Upon hearing the news that parts of the northern Hoa Binh Province will merge with Hanoi, residents of four communes in Luong Son District expressed fears that their laidback lifestyles would be disrupted.
Although the People’s Committees of these four communes, which host a population of nearly 20,000, have already approved the merging plan, locals worry that the agriculture land – the key source of their livelihood – will be engulfed by new industrial parks and construction projects.
Living amidst the province’s gum tree forests and rice fields in Yen Trung Commune’s Dam Boi Hamlet, Nguyen Thi Tinh and family members have always struggled to make ends meet.
Her two sons both dropped out of school and currently work as masons, making between VND300,000 and VND400,000 (US$18.6-$24.8) per month.
“Becoming Hanoians sounds good on the surface, but what if we lose our land?” the 43-year-old woman asked.
“How can my children secure jobs? I am afraid they will be lured by drugs and if that were to happen, I would have lost my land, my rice paddies and even my kids.”
Nguyen Van Duong, another Luong Son resident, is similarly nervous about the pending urban encroachment.
His family, with two children who dropped out of eighth grade, barely grows enough rice from 2,700-square- meter of agricultural fields.
“We don’t know much about industrial development but we would be the ones losing out in this whole plan,” Duong said, adding that at his age, without farmland, he would be forced to become a mason since getting a factory job at 41 years old would be extremely difficult.
Nguyen Thi Dung, a 23-year-old resident of Dam Boi Hamlet, also fears losing her land.
“One family sold their land for VND1 billion ($62,100) and ended up building that house,” she said, pointing toward a nearby residence.
“The house doesn’t have anything since the owners spent it all. We need land to provide a constant source of living.”
In Yen Binh Commune, where several investors have already eyed as a prospective area to erect modern infrastructures, residents also opposed the merging plan with Hanoi.
“It’d be manageable if the government doesn’t take our land since compensation for agricultural landowners tend to be minimal,” said Can Thi Thanh, a 47-year-old Yen Binh resident.
Nguyen Giap Dan, deputy chairman of Yen Binh Commune People’s Committee, said at least 90 percent of the commune’s population depends on agriculture land.
More alarming, the sole high school for the entire five communes in Luong Son District only graduated 205 out of 360 12th graders in 2006-2007, with only 82 admitted to colleges, universities or vocational schools that year.
Statistics have shown that local students have much difficult completing high school.
Hoang Phuong, chairman of Yen Trung Commune People’s Committee, said he is worried about communes’ officials having to deal with additional administrative responsibilities in the aftermath of the merge.
“There have been several corporations recently surveying the area to assess the possibilities of setting up their factories,” Phuong said.
“We are not sure whether after merging with Hanoi we should focus on developing this area’s industrial, tourist or educational sectors.”
For older residents, urbanization brings about social evils of a city lifestyle that they detest – namely problems of drugs and prostitution.
“I love our present tranquility, not a future dominated by cement with rice fields ravaged to be transformed into factory space,” said a Luong Son old-timer.
Hanoi expansion won’t harm minority identity, says ethnologist
Thanh Nien interviewed renowned ethnologist Nguyen Van Huy, chairman of the Vietnam Association of Ethnology and Anthropology and National Museum of Ethnology director, on the sociological aspects of a new plan to merge Hanoi with outlying areas.
Some people are worried that the expansion of Hanoi will diminish the capital’s distinct culture. What are your thoughts?
Expanding the capital is a complex matter and there should be more discussions.
But I don’t think the top concern should be the potential loss of culture.
If residents continue living in the same places, then they’ll keep their same culture.
The flower village of Ngoc Ha was once part of Ha Dong Province and has now become an integral part of the capital without losing its traditional identity.
When Muong ethnic residents living in Hoa Binh Province become Hanoians, will they lose their identity?
Many ethnic minorities live in the middle of Hanoi and they have held onto their identities. Why fear losing one’s homeland when its culture and customs cannot be erased?
So from cultural and sociological perspectives, what should we be most worried about?
The most worrisome issue, I think, has to do with the narrow-mindedness and factionalism of local officials.
During the 1970s and 1980s, we merged Hai Duong and Hung Yen provinces but the two areas did not experience any growth until they were divided again.
Besides, the capital is still grossly mismanaged.
One of its lakes is still a source of serious viruses and the capital’s diarrhea problem.
Local officials can’t even decide whether or not they are going to pass laws against street vendors.
These problems raise questions about the urban management abilities of officials in Hanoi.
Urbanization does open some doors for the poor but also takes some things away. What do you think?
I did once ask why so many different areas and provinces merge and re-divide so many times without experiencing any significant economic growth.
I don’t agree with the idea that Hanoi needs more land to solve its urban problems like traffic and flooding.
It’s not about having a vast amount of land.
