Bac Lieu authorities sued for reclaiming project land without compensation

By An Hoa, Huong Dung
Tue, November 29, 2022 | 11:52 pm GMT+7

An investor has filed an administrative lawsuit against the People’s Committee of Bac Lieu province in the Mekong Delta for reclaiming allocated project land without compensation.

The provincial People’s Court has accepted the lawsuit filed by the Bac Lieu-Saigon General Hospital Joint Stock Company - investor of the Bac Lieu-Saigon General Hospital project.

The people’s committee had issued a decision dated November 26, 2021 to recover over 62,670 square meters of land in Ward 1, Bac Lieu town from the Bac Lieu-Saigon General Hospital JSC.

The plaintiff, an authorized representative of the company, has asked the court to cancel the decision.

The Bac Lieu-Saigon General Hospital is designed to have 10 storeys housing 400 outpatient and 436 inpatient beds. Photo courtesy of the company.

The Bac Lieu-Saigon General Hospital is designed to have 10 storeys housing 400 outpatient and 436 inpatient beds. Photo courtesy of the company.

According to the representative, the company got the committee’s in-principle approval in 2010 to invest in the 400-bed Bac Lieu-Saigon General Hospital and a housing area for officials, employees and specialists working at the hospital.

In August 2012, the provincial People’s Committee allocated nearly 25,000 square meters of land in Ward 1, Bac Lieu town to the company to implement the housing project.

In May 2013, the company was given more than 37,751 square meters of land adjacent to the housing area to carry out the hospital project.

The firm had paid part of the land use fees in line with regulations, the representative said.

“However, under the decision to recover more than 62,676 square meters, the company was not compensated for land and land-attached assets. This was a loss for the business,” he noted.

The company filed a complaint with the people's committee, but in another decision, the administration reaffirmed that the land recovery decision was issued in accordance with the law and it did not agree to compensate.

"Therefore, the Bac Lieu-Saigon General Hospital JSC filed an administrative lawsuit against the committee, asking the court to cancel the two above-mentioned decisions and protect our legitimate interests," he added.

Nothing happened for 10 years

The people’s committee, in a decision dated October 14, 2022, stated that as of July 2021, land for the Bac Lieu-Saigon General Hospital and staff housing area projects had been allocated for nearly 10 years, but the investor had done no work on it so far.

Under Article 64 of the Land Law, land that is allocated or leased by the state for implementing investment projects shall be recovered if it is not used for 12 consecutive months, or if the land use is 24 months later than the schedule stated in the project documents after the land has been handed over.

The two projects invested in by the Bac Lieu-Saigon General Hospital JSC have been delayed for a decade and their land use terms have not been extended by the competent authorities, so they were revoked in accordance with the law, the administration said.

Pursuant to Clause 4, Article 18a of the government's Decree No. 47/2014/ND-CP dated May 15, 2014 on compensation, support and resettlement upon land recovery by the state, when the recovery is made based on land law violations prescribed in Point i, Clause 1, Article 64 of the Land Law, land users are not entitled to any refund of land use levies and rent that have been paid. This also applies to any remaining land investment costs and the residual value of land-attached assets.

Hence, the two projects were not entitled to compensation when the allocated land was recovered.

The Bac Lieu-Saigon General Hospital JSC holds a ground-breaking ceremony for the Bac Lieu-Saigon General Hospital project on June 24, 2018. Photo courtesy of the firm.

The Bac Lieu-Saigon General Hospital JSC holds a ground-breaking ceremony for the Bac Lieu-Saigon General Hospital project on June 24, 2018. Photo courtesy of the firm.

Covering a total area of over 37,000 square meters in Ward 1, Bac Lieu town, the 10-storeyed hospital was designed to have 400 outpatient and 436 inpatient beds, plus a 21-room hotel with 112 beds. On June 24, 2018, the investor broke ground for the project.

With a total investment of over VND1,369 billion ($52.27 million), the project's first phase was expected to be put into operation in late 2020. However, until now, the area remains empty land overgrown with weed.

Comments (0)
  • Read More
Malaysia pledges to boost energy connectivity

Malaysia pledges to boost energy connectivity

Malaysia commits to cooperating with its ASEAN counterparts to push forward regional initiatives such as the ASEAN Power Grid, which is aimed at fortifying energy connectivity and security throughout the region, the country's Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof said on Monday.

Southeast Asia - Tue, May 14, 2024 | 8:49 am GMT+7

Japan supports Indonesia to build high-speed rail line in capital

Japan supports Indonesia to build high-speed rail line in capital

The Japanese government announced on Monday that it will provide a loan of approximately JPY140.7 billion ($900 million) to construct a high-speed rail line in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Southeast Asia - Tue, May 14, 2024 | 8:44 am GMT+7

Singaporean PM submits resignation

Singaporean PM submits resignation

Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday submitted his resignation to President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, saying he and his government will resign on Wednesday.

