Land Acquisition Under Land Law 2013: A Case Study of Vinh City, Nghe An Province

Abstract

After implementing a comprehensive reform in 1986, Vietnam witnessed change in many aspects. One of these changes is that agricultural land has been converted into industrial and urban land. Increasing land demand, leading to land acquisition, is inevitable. Over time, land laws and policies have been developed to address various problems. However, land acquisition and compensation procedures still have many issues to be solved. This paper outlines changes in Vietnam’s legal system related to land acquisition, followed by land acquisition forms and procedures. Responses to this process were inquired through a survey of 170 landless households in Vinh city. Ten face-to-face interviews were also conducted to collect qualitative data. The results show that the authorities have followed the land acquisition procedures in the Vietnamese context. However, directly affected households do not feel satisfied with the compensation that the state has paid to them, while indirectly affected families rated the current policy as unfair to them.