Land reform in Vietnam: Analysis of the roles played by different actors and changes within central and provincial level institutions

ABSTRACTED FROM SUMMARY: One of the peculiarities of the Vietnamese land system is the existence of a ‘zero state’ with regard to land institutions: all the country’s existing land institutions were put in place in the last 25 to 30 years. However, this does not mean that there is no history of such bodies; indeed, those that are now emerging carry the traces of each past period. The many local customary institutions reflect the principles underpinning previous systems regulating the social and spatial distribution of resources, and elements of the French land tenure system can be seen in the decision to register land ownership certificates rather than follow the more Anglo Saxon system of using the titles themselves as proof of ownership. Nevertheless, there is a clear synchronic dimension to the process of putting land institutions in place, which is reflected in the role it has played in the profound transformation of the Vietnamese State and society