Residents in the Ba Vi mountain range, just outside Hanoi, are protesting a planned safari park by developer Sun Group Corp. The groundbreaking ceremony took place Friday for the roughly 300-hectare (741 acres) project, which has already been reduced from 580 hectares following concerns about its impact on land and livelihoods, according to Hanoi authorities. Red banners criticizing the park have gone up, and online users have questioned what residents will do once they are moved off their land. An initial official assessment estimates that nearly 4,000 people could be affected.
One resident, Hang, said many villagers have stopped farming to protect their land and are keeping watch at the village entrance. "We won't let strangers come in and carry out the construction work," she said, declining to give her full name for fear of reprisal.
Sun Group says the project carries a total investment of more than 6.5 trillion dong ($251 million), with 82% of its area devoted to greenery and water features. The company expects the park to create about 1,000 jobs and attract some 6 million tourists a year, and says it lies entirely outside the protected forest of Ba Vi National Park. Approval was given earlier this week.
The dispute reflects wider tensions in Vietnam, where rapid development is pursued in the name of double-digit growth. The government is overhauling land laws to let clearance begin before compensation and resettlement plans are finalized, a move meant to reassure investors but one that raises concerns for residents. Analysts note that compensation rates set by officials have often fallen below market levels, and that past land disputes have turned deadly, as in a 2020 clash in Dong Tam commune that left four people dead. For Ba Vi residents, resettlement plans remain unclear.
Source: Bloomberg Markets · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing