Deputy PM Hung made the statement at a conference held by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Hanoi on April 17.

The conference was convened to review the last 15 years of resettlement work relating primarily to irrigation and hydro-electric power projects.

“While mapping out master plans on resettlement, it is a necessity that planners ensure all people will be able to continue production, education and healthcare in a sustainable manner. These are people’s fundamental requirements,” deputy PM Hung said.

In a bid to generate 32 billion kWh annually, Vietnam has 22 major hydroelectric power projects in the pipeline between 1995 and 2009.

Statistics released at the conference indicated that construction of power plants is estimated to affect 49,785 households, 39,777 of these are required to relocate.

By the end of last year, 21,580 households or 54 percent of the targeted homes had already been relocated.

However, problems have remained to be solved, observers said, pointing to a lack of compensation and support for relocated households.