glissement de terrain is the immediate threat confronting the hill behind the village of A Dieu after successive floods in late October and early November 2025 left wide, deep fissures and unstable slopes. The combination of visible fissures—some extending up to 500 metres—and repeated rains has already forced evacuations, separated some families from their homes and in places required the demolition of dwellings deemed unsafe.
Glissement De Terrain: What Happens if relocation funds are approved?
The Committee People’s of the city of Da Nang formally declared a state of emergency for A Dieu by issuing decision no. 368/QD-UBND on 23 January 2026. Local officials in Dong Giang commune then identified a relocation parcel in CLung Gươl A Póoc (parcel 5, sub-zone 137), around 1 km from A Dieu, with nearly 3, 000 m² of elevated, stable ground and existing access to electricity, water and transport. M. Coor Le, president of the Commune People’s Committee of Dong Giang, estimates the relocation cost at about 33 billion dongs and reports that residents are prepared to move once municipal approval and emergency funds are released.
In the best-case trajectory, quick municipal approval and fast disbursement of the estimated budget would allow the roughly 60 at-risk households to relocate to the selected site, stabilizing livelihoods and ending the immediate hazard posed by the collapsing slope. The presence of basic infrastructure on the selected land would accelerate resettlement and reduce exposure to future slope failure.
What If systemic delays continue? How does the broader relocation record shape expectations?
Progress across provincial relocation programmes offers a cautionary counterpoint. A major relocation initiative approved in December 2021 to resettle households in mountainous high-risk areas aimed to relocate 2, 225 households by 2025, but by the end of the phase had moved only 574 households—25. 8% of the plan. Shortfalls included lack of suitable land, relocation sites that did not meet prescribed standards, continued high poverty rates in relocated zones, limited access to basic social services, and distant, difficult transport links. A provincial decision (no. 511/QD-UBND) of 21 February 2025 reduced the programme’s target and shifted strategy toward targeted, stability-focused resettlement, but observers of the project note that late-stage adjustments are unlikely to produce rapid change because of persistent systemic obstacles.
- Selected relocation site for A Dieu: elevated terrain, ~3, 000 m², access to electricity, water and transport.
- Immediate village conditions: fissures up to 500 metres, ~60 households in the risk zone, some forced to demolish homes or live apart from family shelters.
- Provincial programme challenges: only 574 of planned 2, 225 households relocated (25. 8%); shortfalls in land, infrastructure and services hinder long-term stability.
What should residents and officials expect next?
Three plausible paths emerge. First, if municipal approval and emergency funding are released promptly, relocation to the selected CLung Gươl A Póoc site could proceed and materially reduce the immediate threat to life and property. Second, a partial outcome is likely if approval is slow or funds arrive in phases: some families move, others remain exposed to recurrent rains and expanding fissures, and anxiety and economic disruption persist. Third, in the absence of timely budget release and logistical support, residents may face prolonged displacement, further demolitions and continued exposure to slope collapse.
Given the declared emergency under decision no. 368/QD-UBND, the single most actionable step is municipal approval and rapid release of the estimated relocation budget; without it, the on-the-ground realities mirrored elsewhere—land shortages, inadequate infrastructure in relocation sites and slow implementation—are liable to repeat. At the same time, the provincial experience of late-stage adjustments and a shift toward targeted resettlement underscores that durable safety depends not only on moving people but on delivering services and economic stability in the new sites.
Readers should understand that the immediate technical choice—the selected elevated parcel and the emergency decision—creates a viable path out of imminent danger, but implementation will determine outcomes. Stakeholders should watch for municipal approval of the relocation project and the release of emergency funds, while preparing contingency support for families who may not be able to relocate quickly. The village of A Dieu now stands at an inflection where policy action or delay will determine whether lives are secured or remain exposed to future glissement de terrain
