Provincial chairmen will be granted significant authority over land projects starting March 1, 2026.

The National Assembly has just passed the amended Investment Law, with many important adjustments and additions related to the content of approving investment policies.

The authority to approve investment policies rests with the National Assembly and the Prime Minister.

Recently, the National Assembly passed the amended Investment Law, comprising 7 chapters and 52 articles, which will take effect from March 1, 2026. This marks a new legislative milestone, opening up investment opportunities in the direction of "investment and business activities in sectors and professions not prohibited by law".

Specifically, the plan aims to promote the decentralization of authority for approving investment policies from the National Assembly to the Prime Minister , and from the Prime Minister to the chairpersons of provincial People's Committees, in order to reform administrative procedures and expedite the investment approval process.

According to the new law, the National Assembly retains authority over projects requiring special mechanisms and policies. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister approves investment policies for eight groups of projects, including:

Investment projects requiring the conversion of land use from special-use forests, watershed protection forests, border protection forests of 50 hectares or more; windbreak and sand dune protection forests and wave-breaking and land reclamation protection forests of 500 hectares or more; and production forests of 1,000 hectares or more.

The investment project requires a change in land use from land used for growing two or more rice crops per year, on a scale of 500 hectares or more.

Investment projects involving betting and casino operations, excluding electronic games with prizes for foreigners; and nuclear power plant projects.

Foreign investment projects in the fields of telecommunications services with network infrastructure, afforestation, publishing, and journalism. Other investment projects subject to the Prime Minister's approval of investment policy as prescribed by law.

The investment project is stipulated to require the resettlement of 20,000 or more people in mountainous areas, or 50,000 or more people in other regions.

The investment project complies with the law on cultural heritage, regardless of the size of the land area or population, and falls within Zone I of the protected area of ​​a monument recognized by competent authorities as a special national monument on the list of world heritage sites.

From March 1, 2026, the provincial chairman will be granted the authority to approve investment policies for projects related to the allocation and leasing of land without auction; land use conversion; and the construction of golf courses, seaports, and airports. Photo: Hue Ex.

The authority to approve investment policies rests with the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee.

In addition to the above categories, the new law stipulates that the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee has the authority to approve investment policies for: Investment projects where the investor requests the State to allocate land or lease land without auctioning the land use rights or bidding to select the investor to implement the project using land.

The investment project requests the State to allocate land, lease land, or permit the conversion of land use purposes in areas affecting national defense and security. The investment project requests the State to allocate a sea area.

Housing construction investment projects (for sale, lease, lease-purchase), and urban areas, regardless of land use scale or population size, are permitted if the investor has land use rights through agreements on land use rights acquisition or currently possesses land use rights as stipulated by housing and land laws.

Investment projects, regardless of land area or population size, are permitted in areas with restricted development or within the historical inner city (as defined in urban planning) of special-class cities.

Investment projects for the construction and operation of golf courses, except for cases where the construction and operation of golf courses is part of a housing or urban development project where land is allocated or leased through auction of land use rights or bidding to select investors.

Investment projects for the construction and operation of infrastructure in industrial parks, export processing zones, and concentrated digital technology zones. New construction investment projects: wharves and wharf areas within special seaports and Type I seaports.

New construction investment projects include: airports; airport runways; passenger terminals at international airports; and cargo terminals at airports with a capacity of 1 million tons/year or more.

New investment projects include: passenger air transport business; and oil and gas processing investment projects.

The Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee also approves the investment policy for projects requiring the resettlement of 10,000 or more people in mountainous areas, and 20,000 or more people in other regions.

Investment projects that comply with the law on cultural heritage, regardless of land area or population size, within the scope of protection zones I and II of monuments recognized by competent authorities as national monuments or special national monuments, except for protection zone I of special national monuments on the World Heritage List.

For investment projects that simultaneously fall under the authority of two or more provincial People's Committee chairmen to approve investment policies, the regulations of the Government shall apply.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/chu-tich-tinh-duoc-trao-tham-quyen-lon-voi-cac-du-an-dat-dai-tu-1-3-2026-d789188.html