Sixty-two households in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong have moved to vacant land in the hope of finding a place for living and production, putting their lives into hardship.
Cil Ha Ba, 58, said that residents from Lac Duong District’s Lat Commune moved to Cong Troi (Heaven’s Gate) Hamlet in Lam Ha District’s Me Linh Commune in 1989, and exploited around 810 hectares of land there until local authorities reclaimed the land and transferred it to a company.
At that time, each household only received from two to four thousand square meters of land for both living and production. The population has gradually increased, leading to the lack of land which has affected 62 households there.
In late 2012, the residents asked the People’s Committee of Lam Ha District for help, but they did not receive any response.
In late April, 2015, Ba’s family, along with other households, decided to move back to Lat Commune in Lac Duong District, which they consider their “hometown.”
There, dozens of people have built a total of 24 tents on vacant land, which is quite flat and located in the middle of a pine forest.
Adults take care of picking mushrooms, collecting firewood and looking for wild vegetables in the forest while children gather around the tents or play in the stream.
Shortly after the move, the People’s Committee of both Lam Ha District and Me Linh Commune contacted the residents and allowed 62 households to move to a new area of 41 hectares.
However, many households said that this area is located in a mountainous region which is steep and difficult to travel through, not to mention that the land is dry and stony, so they cannot stay there.
A family is seen eating in a tent. Photo: Tuoi Tre
The makeshift tents of households in Lac Duong District’s Lat Commune. Photo: Tuoi Tre
A "house" of residents made of makeshift tarpaulin. Photo: Tuoi Tre
Children, who have no education, play on a "bench." Photo: Tuoi Tre
Women on their way back home after collecting firewood. Photo: Tuoi Tre
Residents mainly use rainwater and spring water as the two main sources of domestic water supply. In this photo, Loc, a resident, is seen collecting rainwater. Photo: Tuoi Tre
A child is pictured having lunch, which only includes "bo bo," a kind of black cereal called rye, Job’s tears or sorghum in English. Photo: Tuoi Tre
The roadmap for moving from Me Linh Commune to Cong Troi (Heaven’s Gate) Hamlet. Photo: Tuoi Tre
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