The Cho Gao Canal, spanning 28.5 km, runs through Chau Thanh District and several other areas in Tien Giang. It was dug by the French in 1876 to create a direct waterway route between Saigon and the Mekong Delta.
Work to upgrade the canal began in 2021 and is expected to be finished this year.
It involves dredging and lengthening the waterway by around 10 km and construction of new dykes, bridges and roads. Following the upgrade, vessels should find it easier to traverse the canal.
A section of the canal bank is eroded in Binh Phan Commune. It is in fact eroded at hundreds of places, affecting over 2,000 families.
Eight years ago the canal was upgraded at a cost of VND780 billion.
A brick kiln was set up beneath the Cho Gao Bridge for the upgrade work. It has around a dozen workers, who pour cement brought by trucks into molds. The completed bricks are then sent to the construction site.
A completed dyke section in Binh Phan Commune. The construction has affected traffic in the area, especially during the rainy season.
Excavators demolish houses 10 km from the site to clear the way for a dyke section in Binh Phuc Nhut Commune.
Around 300 families are affected by the construction in Binh Phuc Nhut. People would move out of their homes first before plans for relocation are set in motion, local authorities said.
A 3.7-ha area intended for relocation purposes is seen above. But the land is still being used for growing crops.
Tran Thanh Hieu, 32, and his wife and children have had to move into a house two kilometers away from their old place six months ago as there is no place for relocation to yet. They have already received compensation and told to move out.
The family of seven is provided VND10 million for rent for six months. Since the house is small, Hieu's parents have to live in a different one.
Hieu said: "The fees for renting, electricity and water cost us around VND2 million every month. Our relocation compensation is only VND200 million, and so I'm worried that once the relocation area is built we will not have enough money to afford a place."
Around 10 families in the commune stay in their homes even after receiving compensation.
Locals said there are few houses in the area, and their rents are high compared to the amount of money paid by the government.
Bui Thanh Cong, 50, still sells agricultural products at his home, which has not been cleared for the project yet.
"Our family has been selling goods at the market for over 30 years. In future, when we have to go to a new place, we do not know if we can still sell things."
Authorities said some families could not move out yet either due to insufficient compensation or because they have too many belongings to carry.
