According to the traders, about 544 traders are working at Dong Dang Market which has existed or over a century and is a popular place for visitors to nearby Mau Temple.
The local authorities planned to turn Dong Dang Market into a park and traders would be forced to move to Dong Dang Shopping Centre. But traders said the plan was unreasonable as many of them only sell small souvenirs for tourists. They can't afford to rent a shop at a shopping centre. Moreover, no one had asked their opinions.
Traders gather in front of the headquarter of the Ministry of Industry and Trade
"The market is associated with Mau Temple. There are many other places, why build a park here?" said trader Pham Van Lac.
The traders have closed their shops for two months as a protest.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade said they didn't have the authority to deal with this case and can't make any decision. Tran Huu Linh, chief of the ministry's office, Le Thi Phuong Nga, the ministry's vice inspector and Le Viet Nga, deputy head of the Domestic Market Department met with the traders and promised to report to the leaders.
The ministry asked the local authorities to communicate more with the people about the market.
Chairman of Lang Son Pham Ngoc Thuong said the plan had been approved in accordance with the law despite the lack of consultation and claimed it fitted with urban planning to make Dong Dang Town become a key economic area of Dong Dang-Lang Son Border Economic Zone.
He claimed he always cared for the traders. "We'll have support policies for affected traders," he said.
Leaders of Lang Son Province, however, admitted that the authorities of Cao Loc Province and Dong Dang Town had failed to follow procedures when they didn't gather the traders' opinions. Moreover, after complaints were filed, they had not dealt with them in time and this had made the traders angrier.
Last June, the traders also gathered in front of Lang Son People's Committee to protest.
Dong Dang Shopping Centre was built in 2014 on Highway 1A by Dong Dang Trading and Investment JSC, along the route to Huu Nghi Border Gate. The VND300bn (USD13m) centre has a capacity for about 808 shops.
Lang Son Province previously built VND200bn (USD8m) Phu Loc Shopping Centre for 1,000 shops. However, business has been very slow since it opened, reinforcing the concerns of the market traders.