The relocation follows a major landslide at Cam Mountain in November 2021, when thousands of cubic metres of soil and rocks swept down the mountainside.
The affected area, formerly in Chanh Thang Village, Cat Thanh Commune, Phu Cat District of Binh Dinh Province, is now part of Trung Thang Village, Cat Tien Commune, Gia Lai Province.
Following the landslide, authorities declared a natural disaster emergency and drew up plans to relocate 64 households from the high-risk area.
So far, 44 households have received compensation and are building new homes. The remaining 20 have yet to receive payments, but some have borrowed money and hired workers in hopes of moving before the rainy and storm season.
Construction is under way across the Cat Tien disaster resettlement area, with many families seeking to finish their homes as quickly as possible.
Mai Cong Khai, 64, and his wife Vo Thi Thu have just completed their new home. Khai said the move meant his family would no longer have to worry whenever heavy rain hit the area.
Thu said she now felt safer in the newly completed house.
Le Thi Kim Loan, 70, said having a permanent home offered greater peace of mind during storms, particularly as she lives alone after her husband's death and her children live elsewhere.
Nguyen Su, 61, owns more than 900 square metres of residential and garden land at his old home. He was told he would receive about VND 2.3 billion (USD 87,500) in compensation, while a 200-square-metre resettlement plot would cost more than VND 500 million.
Su borrowed money to begin building before receiving compensation, but construction has been suspended for nearly two months following changes to the support policy.
He added some households had borrowed money to continue construction, while others had been forced to stop as they waited for compensation.
Su said relocation would make his family safer, but the 200-square-metre plot left little room for livestock farming, an important source of additional income for many local families.
Mai Thi Hue, a single woman among those due to be relocated, has also halted construction after completing the foundations because she has yet to receive financial support.
According to Nguyen Ngoc Thach, deputy head of Cat Tien Commune's Economic Division, local authorities had proposed a compensation and support plan for the remaining 20 households so they could complete their homes and settle in the new area.
The commune also maintains annual disaster response and evacuation plans, with residents in high-risk areas to be moved to schools or other safe locations when necessary.
