A Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper investigation found trucks with Hanoi license plates offloading debris in broad daylight onto agricultural land along Pham Tu and Quang Liet Streets in Thanh Liet Commune, Thanh Tri District. 

Several hectares has already been filled with rubble, damaging farmland and fish ponds, with some areas spanning thousands of square meters.

The dumping site lies within the planned 100-hectare Chu Van An Park area, of which 54 hectares has been reclaimed. 

The remaining 46 hectares is still zoned for agriculture.

Speaking to Tuoi Tre on Wednesday, Trinh Quoc Thang, chairman of the Thanh Liet People’s Committee, said the commune had ordered an immediate halt to the activity. 

However, damage to soil and water resources may already be irreversible, according to on-site observations and local residents.

Neighbors have voiced concern about the long-term environmental consequences. 

Vietnam’s 2020 Environmental Protection Law mandates that construction waste be processed at licensed facilities. Dumping such waste on farmland is illegal.

The problem is not unique to Thanh Tri. 

Similar incidents have been reported in Hoai Duc, Quoc Oai, Hoang Mai, and Nam Tu Liem Districts. 

Many of these cases have occurred alongside administrative restructuring at the local level, leading to lapses in land-use oversight.

On April 22, Hanoi chairman Tran Sy Thanh issued a directive holding district and commune leaders directly accountable for such violations. 

The municipal Department of Construction was instructed to coordinate with local authorities to improve enforcement, while police were ordered to pursue legal action against offenders.

Despite these measures, Tuoi Tre’s investigation suggests that implementation has been uneven, and illegal dumping continues largely unchecked.