Restoring discipline in land management (Part 1)

Dong Nai is located in the Southern key economic zone, has a vibrant real estate market and a series of key national projects have been and are being implemented. Along with the development, in recent times, many "ghost" projects have emerged in the province; the situation of land division and sale is widespread; deliberately violating regulations on compensation, support, resettlement, etc. This shows that there are still "loopholes" in management and laxity of responsibility of a number of officials in authority. Faced with this situation, in recent times, Dong Nai has resolutely stepped in to inspect and strictly handle land violations, initially re-establishing discipline, gradually "cooling down" a field with many potential complications.

680 houses were built illegally at the Tan Thinh Residential Area Project (Doi 61 commune, Trang Bom district). Photo: To Tam

Lesson 1: Land violations: Sowing greed, reaping consequences

Timely identification of violations in land-related projects is a crucial step in preventing illegal activities and tightening land management discipline. In Dong Nai , many "ghost" projects have been exposed, and those involved in wrongdoing have been severely punished, demonstrating a determination to clean up the investment environment and prevent the formation of "forbidden zones" in handling violations in general and land-related violations in particular.

Falling into the trap of scams from "phantom projects"

The downside of rapid urbanization in Dong Nai is the emergence of numerous land-related violations. Unauthorized houses are being built secretly, with hundreds of such houses appearing in some cases. Many "ghost" projects exist only on paper but are exaggerated by real estate companies as legitimate, leading many people to fall into scams. Many victims have lost billions of dong, resulting in severe economic consequences and damage to public trust in a healthy business market.

The Tan Thinh residential area project (Doi 61 commune, Trang Bom district) was once extensively developed by LDG Investment Joint Stock Company (LDG Company, headquartered in Giang Dien commune, Trang Bom district), creating a vision of a modern, luxurious urban area that would transform the local landscape. However, after the violations were exposed and dealt with, only a scene of desolation remains. The rows of interconnected concrete buildings are deteriorating day by day. At the main gate of the project, the inscription: "The first smart urban area in Vietnam" is now just a patchwork of old corrugated iron sheets covering the entrance.

Since the arrest of the LDG Company's leaders, the project has been suspended until now. The mistake of rushing the project has led to the imprisonment of seven defendants (including company leaders and related state officials).

At the 17th meeting of the Provincial Steering Committee for Anti-Corruption, Waste, and Negative Phenomena (PCTNLPTC) in March 2025, it was unanimously agreed to include the following cases under the Provincial Steering Committee's monitoring and direction: "Violation of regulations on compensation, support, and resettlement when the State recovers land"; "Giving bribes" and "Receiving bribes" occurring at the Long Thanh International Airport Project.

On April 28, the Provincial People's Court sentenced former leaders of LDG Company and related officials of Trang Bom district to prison terms ranging from 12 to 16 months for abusing their positions and authority while performing their official duties. In addition, the Provincial People's Court sentenced Nguyen Khanh Hung (former Chairman of the Board of Directors of LDG Company) to 16 months and Nguyen Quoc Vy Liem (former Deputy General Director of LDG Company) to 12 months for defrauding customers.

According to the verdict, after the Provincial People's Committee approved the plan to build the Tan Thinh Residential Area Project, although it had not yet received approval from the Prime Minister , LDG Company proceeded with land leveling, road construction, and the construction of 680 houses and infrastructure on a total land area of ​​over 18 hectares. Subsequently, the leaders of LDG Company used fraudulent methods to sign sales contracts with 359 customers, illegally profiting more than 533 billion VND.

Not only the Tan Thinh Residential Area Project, but many victims in Dong Nai province have fallen prey to scams involving "phantom" projects, losing hundreds of billions of dong.

In early June 2025, the Provincial People's Procuracy issued an indictment prosecuting 87 defendants involved in irregularities at Loc Phuc Investment and Business Joint Stock Company (hereinafter referred to as Loc Phuc Company, headquartered in Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City) for the crime of fraud and appropriation of property. Using sophisticated methods, the defendants defrauded 165 victims, appropriating more than 255 billion VND.

According to the indictment of the Provincial People's Procuracy, during its operation, under the direction of Huynh Huu Tuong (34 years old, residing in Ho Chi Minh City, owner of Loc Phuc Company), the company's employees provided false information and printed maps of non-existent residential projects in the districts of Long Thanh, Trang Bom, and Thong Nhat (these projects were not approved or licensed for investment by the competent authorities). Tuong and his accomplices used this false project information to deceive customers into viewing the land and paying deposits to reserve or transfer land, subsequently appropriating the buyers' assets.

"Giving the green light," turning a blind eye to violations.

According to assessments by relevant authorities, land-related violations are becoming increasingly complex, not only causing financial losses to individuals and organizations involved, but also eroding public trust in state agencies and hindering local development. In some cases, numerous officials and civil servants have been imprisoned. Some projects with violations stem from complicity and lax management by those in positions of responsibility, allowing businesses to exploit and profit from legal loopholes.

Returning to the Tan Thinh Residential Area Project, according to the assessment of the Provincial People's Court, the defendants, who were local state management officials, discovered that the company lacked the necessary legal documents when reviewing the project's legal records. Furthermore, during the project's implementation, authorities conducted four inspections and discovered violations. However, to prevent LDG Company from being penalized and construction from being halted, these officials did not record the administrative violations.

Judge Dinh Thi Kieu Luong, presiding over the case involving LDG Company, stated that the defendants' actions constituted misconduct, aiding and abetting LDG Company in illegally seizing land, constructing buildings, and then selling them to citizens to misappropriate assets. This behavior not only caused property damage to citizens but also affected the State's interests in exercising its land management rights.

Meanwhile, at the Long Thanh International Airport Land Acquisition, Compensation, and Resettlement Project, many officials committed violations during the project implementation, and a significant number faced legal consequences. Among them, former Chairman of the Long Thanh District People's Committee, Le Van Tiep, was prosecuted for violating regulations on compensation, support, and resettlement when the State acquires land, and 12 other officials are under investigation for various offenses including fraud, bribery, and violations of regulations on compensation, support, and resettlement when the State acquires land.

According to the police investigation, in order to implement the Long Thanh Airport Resettlement Project, the compensation council had to appraise the files to approve cases of land expropriation. Taking advantage of these appraisal processes, the relevant officials deliberately committed fraud for personal gain, causing losses to the state budget.

Also related to irregularities in land management, at the end of May 2025, Nguyen Thanh Dan, former Chairman of the People's Committee of Trang Dai Ward (Bien Hoa City), was prosecuted and temporarily detained by the Provincial Police Investigation Agency for bribery. In connection with this case, four urban management officials of Trang Dai Ward were also prosecuted and investigated for bribery.

Given the misconduct of these officials, a reality in Trang Dai ward over the past years shows that it is a "hot spot" for illegal construction. However, instead of implementing a solution to better manage the area, these officials, led by the former Chairman of the Ward People's Committee, colluded with subordinates and two external "brokers" to facilitate illegal construction.

To Tam - Tran Danh

Lesson 2: Management loopholes or complicity from corrupt officials?

 

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/phap-luat/202506/lap-lai-ky-cuong-trong-quan-ly-dat-dai-bai-1-eca118a/