Hanoi Police Chief Inspects Sóc Sơn Protective Forest Violations

Hanoi's police chief, Lieutenant General Nguyễn Thanh Tùng, personally inspected two locations with reported violations within the Sóc Sơn protective forest area in Kim Anh commune. The visit, on August 21, aimed to direct efforts in addressing land violations concerning the protective forest, as previously highlighted by the press.

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From July 1, 2025, to date, the locality has demolished 11 violating structures in the protective forest. However, Mr. Huân admitted that during the work process, the commune officials still had things that were 'not decisive and not thorough.'

Local officials confirmed the inspection covered the Solara Đồng Đò complex and another site in a valley, both identified in a series of articles titled "Villas, homestays sprout like mushrooms in the protective forest." While the Kim Anh commune's Party Secretary, Đỗ Xuân Huân, stated that 11 violating structures had been demolished since July 1, 2025, he acknowledged that the local authorities' response had not been sufficiently decisive or thorough.

Regarding the specific violations under scrutiny, Huân indicated that a plan is being developed for their resolution, with demolition expected after the September 2 holiday. He described the history of violations in the area as "extremely complex and spanning decades." The articles had previously reported on numerous villas and homestays being built illegally in the Sóc Sơn protective forest zone, with some areas seeing hillsides cleared and valleys leveled. Some landowners reportedly suggested that construction was possible with "relationship costs" ranging from 500 million to 1 billion Vietnamese dong.

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The history in this area is extremely complex and has spanned decades.

Following the media reports, Hanoi's Standing Committee of the City Party Committee directed the municipal People's Committee, the City Party Committee's Inspection Commission, and the Hanoi Police to investigate. A subsequent report from the Hanoi People's Committee confirmed that the media's claims about construction and land alteration within the protected forest boundary in Kim Anh commune were "substantiated." The committee recommended resolving the violations by September 5, identifying responsible parties, and proactively addressing any other un-reported violations.

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The content of the report from the Hanoi People's Committee shows that the results of the inspection and verification indicate that the matters Thanh Niên reported on the situation of constructing buildings, leveling, and improving the ground in the area of land belonging to the boundary of the Sóc Sơn protective forest in Kim Anh commune are 'well-founded.'