Loc Hung Garden
Donation protected
The land of Lộc Hưng Garden bears close to 124 families, is being teared down to rubbles today by the government of Vietnam.
100% of its residents are Catholics in which a majority are former refugees from Northern Vietnam seeked asylum in the South during 1954 for its freedom of religion.
(For those who are not too familiar with Vietnam history: from 1954, Northern Vietnam became a country of its own that practiced Faithlessness)
Accourding to a 1999 Adverse Possession Circular by the current government, those who has possessed any piece of land on or before Oct 15, 1993 without any dispute would legally own the land.
However, none of the residents of Lộc Hưng garden had ever been granted any ownership of their own land they have lived on for generations without any kind of dispute over the many decades by the government.
Initially, the government officials stated that there was no need for papers because there was not a development plan (up to around 1999). However, they then announced that they would need the land back (in 2001) and therefore refused to grand ownership to the residents.
Today, the government employs its eminent domain to seize the entire land without any compensation or resettlement, saying these people have been living here illegally.
124 households have been now destroyed. Close to 150 fellow Catholics, former refugees, are now one again seeking refuge, ironically from the regime that had once forced them to flee.
People had risked their lives, lying under the wheels of demolishing vehicles, yet could not protect what were once their home. Of these families, many have elderly and children, even newborns, now are facing homelessness.
It is an indescribable desvastation to helplessly see your home teared down in the front of you brick by brick, wall by wall, nail by nail.
I feel obligated to call for help on behalf of my fellow Catholics. I honestly do not know if 50,000 would be enough, but I do know that any dollar would go a very very long way, from immediate food and medicine aid to long term shelters.
May God bless us all!
100% of its residents are Catholics in which a majority are former refugees from Northern Vietnam seeked asylum in the South during 1954 for its freedom of religion.
(For those who are not too familiar with Vietnam history: from 1954, Northern Vietnam became a country of its own that practiced Faithlessness)
Accourding to a 1999 Adverse Possession Circular by the current government, those who has possessed any piece of land on or before Oct 15, 1993 without any dispute would legally own the land.
However, none of the residents of Lộc Hưng garden had ever been granted any ownership of their own land they have lived on for generations without any kind of dispute over the many decades by the government.
Initially, the government officials stated that there was no need for papers because there was not a development plan (up to around 1999). However, they then announced that they would need the land back (in 2001) and therefore refused to grand ownership to the residents.
Today, the government employs its eminent domain to seize the entire land without any compensation or resettlement, saying these people have been living here illegally.
124 households have been now destroyed. Close to 150 fellow Catholics, former refugees, are now one again seeking refuge, ironically from the regime that had once forced them to flee.
People had risked their lives, lying under the wheels of demolishing vehicles, yet could not protect what were once their home. Of these families, many have elderly and children, even newborns, now are facing homelessness.
It is an indescribable desvastation to helplessly see your home teared down in the front of you brick by brick, wall by wall, nail by nail.
I feel obligated to call for help on behalf of my fellow Catholics. I honestly do not know if 50,000 would be enough, but I do know that any dollar would go a very very long way, from immediate food and medicine aid to long term shelters.
May God bless us all!
Organizer
Nancy Hanh Vy Nguyen
Organizer
Anaheim, CA