The mark of 5 times of amending the Land Law and the revolution of merging provinces and cities

TPO - After 80 years of national establishment, land management in Vietnam has undergone many turning points from feudal ownership, to public ownership, and then entering the market mechanism. Each reform is associated with major changes in the country. According to experts, with the current new institutional reforms such as merging provinces and cities, streamlining the apparatus, and building a national database - this can be considered the "fourth revolution" in land management.

Báo Tiền Phong•29/08/2025

Major changes in land management

Dr. Tran Xuan Luong - Deputy Director of the Vietnam Institute for Real Estate Market Research and Evaluation - said that land has long been considered the most fundamental resource of every country, a special means of production, an irreplaceable foundation for socio -economic development. In Vietnam, over the past 80 years, since the August Revolution in 1945, land management has undergone many turning points from feudal ownership, to public ownership, and then entering the market mechanism.

According to Dr. Tran Xuan Luong, the first thing to mention is the land reform (1953-1958) - this is a great social revolution. Land confiscation from landlords, distribution to farmers who do not have or lack land, affirming the ownership of the peasant class - the main productive force at that time. In terms of state management, this period laid the foundation for a new ownership regime, shifting from private land ownership to public ownership.

Dr. Tran Xuan Luong - Deputy Director of Vietnam Real Estate Market Research and Evaluation Institute.

In 1987, the first Land Law was issued, affirming that land was owned by the entire people and managed by the State. The important new point was that the State began to grant land use rights to households and individuals. This was the initial recognition of rights associated with land, opening the premise for the formation of a land use rights market in the following period.

The 1993 Land Law was the most important milestone. For the first time, land users were granted 5 basic rights: the right to transfer, the right to lease, the right to inherit, the right to mortgage, and the right to contribute capital using land use rights.

"These rights bring land into the state-managed market orbit, turning land use rights into a type of asset with transaction value, contributing to promoting the formation and development of the real estate market," said Mr. Luong.

According to the Deputy Director of the Vietnam Institute for Real Estate Market Research and Evaluation, in 2002, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment was established, merging the functions of land, natural resources and environment management. This was a turning point in bringing land management to a more modern and professional stage. In addition, changes in the 10-year cycle of amending the Land Law. Specifically:

Land Law 2003: Expanding land users' rights, affirming the role of the market.

Land Law 2013: Emphasizes the principle of transparency, land prices close to market prices, and enhances land use rights auctions.

Land Law 2024: Continue to strongly reform, synchronized with the Investment Law, Construction Law, Real Estate Business Law, etc.; accelerate digital transformation and modernize land management.

The 2024 Land Law, which will be implemented after 1 year of operation, will be amended due to new developments related to changes in 2-level local government...

The “Fourth Revolution” in Land Management

Assessing the major changes related to land management, Dr. Tran Xuan Luong said that if the previous stages - from the 1953 land reform (granting land use rights to farmers), the promulgation of the 1993 Land Law (forming a land use rights market), to the establishment of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in 2002 (modernizing land management) were all considered "revolutionary milestones" in land management, then currently, Vietnam is entering an unprecedented institutional reform, which is a comprehensive "restructuring" of the management apparatus.

According to Dr. Tran Xuan Luong, with the new institutional reform - merging provinces and cities, streamlining the apparatus, building a national database - this can be considered the "fourth revolution" in land management in our country.

Dr. Tran Xuan Luong said that the merger of provinces and cities from 63 to 34 administrative units is not simply a matter of cutting down the apparatus, but a “restructuring of land management space”. Reducing the intermediate levels will eliminate fragmentation, increase the efficiency of planning and supervision, and avoid localization in land management.

Reorganizing the 2-level local government model, thereby significantly reducing the local “ask-give” mechanism, increasing transparency and accountability. This helps people and businesses access land services more transparently and quickly.

With the current new institutional reform - merging provinces and cities, streamlining the apparatus, and building a national database, this can be considered the "fourth revolution" in land management, opening a new era of modern, transparent, and sustainable land governance.
Dr. Tran Xuan Luong

In addition, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will merge with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development into a unified ministry ( Ministry of Agriculture and Environment - PV) with the function of managing land, resources, and agriculture, which will eliminate overlaps and ensure inter-sectoral management. Land - resources - agricultural production will be coordinated harmoniously and sustainably.

In addition, building a modern national land database, integrated with population, financial, and tax data; applying AI, blockchain, 3D maps, and big data will help make the market transparent, reduce corruption, and prevent speculation. Digital government in land management will fundamentally change the way the State regulates the market.

"This can be considered the "fourth revolution" in land management in Vietnam after three previous major milestones - opening a new era of modern, transparent and sustainable land management. This reform is not simply a change in the apparatus or laws, but an institutional turning point, turning land into a truly strategic resource managed according to international standards, directly contributing to the goal of making Vietnam a developed country by the middle of the 21st century," said Dr. Tran Xuan Luong, emphasizing that, through the periods of land management reform, it not only has institutional significance, but also has a direct impact on the development of the real estate market and national infrastructure.

In fact, real estate and construction currently account for about 1-13% of GDP, becoming one of the key economic sectors, and at the same time having a strong influence on more than 40 other fields such as construction, materials, finance - banking, and labor and employment.

Transparency of land use rights, completion of planning and land database will help minimize legal risks, encourage domestic and foreign investors to participate, and create a stable and healthy real estate supply.

In addition, land is also the foundation for developing industrial parks, economic zones, and new urban areas, which are the driving force to attract foreign direct investment, promote exports, and create jobs for millions of workers.

According to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, now the Ministry of Finance, there are nearly 420 industrial parks nationwide, of which over 280 are in operation, making important contributions to industrial production value and export turnover. Along with that, transparent and stable land policies also help mobilize social resources for transport infrastructure, energy, smart cities, creating spillover effects and enhancing national competitiveness.

Recently, in his direction on amending and supplementing the 2024 Land Law, General Secretary To Lam noted the need to study, evaluate, and fully identify the current difficulties and obstacles in the land sector to determine comprehensive, fundamental, and synchronous solutions. The major viewpoints, orientations, and important policies to amend and supplement the 2024 Land Law and related laws need to be fully, deeply, convincingly, and feasiblely explained.