Such a huge urbanization plan like this needs to be based on thorough research, not just arbitrary decision-making.
Although the People’s Committees of these four communes, which host a population of nearly 20,000, have already approved the merging plan, locals worry that the agriculture land – the key source of their livelihood – will be engulfed by new industrial parks and construction projects.
Living amidst the province’s gum tree forests and rice fields in Yen Trung Commune’s Dam Boi Hamlet, Nguyen Thi Tinh and family members have always struggled to make ends meet.
Her two sons both dropped out of school and currently work as masons, making between VND300,000 and VND400,000 (US$18.6-$24.8) per month.
“Becoming Hanoians sounds good on the surface, but what if we lose our land?” the 43-year-old woman asked.
“How can my children secure jobs? I am afraid they will be lured by drugs and if that were to happen, I would have lost my land, my rice paddies and even my kids.”
Nguyen Van Duong, another Luong Son resident, is similarly nervous about the pending urban encroachment.
His family, with two children who dropped out of eighth grade, barely grows enough rice from 2,700-square- meter of agricultural fields.
“We don’t know much about industrial development but we would be the ones losing out in this whole plan,” Duong said, adding that at his age, without farmland, he would be forced to become a mason since getting a factory job at 41 years old would be extremely difficult.
Nguyen Thi Dung, a 23-year-old resident of Dam Boi Hamlet, also fears losing her land.
“One family sold their land for VND1 billion ($62,100) and ended up building that house,” she said, pointing toward a nearby residence.
“The house doesn’t have anything since the owners spent it all. We need land to provide a constant source of living.”
In Yen Binh Commune, where several investors have already eyed as a prospective area to erect modern infrastructures, residents also opposed the merging plan with Hanoi.
“It’d be manageable if the government doesn’t take our land since compensation for agricultural landowners tend to be minimal,” said Can Thi Thanh, a 47-year-old Yen Binh resident.
Nguyen Giap Dan, deputy chairman of Yen Binh Commune People’s Committee, said at least 90 percent of the commune’s population depends on agriculture land.
More alarming, the sole high school for the entire five communes in Luong Son District only graduated 205 out of 360 12th graders in 2006-2007, with only 82 admitted to colleges, universities or vocational schools that year.
Statistics have shown that local students have much difficult completing high school.
Hoang Phuong, chairman of Yen Trung Commune People’s Committee, said he is worried about communes’ officials having to deal with additional administrative responsibilities in the aftermath of the merge.
“There have been several corporations recently surveying the area to assess the possibilities of setting up their factories,” Phuong said.
“We are not sure whether after merging with Hanoi we should focus on developing this area’s industrial, tourist or educational sectors.”
For older residents, urbanization brings about social evils of a city lifestyle that they detest – namely problems of drugs and prostitution.
“I love our present tranquility, not a future dominated by cement with rice fields ravaged to be transformed into factory space,” said a Luong Son old-timer.
Hanoi expansion won’t harm minority identity, says ethnologist
Thanh Nien interviewed renowned ethnologist Nguyen Van Huy, chairman of the Vietnam Association of Ethnology and Anthropology and National Museum of Ethnology director, on the sociological aspects of a new plan to merge Hanoi with outlying areas.
Some people are worried that the expansion of Hanoi will diminish the capital’s distinct culture. What are your thoughts?
Expanding the capital is a complex matter and there should be more discussions.
But I don’t think the top concern should be the potential loss of culture.
If residents continue living in the same places, then they’ll keep their same culture.
The flower village of Ngoc Ha was once part of Ha Dong Province and has now become an integral part of the capital without losing its traditional identity.
When Muong ethnic residents living in Hoa Binh Province become Hanoians, will they lose their identity?
Many ethnic minorities live in the middle of Hanoi and they have held onto their identities. Why fear losing one’s homeland when its culture and customs cannot be erased?
So from cultural and sociological perspectives, what should we be most worried about?
The most worrisome issue, I think, has to do with the narrow-mindedness and factionalism of local officials.
During the 1970s and 1980s, we merged Hai Duong and Hung Yen provinces but the two areas did not experience any growth until they were divided again.
Besides, the capital is still grossly mismanaged.
One of its lakes is still a source of serious viruses and the capital’s diarrhea problem.
Local officials can’t even decide whether or not they are going to pass laws against street vendors.
These problems raise questions about the urban management abilities of officials in Hanoi.
Urbanization does open some doors for the poor but also takes some things away. What do you think?
I did once ask why so many different areas and provinces merge and re-divide so many times without experiencing any significant economic growth.
I don’t agree with the idea that Hanoi needs more land to solve its urban problems like traffic and flooding.
It’s not about having a vast amount of land.
Such a huge urbanization plan like this needs to be based on thorough research, not just arbitrary decision-making.
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