Overseeing the construction drive is the country’s most powerful leader in decades, Communist Party of Vietnam General Secretary To Lam, who on Tuesday was named president as well. Construction crews work on the site of the Trong Dong stadium in Hanoi on Wednesday last week. Lam has turbocharged the development agenda, promoting a “new growth model” powered by major investments in physical and digital infrastructure. “I don’t think Vietnam can host a World Cup, so what’s the use of the world’s largest stadium here?” he said. Developer Vingroup paid him almost 2 billion dong (US$75,953) in compensation, a fortune for most farmers in Vietnam, but not enough to ease his fears about what will happen to his community.

Source: Taipei Times April 08, 2026 18:02 UTC