensation and site clearance for residential land by December 2026.

To help ensure the timely implementation of the Lao Cai – Hanoi – Hai Phong Railway Project, the city is developing 14 resettlement projects covering nearly 60 hectares, with an estimated investment of more than VND 1 trillion. Construction of these resettlement areas is progressing rapidly. At the Duong Kinh Resettlement Area, major technical infrastructure works have been substantially completed, providing 470 resettlement plots to accommodate approximately 1,880 residents.

The resettlement projects in An Hung and An Khanh communes have reached approximately 70% of the construction contract value (excluding contingencies) and are expected to be completed in November 2026. Meanwhile, the resettlement project in the Kien Thuy area has reached approximately 62.27% of the construction contract value (excluding contingencies) and is also scheduled for completion in November 2026. The early completion of these resettlement areas will play an important role in accelerating the implementation of the Lao Cai – Hanoi – Hai Phong Railway Project.

Although the project has encountered a number of challenges and obstacles during implementation, the city's departments and local authorities have acted proactively and with urgency to keep the project on schedule, while also ensuring the timely disbursement of the city's public investment capital.

Bao Chau