Vietnam drafts amended Land Law to enhance resource governance

Vietnam is drafting an amended Land Law to shift from a management-based approach to a land resource governance model. The draft aims to streamline the current legal framework, reducing the structure from 260 articles to approximately 115 articles across 13 chapters. This legislative redesign focuses on establishing broad principles and frameworks, while delegating more specific, frequently changing details to the Government, ministries, and local authorities to increase operational flexibility.

Key policy areas under discussion include land use planning, land allocation, land lease, and land recovery. A significant focus is being placed on land financial mechanisms, particularly the determination of land prices. There is a proposal to move away from specific land price regulations in favor of using land price lists and adjustment coefficients.

Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung has emphasized that land pricing mechanisms must align with local realities and that the principles for determining, inspecting, and supervising these prices must be clearly defined. Additionally, the government is researching financial mechanisms to handle land rent differentials, abandoned land, and land that is slow to be put into use to maximize resource efficiency.