A resettlement area in the central highlands province of Dak Lak has been largely abandoned.
A report from local authorities said that more than 190 households have refused to live in the resettlement area and instead many have moved to live along the Dong Truong Son Road.
An elderly man said that his family moved to live in this resettlement area a year ago but now his son and daughter-in-law had moved out.
"They've moved to another place which is more convenient for their work," the old man said. "Only me and their two small children are staying here."
The man added that most of the residents here are elderly people and children while people in working ages have left.
"We're of the ethnic Mong group and we are mostly farmers," he said. "But we haven't got farmland to continue our work here. Many families have sold their land here and left for other places a short time after moving here."
Talking about the situation, two contractors of the resettlement area, Phuc Cuong Company and Quy Hoang Construction Company, said that they had only transferred nearly 30 hectares, just six percent, of the promised 248 hectares of farmland to residents in the area. Other infrastructure facilities have failed to be finished.
Speaking with Lao Dong Newspaper, the Dak Lak Province's Management Board for Transportation and Agriculture and Rural Development Projects said that they had asked the contractors to speed up their work and complete and transfer 43 hectares of farmland for local people by the end of December.
Krong Pach Thuong Reservoir was started in 2009 with a total investment of over VND4.40 trillion (USD181.21 million). More than 700 affected households have waited over a decade for the resettlement area.
In August this year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development approved the second stage of the project with a further investment of VND 1.12 trillion which is scheduled to be completed by 2026.
The reservoir is expected to supply water for both residents and agricultural production in the area.