Hanoi’s subtle protest over home demolitions

Gentle plea: A protest banner, which reads ‘The residents of the Red River area in Hong Ha Ward earnestly appeal to city leaders to consider the people’s inner thoughts and aspirations, maintaining the existing residential area for the sake of the well-being of thousands of households’, hanging over a street at a Hanoi neighbourhood. — AFP

Silent prayer vigils, cautiously worded protest banners and T-shirts pleading for neighbourhoods to be spared – Hanoi residents are showing rare public opposition to a massive redeve­lopment scheme that could displace hundreds of thousands.

Authorities in Vietnam’s capital have been on a demolition blitz, knocking down thousands of homes to make way for bridges and other infrastructure projects as part of a 100-year master plan approved last month.

One 11,000-hectare area along the Red River – roughly the size of Paris – is slated to become a warren of high-end residential complexes and parks, with roughly 250,000 residents relocated.

“We have been living in fear, we don’t know when we will be kicked out of our houses. We want our voice to be heard,” said Hoa.

Her life savings are tied up in a two-storey house in the planned development area, surrounded by ornamental and fruit trees.

Last week, she joined a vigil at a Buddhist temple where residents prayed for peace – a veiled plea for their homes to be spared.

The low-lying region is home to dozens of vibrant communities, some dating back centuries with bustling markets, leafy gardens and traditional burial grounds.

French-style villas stand to be bulldozed, along with modest Hanoi-style “tube” houses and densely packed low-rises.

Not far from Hoa’s home on a nearby street, resident Duc said he and some neighbours hung a banner from the balcony of his four-storey home.

“We urge local authorities to consider people’s aspiration in maintaining the present communities,” it read.

Duc said he would wait to see what happened in his neighbourhood before making any more attempts to save his home.

“It’s not fair and also a big waste of money,” he said of the plan to relocate so many people.

“We really don’t want to move.”

Authorities have pledged to compensate residents for their homes and said they will build up to 85,000 new units to eventually house them on the outskirts of the city.

The principle will be that “the new living conditions are equal to or better than the old ones”, the city has said.

But many residents already displaced as part of Hanoi’s urban renewal drive complain they were paid below-market rates for their homes.

Others question how long the new housing will take to build – and how they will afford rent in the interim. — AFP