Real estate projects have been mushrooming illegally in Lam Dong Province in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, turning many tea-growing hills into great construction sites despite ongoing investigation by police, according to an exposé by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

Such unlawful projects have been constructed busily in Bao Loc City and Bao Lam District of the province, making them the grand home to illegal buildings.

Meanwhile, the provincial police have been conducting investigations into various property issues, including land donations for road making, separation of land into lots, and development of illicit property projects on tea hills in the province.

An unnamed project is seen in Loc Tan Commune in Bao Lam District, Lam Dong Province. where dozens of house foundations have been made available. Photo: Gia Thinh / Tuoi Tre

In Bao Loc, around 100 property projects have been located illegally from the heart of the city to its suburban areas, with construction activities taking place boisterously at the locations that previously were farming land.

Some of these projects cover more than 10 hectares each, even 45 hectares.

For example, at a project named Sun Valley in Bao Lam developed by Khai Hung real estate company, the whole of a tea hill seated on 45.5 hectares was leveled randomly to form land lots, totally transforming the hill terrain.

Many reinforced concrete works have been built under this project and some other hills have been crossed out to make room for construction.

The image shows the illegal Sun Valley Project in Bao Lam District, developed by Khai Hung Real Estate Company, with its infrastructure and some construction works having been completed after nine months of development. Photo: Gia Thinh / Tuoi Tre

Real estate brokers of this company have offered customers more than 1,200 lots of land, such a large size that has yet to be reached by any licensed project in the province, as far as reporters have known.

Concerned agencies have confirmed that this project has yet to be granted an investment certificate.

In Loc Tan Commune in the city, another project was underway, with its infrastructure completed and a row of two-story houses built.

This image shows the construction site of an unnamed illegal project located on a tea hill in Loc Tien Ward, in the heart of Bao Loc City, not far from the municipal People’s Committee office. Photo: Gia Thinh / Tuoi Tre

Next to Phan Dinh Phung Street in Loc Tien Ward, one more project was in the leveling stage on area of more than 10 hectares, including agricultural land under a high voltage transmission line.

Excavators, dump trucks and bulldozers were operating in the site, where building materials were stockpiled.

Each of the hills in the area was leveled quickly even though this project was not yet licensed.

Despite these illicit projects have yet to obtain any relevant approval, electricity systems have been made available for some of them, with low-voltage stations erected.

This image shows a tea hill inside the illicit Sun Valley project destroyed to make room for construction works. Photo: Gia Thinh / Tuoi Tre

Despite Tuoi Tre’s repeated reports about real estate projects illegally developed on tea hills, Bao Loc’s construction authorities and the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment have yet to give feedback about their management responsibility.

Meanwhile, illegal construction activities have continued taking place uncontrolledly and rampantly.

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