The revised Land Law to come into force
The revised Land Law, which will come into force on July 1, 2014, will help improve transparency in land management and use, said National Assembly Vice Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.
Ms Ngan said with 14 chapters and 212 articles, the law, adopted by the 13th National Assembly at its sixth session on November 29, 2013, will address setbacks arising during the enforcement of the 2003 Land Law.
It outlines the tasks and power of the National Assembly, the Government, the People’s Council and the People’s Committee at all levels, which exercise their rights as representatives of the land owner.
It specifies a number of cases regarding the retrieval of land for defence and security purposes, socio-economic development serving national and public interests.
The law states the clearer jurisdiction authorised to reclaim land, saying that compelled reclamation of land must be conducted publicly and democratically, ensuring public order and safety.
The law has supplementary provisions stating that provincial-level People’s Committees are responsible for offering vocational training to those who have agricultural land reclaimed and providing support for them until they find jobs.
It also has additional provisions on the levels of compensation for non-agricultural land owned by residential communities and religious institutions.
Under the law, the Government is required to come up with a land price bracket every five years while provincial-level People’s Committees make calculations in each specific case.
The law also requires a land pricing advisory agency to join the land price appraisal council to ensure fairness in land valuation.
It also extends the agricultural land use term for families and individuals to 50 years from the previous 20 years, while adding regulations on the eligible conditions on land lease for developers of investment projects or project using farming land or forest in border and coastal areas and on islands.
The document details stipulations on the persons responsible to the State on land use, and the ban on using land or conducting land transactions without registering with the competent agencies.
It encourages greater public involvement in devising and implementing land use plans as well as compensation, support and resettlement plans.
