Hoa Son Cemetery Expansion Project (Phase 6) People hope to see it implemented soon

*Group 5, Hoa Khe residential group was included in the expansion plan of Hoa Son Cemetery since 2015. People hope to soon be relocated to a new, stable place to live. Photo: TRONG HUNG*

At the end of October, heavy rains caused the small dirt road leading to the hamlet next to Hoa Son cemetery to become waterlogged. Following the small path leading to group 5, Hoa Khe residential group (Hoa Khanh ward), everywhere you can smell incense mixed with the damp soil from the closely packed graves. Here, thousands of graves lie next to the homes of dozens of households who have been "stuck" in the middle of the planning area of the city's largest cemetery for nearly a decade.

“My house is less than 10 meters from the grave. When it rains heavily, the water from the cemetery overflows and smells terrible. I was so happy to hear that the city is about to relocate us to another place... but I don’t know how much longer I have to wait,” said Ho Thi Truyen (Hoa Khe residential group), still pulling a torn tarp to cover the leaking roof. In the level 4 house, just a few steps away from the outside is a row of graves.

According to records here, many houses in the neighborhood have been abandoned. The grass in the yard is over the knee. Some families, due to health problems and the children's psychology, have had to move to another place to live, even though they don't know when they will have a stable place to return to. Right next to that, Mr. Nguyen Guong (64 years old) is using a broom to push the muddy water from the porch and says: "Whenever it rains, water from the cemetery pours down, bringing with it trash, soil and flower offerings. Here, many families have grown sons who are married but still live together, they cannot separate households. The houses are cramped, and they are not allowed to expand. Life is very cramped."

According to Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Quang, Head of Hoa Khe residential group, among the 34 households subject to clearance, about 20 households have full documents on land use rights; the remaining 14 households build on production forest land or agricultural land. In addition, there are about 5 households living next to the mountain who want to be cleared because of the severe environmental impact, but are not yet in the area. “In the previous period, there were times when local management was still lax, allowing illegal construction to occur. Therefore, when implementing compensation, it is necessary to carefully review each case, ensuring fairness and transparency. But what people want most is to do it soon. Because people have been waiting for a long time,” Mr. Quang emphasized.

Recently, on October 17, 2025, the People's Committee of Da Nang City issued Decision No. 2066/QD-UBND on the investment policy of the Hoa Son Cemetery Expansion Project (phase 6) with a total cost of more than 151 billion VND.

According to Mr. Nguyen Ha Nam , Director of the Department of Construction, the project aims to urgently relocate 34 households living in the cemetery area; at the same time, arrange land fund to serve the relocation of An Phuoc Vien Crematorium due to the impact of the North-South High-Speed Railway project.

Mr. Nguyen Minh Huy, Director of the Project Management Board for Investment and Construction of Traffic and Agricultural Works (the investor), said: Through actual inspection, there are currently 34 households in Group 5, Hoa Khe residential group living interspersed within the Hoa Son cemetery. Many households are only a few meters away from the cemetery, the density of houses and graves is closely interwoven, not ensuring environmental sanitation distance. This poses risks to the quality of water and air sources and directly affects health, daily life, as well as the urban landscape.

Many houses in the neighborhood have been abandoned, with lawns overgrown above the knees. Some families, concerned about the health and well-being of their children, have had to move elsewhere, although they do not know when they will have a stable place to return to. Photo: TRONG HUNG

According to Mr. Huy, the overload situation in many cemeteries in the city in recent times has made it difficult to arrange places to relocate graves to serve the construction of key projects. Therefore, the expansion of Hoa Son cemetery is an urgent requirement to meet practical needs, while also resolving long-standing shortcomings in landscape, environment and livelihoods of people in the affected area. In addition, An Phuoc Vien Crematorium is currently within the scope of land clearance to implement the North-South High-Speed Railway Project according to Resolution No. 172/2024/QH15 of the National Assembly. Therefore, the arrangement of new land to maintain the operation of this facility is also a mandatory task that needs to be implemented in parallel.

It is known that the Hoa Son Cemetery expansion project (phase 6) includes 2 component projects. Of which, the site clearance and resettlement project has a total capital of more than 89 billion VND, and is assigned to the City Land Fund Development Center. The cemetery expansion infrastructure investment project has an investment of more than 62 billion VND, implemented by the Management Board of Investment Projects for Construction of Traffic and Agricultural Works in Da Nang. According to the city cemetery development orientation to 2030, with a vision to 2045, Hoa Son Cemetery will have a total area of 276.35 hectares, of which 63.35 hectares is the expansion, aiming to form a synchronous and modern centralized burial area, in line with the orientation of civilized urban development.

On the local government side, Mr. Huynh Anh Vu, Chairman of the People's Committee of Hoa Khanh Ward, emphasized: "What people want most right now is a new, stable place to live, convenient for children's education and daily activities. We are committed to closely coordinating when there is a specific plan. People have waited too long, the locality is very concerned."

Source: https://baodanang.vn/du-an-mo-rong-nghi-trang-hoa-son-giai-doan-6-nguoi-dan-mong-som-duoc-trien-khai-3308491.html