Southeast Asia - Tue, May 14, 2024 | 8:09 am GMT+7

Singapore’s robot startups eye global market

Singapore’s robot startups eye global market

From autonomous floor cleaning to robotic arms in warehouses, Singapore-based robotics startups are expanding their production and research capacity to tap into Asian markets and beyond, targeting companies eager to address labour shortages.

Southeast Asia - Tue, May 14, 2024 | 8:03 am GMT+7

Thai tourist buses allowed to enter Malaysia

Thai tourist buses allowed to enter Malaysia

Buses from Thailand are allowed to enter Malaysia to bring in tourists, provided they apply for temporary permits from the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) in advance, said Malaysian Minister of Transport Anthony Loke.

Southeast Asia - Tue, May 14, 2024 | 8:00 am GMT+7

HCMC to add 80 locations for public bike rental

HCMC to add 80 locations for public bike rental

An additional 80 public bike rental stations will be opened in District 1 and District 4 to serve locals and tourists in Ho Chi Minh City.

Travel - Mon, May 13, 2024 | 10:19 pm GMT+7

Mysterious 'floating' lake discovered in central Vietnam

Mysterious 'floating' lake discovered in central Vietnam

A mysterious lake has been discovered in Thung Cave within the World’s Natural Heritage Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, in the central province of Quang Binh.

Travel - Mon, May 13, 2024 | 10:17 pm GMT+7

Vietnam ranks second in world cryptocurrency ownership rankings

Vietnam ranks second in world cryptocurrency ownership rankings

Vietnam ranks second in the world of cryptocurrency ownership, with 21.2% of the population adopting crypto, shows data from the Crypto payment gateway Triple-A.

Southeast Asia - Mon, May 13, 2024 | 10:12 pm GMT+7

Largest made-in-Vietnam bulk carrier launched

Largest made-in-Vietnam bulk carrier launched

The largest-ever made-in-Vietnam bulk carrier was launched by Nam Trieu Shipbuilding Co Ltd in the northern port city of Hai Phong on Saturday.

Southeast Asia - Mon, May 13, 2024 | 10:10 pm GMT+7

Vietnam condotel market ineffective, past its boom: consultant

Vietnam condotel market ineffective, past its boom: consultant

Condotel projects in Vietnam have been ineffective in general because developers promised attractive profits without thorough consideration of all relevant factors, says Mauro Gasparotti, director of Savills Hotel Asia Pacific.

Real Estate - Mon, May 13, 2024 | 10:08 pm GMT+7

Planning differences hinder Novaland real estate projects in southern Vietnam: provincial authorities

Planning differences hinder Novaland real estate projects in southern Vietnam: provincial authorities

Differences between master plan and subdivision plans have caused many difficulties facing real estate major Novaland’s Aqua City project in Dong Nai, provincial authorities say.

Real Estate - Mon, May 13, 2024 | 5:16 pm GMT+7

Public Bank Vietnam earns post-tax profit $17 mln in 2023, down 5.6%

Public Bank Vietnam earns post-tax profit $17 mln in 2023, down 5.6%

Public Bank Vietnam Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysia’s Public Bank Berhad, earned a post-tax profit of VND436.5 billion ($17.2 million) in 2023, down 5.6% year-on-year, according to its financial statement.

Banking - Mon, May 13, 2024 | 5:06 pm GMT+7

Private lender Eximbank, telecom giant Viettel ink five-year cooperation pact

Private lender Eximbank, telecom giant Viettel ink five-year cooperation pact

Vietnamese private lender Eximbank will provide banking products and services to military-run telecom giant Viettel, its employees and customers under a five-year (2024-2028) agreement signed recently by both sides.

Banking - Mon, May 13, 2024 | 4:45 pm GMT+7

Vietnam aims to fuel 3 power plants with Block B gas: PM

Vietnam aims to fuel 3 power plants with Block B gas: PM

Gas from offshore Block B will fuel the O Mon 2, 3 and 4 power plants that are set to begin operation in 2026, 2027, and 2028, respectively, says Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

Energy - Mon, May 13, 2024 | 3:49 pm GMT+7

Developer Phat Dat, Realty Holdings ink cooperation pact under $1.6 bln plan

Developer Phat Dat, Realty Holdings ink cooperation pact under $1.6 bln plan

Phat Dat Real Estate Development Corporation will sell two projects with over 7,000 units to Realty Holdings Real Estate Business and Services Corporation under a strategic cooperation agreement signed Sunday.

Real Estate - Mon, May 13, 2024 | 3:34 pm GMT+7

Vietnam steel industry sees drivers for growth

Vietnam steel industry sees drivers for growth

Rising demand, recovering exports and decreasing raw material prices will be the driving forces for the Vietnamese steel industry to expand this year, according to broker Agribank Securities (Agriseco).

Industries - Mon, May 13, 2024 | 11:55 am GMT+7