The revised Land Law was debated at 3 National Assembly sessions and amended several times to match the content of the just-adopted revised Constitution and national Platform in the renewal period.

Building a better administration

The biggest achievement of the Land Law is to present criteria of a good administrative system and a transparent and open mechanism. The Law consists of amendments to more cases of land acquisition and the jurisdiction of administrative levels in land acquisition. The Law defines procedures and processes of land eviction nationwide. Land use planning has been changed from acreage zoning to regional zoning to improve management.

The Land Law stipulates the monitoring of land price changes and sets the market price fluctuation rate in order to adjust the land price frame. The government will issue the land price frame every 5 years for each type of land in different regions. The Law regulates the involvement of land price consultation agencies in the Land Price Appraisal Council. The participation of land price consultation agencies will ensure objective price setting. Dinh Xuan Thao, Director of the Natoinal Assembly’s Legislative Research Institute, says: "Land price is an important content in the revised Land Law. In principle, the land owner has the right to set the price. The State represents the people as the land owner so the State decides the land price. The independent consultation agencies will ensure objectivity."

Another new point in the revised Land Law is a longer period for agricultural land use. The duration is now 50 years instead of the previous 20 years. If land users have demand, the date might be extended.

Minimizing complaints and corruption

A task of the revised Land Law is to resolve land disputes and complaints which mainly derive from land acquisition and compensation. 70 to 80% of recent complaints and denunciations are related to land. Specific regulations on land acquisition, prices, and compensation will make it easier for law enforcement agencies and people in realizing their duties. The new law also enhances the people’s involvement in land planning, land use, and discussions of compensation and resettlement methods. It will have a positive impact on minimizing land complaints.  

Necessary conditions for implementing the revised Land Law

To ensure the effectiveness of law enforcement and the resolution of disputes requires the involvement of local administrations and understandable guiding documents. Vo Thi Hong Thoai is a member of the National Assembly’s Committee for Science, Technology, and Environment. "I hope the government will guide implementation nationwide. The Law has basically resolved pending issues including land acquisition, publicity, prices, and land use planning. I hope the law will be effectively implemented." Thoai said.

The revised Constitution and the revised Land Law will be effective tools for handling pending issues in land management and land use to better exploit land resources.