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Land law amendments to address recovery concerns
Dai Doan Ket (Great Unity) newspaper spoke to Prof Luu Van Dat, Head of the Advisory Board for Legal Democracy, about draft amendments to the Land Law.
What are the most important aspects of the amended Land Law? Will the changes address public concerns with the existing law?
The most urgent public demand is land recovery. There have been a lot of urgent complaints from people concerning land being taken for business projects. Most of the affected population are farmers. When the State takes land from farmers without giving them some alternative means of livelihood, they will fall into a bad situation. The second urgent demand is national food security. Our population is increasing and expected to reach 120 million in the near future. With limited land, it is necessary to keep and use land effectively to ensure economic stability.
Upon investigation, it has been found that land clearance is still uncontrolled, even unlawful in some instances. If it doesn't follow a plan, only some people benefit. Meanwhile, many suspended projects cause waste since farmers no longer have land to farm.
Many have expressed concerns about corruption in these land developments. Will the amended Land Law address this issue?
A project must be for the public benefit and for national development. Infeasible projects that end up being suspended are not rare. After some projects, some people get richer, and the Anti-Corruption Law is still not perfected. There are not enough regulations on how to deal with all the problems. More publicity and transparency about projects are needed to ensure a democratic process.
The draft law suggests that the State withdraw land for development in most of cases rather than seek compromises between investors and land users. What do you think about this solution?
Investors involved in reclaiming land have caused a lot of troubles. Because of the profit motive, they readily broke the law, causing suspended projects and damage to people. Withdrawing land, therefore, is a responsibility of the State. The State manages land. In changing land owners, the State has to follow regulations. Based on people's rights, the State will consider whether or not to take back land. The change of land use purposes will lead to major differences in land value which will need to be adjusted as well.
Will the amended Land Law supplement regulations on the rights of overseas Vietnamese to buy houses or trade in land?
Yes. We need to create favourable conditions for overseas Vietnamese not only to buy houses but also to do business in real estate. Expanding the rights of overseas Vietnamese suits our Party and State policy so that our people can co-operate to make the country stronger.
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