Workers build a resettlement area for the North-South high-speed railway project in Hà Huy Tập Ward in the central province of Hà Tĩnh. — VNA/VNS Photos Hữu Quyết

HÀ NỘI — The North-South high-speed railway will cut through more than 100km of Hà Tĩnh Province, affecting dozens of residential areas — yet local communities have expressed overwhelming support, paving the way for one of Việt Nam’s most significant national projects to proceed on schedule.

For families like that of Tôn Đức Thụy in Đoài Duyệt Hamlet, Can Lộc Commune, the project’s impact is deeply personal.

His family’s nearly 1,000sq.m plot includes both a residence and the ancestral house of worship, structures that have stood for generations and carry the history of the entire clan.

Even so, once the project’s details were fully explained, Thụy said his family would comply with the relocation order.

“We are ready to give way for the State project,” he said.

“This is ancestral land, but we are prepared to move elsewhere. We only hope the resettlement area is properly developed, so that our family can settle down before handing over the land as required.”

Đoài Duyệt is one of the communities directly affected by the railway’s planned route.

The hamlet is home to a parish church and more than 60 long-established households, all of which fall entirely within the project’s clearance zone.

Residents must move to new homes, while key religious structures will also have to be relocated.

To ensure clarity and transparency, local authorities have held regular community meetings and provided each household with detailed plans of the proposed resettlement site.

This has helped residents understand the new living environment, the layout of the resettlement area and the infrastructure that will be built once land is cleared.

Lương Văn Huệ, head of the hamlet, said: “Residents are completely united in moving to the resettlement area.”

There have been no objections, according to Huệ.

“Even the parish congregation has agreed to relocate their church once a suitable new location is arranged,” he said.

Similar levels of support have been recorded in other parts of the province.

In Xuân Lộc Commune, where a 2.7km stretch of the high-speed line will pass, eight households and 428 plots of farmland are affected.

A local task force has been formed to conduct preliminary surveys and meet with residents to discuss the project’s impacts.

The route passes through five hamlets, including four Catholic-majority communities, said Trần Sỹ Hùng, head of the commune’s Economic Office.

“Residents fully support the project and are cooperating closely so that inspection, compensation and land handover are completed on schedule," Hùng said.

A view of Đoài Duyệt Hamlet, Can Lộc Commune, in the central province of Hà Tĩnh.

Resettlement areas under construction

Of the 35 resettlement areas proposed for the province, the Liên Vinh resettlement area in Hà Huy Tập Ward is the first to be built.

With 57 plots covering 3.8ha, the site has an investment value of VNĐ37 billion (US$1.4 million).

Around 40 per cent of construction has already been completed.

Continuous storms and flooding have slowed progress in recent months, but both contractors and local authorities are working to maintain momentum by increasing manpower and machinery whenever weather conditions allow.

“Despite the difficult weather, the investor has kept close on-site supervision,” said Nguyễn Nhật Linh, deputy chairman of Hà Huy Tập Ward.

“Now that conditions have improved, contractors are mobilising maximum resources to keep pace with the schedule required by the Government and local administration.”

Across the province, documentation for other resettlement areas is progressing in parallel.

Local authorities are reviewing and supplementing plans to ensure that new sites are properly located and do not overlap with other projects.

Although a few resettlement areas remain delayed due to administrative bottlenecks or unresolved approval authority, most of the required groundwork is falling into place thanks to strong local determination and close coordination with affected communities.

Significant mission

Deputy Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Trần Báu Hà said that land clearance for the North-South high-speed railway is a priority political task for the province.

Hà Tĩnh is directing this work and mobilising the entire political system to ensure the project progresses exactly as required by the Government, he said.

A provincial steering committee headed by the provincial Party Secretary has been established specifically to oversee land clearance. Similar committees have been set up in all 23 affected communes and wards, headed by commune-level Party secretaries.

Provincial authorities have issued a detailed land clearance plan, assigning responsibilities and specifying timelines for each agency involved.

Local administrations are accelerating the completion of planning documents and procedures for upcoming resettlement areas.

Meanwhile, the province is working with Ministry of Construction and project management units to resolve technical issues, confirm route boundaries and allocate funding.— VNS