In recent days, many families along Cach Mang Thang Tam Street, near the Dan Chu Roundabout in District 3, have been dismantling their homes to clear the site for the construction of Metro Line No.2. They are among the last to hand over their land for the project.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR), which manages all metro projects in the city, the second metro line requires the acquisition of approximately 251,000 square meters of land, affecting 585 households and organizations, with a compensation cost of over VND3.7 trillion (US$146.2 billion). Currently, 560 of the affected cases have handed over their land.
Specifically, the land acquisition in District 3 covers nearly 7,200 square meters, affecting 112 cases. As of now, 94 cases in District 3 have handed over their land, and the remaining 18 cases are undergoing procedures. In Tan Binh District, seven households have yet to hand over their land.
In this photo taken Tuesday, many households near the Dan Chu Roundabout had dismantled their houses over a month, with most handing over and moving back about ten meters from the original position.
The Ben Thanh – Tham Luong metro line runs over 11 km, including nine kilometers underground, through six districts of 1, 3, 10, 12, Tan Binh and Tan Phu.
The site clearance plan for the metro line was approved in 2010, but it wasn't until 2015 that the city authorities formed a team for compensating and relocating affected families.
The compensation process was suspended a year later due to adjustments in the relocation plan. In 2019, with the metro completion deadline extended to 2026, the city accelerated site clearance, but compensation disagreements in District 3 arose.
District 3 lies in downtown HCMC where land prices are higher than average. As a result, the MAUR had to wait longer than needed for the city People's Committee to determine the land price coefficient for the district.
After prolonged compensation policy issues, District 3 all but completed the compensation, support, and resettlement procedures in March this year to pay residents.
A row of two-story houses near the intersection of Cach Mang Thang Tam and Nguyen Phuc Nguyen streets has been completely dismantled.
A vehicle repair shop near the Dan Chu Roundabout moved its belongings to another location to prepare for the land site clearance.
Nguyen Gia Dinh (in a white shirt), the homeowner's brother, said their house was entirely cleared, with compensation of over VND8 billion.
"Compared to the market, the compensation is low and almost impossible to buy a similar house in this area. Though feeling it was unfair, the family had to accept it," he said.
Living next door, Phan Thi My Nuong has also removed all her family’s belongings from the 50-square-meter house to make way for the project.
She shared that after multiple discussions with the authorities regarding compensation, she had been paid in two phases. She got over VND6 billion for the first phase and also agreed to move to an apartment under District 3's resettlement plan, and had completed the payment, and settled there.
In the second phase of compensation, despite the updated and increased land price, her family was still charged for the previously purchased apartment, even though the procedures had been completed.
"I feel it’s unfair because I wasn’t informed of this when agreeing to buy the resettlement apartment. This significantly impacts our family’s life and finances, though I have always been ready to relocate for the common good," said the 68-year-old woman.
Some residents at the entrance to alley No. 130 on Cach Mang Thang Tam Street also partially dismantled their houses.
Hoang Thi Thu Huong’s family had to hand over about 10 square meters of land and has been renovating the rest of their house for a month now.
"Hopefully, other households will also hand over soon so the project can be implemented uniformly," she said.
About 3 km away, several households on Cach Mang Thang Tam Street have handed over land and are in the process of repairing their houses.
Metro contractors are relocating the electrical and water systems to clear the site for construction.
This year, the relocation of electrical, water, and telecommunications infrastructure will be carried out simultaneously at 12 locations along the line. The work is expected to be completed within the year to provide a clean site for the main construction packages of Ben Thanh - Tham Luong Metro in 2025.
Several other houses on Cach Mang Thang Tam Street, passing through District 3, that had handed over their land four years ago.
In April last year, the government approved a delay in the project schedule in order to hire a new consultant after MAUR failed to renew an earlier contract, which was another issue contributing to delaying the project furthermore.
Accordingly, the line is now scheduled to be "basically completed" in 2030, with the official opening planned in 2032. Originally, it was planned to be up and running by 2016.
The original $1.3-billion price tag ballooned to $2.1 billion by 2019.
The city's first metro line, after frequent and long delays, is expected to enter commercial operations later this year.
