The Daily Populous Sunday May 31st, 2026 day edition
Authored by sundayguardianlive.com and submitted by F0urLeafCl0ver

In Vietnam, the residents are being pushed to exhume the remains of their ancestors to make way for a sprawling luxury development for the US President Donald Trump, sparking a heated confrontation between heritage and high-stakes international business.

In a controversial development unfolding in Vietnam’s Hung Yen province, local families are facing the traumatic task of clearing ancestral burial grounds to accommodate a massive $1.5 billion project linked to the Trump Organisation.

The luxury complex, which is slated to feature a premier golf course, five-star hotels, and upscale villas, has ignited a wave of resistance among residents who argue that the displacement of their loved ones is a profound violation of both personal history and spiritual values.

The project, which aims to span approximately four square miles, is reportedly impacting more than 4,000 households. While the Vietnamese government has moved to secure the land through state-mandated compensation and resettlement programs, many families are refusing to comply. For these residents, the issue is not merely financial; it is a deeply emotional struggle to protect graves that have sat undisturbed for generations.

The human toll of the development is becoming increasingly visible as locals voice their frustration with the rapid, government-led acquisition process. Among the most vocal critics is Hoang Anh Xa, who faces the prospect of moving the graves of his great-grandparents, which have been located on the site since 1967. “The grave of my great-grandparents has been there since 1967, before the establishment of this country,” Xa told The Financial Times. “So why should I move them?”

Other residents, such as local farmer Tran Minh Hai, have echoed this sentiment, emphasising the cultural weight of the situation. “It’s a spiritual thing,” Hai noted, highlighting why many in the community remain steadfast in their opposition to the project. Despite the initial optimism that greeted the announcement of the resort, many farmers now claim that the compensation offered, approximately $3 per square meter, is far below market value, leaving them struggling to find adequate alternatives for their livelihoods and their dead.

The development has become a significant focal point in the relationship between Hanoi and Washington. During a groundbreaking ceremony in May 2025, Eric Trump praised the venture, describing it as a project that would be “the envy of all of Asia and the entire world.” For Vietnamese leadership, the project is viewed as a vital mechanism for fostering foreign investment and strengthening diplomatic ties with the United States.

However, the project’s rapid progress has been met with scrutiny. Previous reports from The New York Times indicate that Vietnamese authorities fast-tracked the approval process by bypassing standard environmental reviews and shortening the window for public consultation. Some observers suggest that this urgency is a calculated effort by the Vietnamese government to appease the Trump administration, particularly in the face of potential trade tensions and threatened tariffs on Vietnamese goods.

While the Trump Organization’s international footprint continues to expand, the Vietnam project faces mounting obstacles. The local resistance has already resulted in project delays, complicating the original timeline that envisioned a functional resort by 2027. Despite the controversy, the White House maintains that the President has no involvement in the operations of his family’s business, citing a blind trust managed by his children. As the dispute over the land continues, the project stands as a stark reminder of the often-unseen costs associated with global luxury development and the complex intersection of private business and state diplomacy.