Viet Nam: Residents in danger zones reluctant to move

Binh Dinh — Resettlement of people living in areas prone to natural disasters in Binh Dinh Province is facing several hurdles, with some residents reluctant to make the move to safety.

About 10,850 households in the southern coastal province are still located in areas prone to flooding and landslides. Many residents in danger zones do not want to move to resettlement areas, despite Government assistance to make the move and start over.

Some residents say the assistance is not enough, while others complain that the resettlement areas are too far from the coast. This presents a huge challenge for people who rely on fishing to make a living to readjust to a new livelihood.

"People living here face grave threats to their lives and property," said Nguyen Van Tanh, deputy head of Binh Dinh’s Agriculture and Rural Development Department.

Tanh said Quy Nhon City, Hoai Nhon and Tay Son districts were the areas most at threat from natural disasters. Each district is home to between 1,300 and 2,000 households living in danger zones.

According to statistics from the department, about 2,500 households will be moved to resettlement areas during the 2008-15 period.

Tanh said life was tough in Binh Dinh, where strong storms pounded coastal areas almost every year.

"The locals have learnt to live with it," said Tanh.

Vo Chi Tuyen, a resident at Ly Hoa Village in Nhon Ly Commune, Quy Nhon City, said many houses in his village had been damaged or pulled down by storms during the past year, but even though the villagers recognised the danger, they were not ready to move to resettlement areas.

"Their only way of making a living is fishing and resettlement areas are located too far away from the sea, making it inconvenient and economically unsuitable for them to carry out their work," said Tuyen.

"The majority of villagers are not well-educated and are worried about what they could do for a living if they move."

He said the commune People’s Committee had not put much effort in asking for opinions on the issue from the villagers, adding that local authorities did not try sufficiently to understand local people’s concerns and to encourage them to move to resettlement area.

The Agriculture and Rural Development Department’s Tanh said encouraging people to move to established resettlement areas should be a top priority for authorities.

The provincial People’s Committee lacked sufficient capital to fund resettlement construction, let alone other supporting projects for these people, said Tanh.

Measures taken

The committee used the provincial budget to provide financial support to locals who had to rebuild their houses in one of the province’s 15 completed or partly completed resettlement areas, said Tanh.

Other sponsors and the Red Cross provided food aid.

Tanh said four resettlement areas had been "basically completed" while the remaining projects were still under construction.

"Some of these completed areas include An Trung resettlement area in An Lao District, Hoai Hai in Hoai Nhon District and My An in Phu My District," he said.

However, Tanh said, not all allocated lots in resettlement areas were occupied.

Tanh specifically mentioned that at An Trung resettlement area, only 81 lots had been occupied, despite a total capacity of housing for 98 families.

Only 66 allotments out of 136 and 69 out of 198 were occupied in Hoai Hai and My An resettlement areas, respectively.

Tanh said the province gave out 100sq.m of land to each family resettled, but these families had to finance part of their new home’s construction. Each household received financial support of VND10 million (US$ 560), an increase from VND2 million offered a few years ago, said Tanh.

"The people must finance the rest of the building cost, which is approximately VND20 million," he said.

"Not all households can afford this."