President Tô Lâm pushes for wider roads in the capital city, despite the displacement of more than 2,000 households of affected residents.
The Latest: On Saturday morning, Oct. 10, President Tô Lâm toured several construction sites in Hà Nội, including the controversial Đê La Thành road project, as anger grows among residents whose land is being taken.
- During his visit, he did not meet with or speak to any of the affected individuals.
The Details: According to VTV, Tô Lâm thanked the households that agreed to support the project and relocate so that the Đê La Thành road work could proceed quickly.
- He also directed officials to prioritize traffic and, if needed, to further widen the road to better serve commuters.
- “Five to 10 lanes is perfectly normal in the inner city,” Tô Lâm said at the Đê La Thành road construction site, according to the VTV report.
Despite these directives, he has remained completely silent regarding the ongoing protests by residents of Hà Nội and Bắc Ninh, specifically in the areas of Hồng Hà, Lĩnh Nam, Ba Vì, and Gia Bình.
The Background: Residents along Đê La Thành road in inner Hà Nội have been cleared out twice in less than a year.
- The first time occurred in late 2025, when 1,983 households lost land to build and widen Ring Road 1.
- The second instance took place in September, when 166 plots—which included 164 households—were taken for a parking lot.
- Affected residents had hung banners and protested the project for years.
Why It Matters: These aggressive land clearances contradict the government’s recent rhetoric.
- Speaking Monday, Oct. 5, at the Party Central Committee’s fourth plenum, Tô Lâm directed the Communist Party to treat housing as part of the quality of development.
- In this address, he called for “raising the material and spiritual lives of the people, expanding opportunities, and ensuring fairness in what they enjoy.”
Trịnh Hữu Long wrote this news article in Vietnamese andpublishedit in Luật Khoa Magazine on October 11, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine translated it into English.