The Request claims that community members are being harmed by the World Bank-supported Vietnam Coastal Cities Sustainable Environment Project.
The Request raises five interrelated allegations concerning the resettlement process: i) restrictions placed since 2016 on the properties of affected households in the Ngoc Hiep Resettlement Site, rendering owners unable to apply for new land certificates, or build, repair, or rent their structures, ii) inconsistent application of resettlement policies and related consultations which, the Requesters claim, resulted in unfair treatment of some affected households, iii) the adequacy of the valuation methodology used for Project-related resettlement that, according to them, resulted in unfairly low compensation packages, iv) intimidation during the resettlement process, and v) the alleged exclusion of households from the resettlement process for having complained about aspects of the Project.
The Panel conducted its initial due diligence and verified that it meets the admissibility criteria for registration. On September 25, 2023, the Panel registered the second Request and issued a Notice of Registration .
Bank Management provided its response to the allegations made in the Request on November 8, 2023. Bank Management provided its response to these additional issues through an addendum on December 20, 2023. The Panel added these community members to the list of Requesters and the information provided by them as part of the Request.
A Panel team visited Viet Nam from November 14 to 21, 2023 to inform its report and recommendation to the Board of Executive Directors as to whether an investigation into the matters alleged in the Request is warranted. During the visit, the Panel team met with various stakeholders including officials in Ha Noi from the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Construction, and the Ministry of Natural Resource and Environment, as well as World Bank staff. In Nha Trang City, the team met with officials of the Khanh Hoa Provincial Peoples’ Committee, the Compensation Committee, and the Ngoc Hiep Ward People’s Committee. The team also met with the Requesters in the Ngoc Hiep Resettlement Site.
On January 22, 2024, the Panel recommended an investigation into the alleged issues of harm and related possible noncompliance with the applicable World Bank policies. In its recommendation, the Panel noted that the Requesters and the Request for Inspection met the technical eligibility criteria set out in the Panel Resolution. The Panel considered the alleged harm to be plausibly linked to the Project. The Panel also considered that the Request raises several allegations of harm that, taken together, constitute a serious allegation of harm and possible policy noncompliance.
On February 05, 2024, the Board has approved, on a no objection basis, the Panel’s recommendation to investigate the Bank in relation to the Project and the allegations raised by the Requesters. Under the Inspection Panel resolution and the World Bank Accountability Mechanism (AM) resolution, after Board approval of the Panel’s investigation recommendation, the AM Secretary offers the Requesters and the borrower the option of dispute resolution.
On March 12, 2024, the AMS reported to the Board, the Inspection Panel, and Bank Management that the Parties had voluntarily agreed to engage in the dispute resolution process. Pursuant to Paragraph 12(g) of the AM Resolution, on March 7, 2025, the AM Secretary under the applicable framework on March 7, 2025 informed the Executive Directors, the Inspection Panel and Bank Management that with the agreement of both Parties, and recognizing the Parties’ commitment and progress, the AM Secretary extended the dispute resolution process, for an additional period of up to six months, with a final deadline on September 11, 2025.
The Panel thus holds its compliance process in abeyance until conclusion of the dispute resolution process in accordance with the Inspection Panel and Accountability Mechanism Resolutions.
Note: Translations of the Inspection Panel and management documents are unofficial and are provided as a service to interested parties. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy. If any part of the Vietnamese translation is inconsistent with the original English text, the latter shall take precedence.
Lưu ý: Bản dịch của Ban kiểm tra và tài liệu quản lý là không chính thức và được cung cấp dưới dạng dịch vụ cho các bên quan tâm. Mọi nỗ lực đã được thực hiện để đảm bảo tính chính xác. Nếu bất kỳ phần nào của bản dịch tiếng Việt không phù hợp với văn bản gốc tiếng Anh, phần sau sẽ được ưu tiên.
