Thayer Consultancy

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Background Briefing: Vietnam Land Issues: Shoot Out at the Haiphong Corral Carlyle A. Thayer February 1, 2012

[clientnamedeleted] Q1.LandmanagementpracticesinVietnamarerifewithcorruptionthatbenefitsthe richattheexpenseofthepoorandthelatestevictionbattleinHaiPhongisjusta sadreminderspotlightingthisbugbear.ItsthegovernmentandthePartyPolitburo who must deal with the larger problem, however. Do you think without a major overhaul on Vietnams current land law that is slated for amendment in 2013, the sort of tragedy that overtook Dang Van Vuon will threaten half the nations population?If,sowhy?Ifnot,whynot? ANSWER: Vietnam has faced the problem of village bullies since the late 1980s whenlocalauthoritiestookadvantageofdecollectivizationtogainaccesstothebest land.Amendingthecurrentlawisonlyonestepinalongprocessofinstitutionalizing ruleoflaw.Everyonemustbeequalbeforethelaw.Thismeansthejudiciarymustbe free from outside interference. The appeals system must be objective. And finally, whilethepartyshouldsetlongtermpolicyitisuptoeffectivestateinstitutionsto implementit.Aslongastherichandtheinfluentialcaninfluencelocaldecisionson landusetheVuoncasewillberepeatedoverandover. Q2.Recentscholarshiphasconfirmedthegeneralperceptionthatthevaguenessof the current land law, the nontransparency of administrative procedures and the quick profits that can be made by insiders when farmland is expropriated and convertedtootherusesareaprincipledriverofofficialcorruption.Yearsofeffortto codifyproceduresseemsimplytohavemultipliedopportunitiestoextortunderthe tablepayments.Towhatextentisthistrue? ANSWER: Vietnam ranks near the bottom of countries on Transparency Internationalsperceptionsofcorruptionindex.ToVietnamscreditithasimproved its rating slightly. But the political economy of local government and informal networks of influence undermine the independence of the law and its administration. Codificationof thelawandadministrativepracticeisnecessarybut notasufficientconditionforequity.Theremustbeavenuesforredresswhenlocal officials abuse their authority. Eradicating the current culture of under the table paymentsisaverylongtermprocess.Sincethelandissueisespeciallyemotiveand is the cause of so much public expression of discontent it should be given top priority.

2 Q3.IsthereanysolidevidencethatthePolitburohasdecidedtoamendVietnams Constitution, which declares that the land belongs to all of the people, and the Statemanagesitontheirbehalf.?Istherearealneedtodoso? ANSWER:ThereisevidencethatthepartywouldliketoamendtheLawonLand.But I have not seen evidence that anyone is seriously considering changing the law to allow private ownership of the land as distinct to access to the land. I live in the Australian Capital Territory. My home is on Crown land. I actually do not own the landbuthavea99yearleasethatIcanpassontomyfamily.Idonotfeelinsecure aboutthisarrangementbecausethelawisindependent,thecourtsystemfair,and theappealssystemisjust.Allofthisistransparent.Ievenhaveanombudsmanto approach if I have a grievance. Whether Vietnam amends the current law is immaterial.Theremustbeindependentandtransparentadministrationofthelaw. Q4. Now it seems that only a radical move by Party and government that renders farmers secure in their possession of the land they work will satisfy Vietnamese publicopinion.Onlyanunequivocalrighttoownthelandtheywork,totransferit, addtoitorimproveitastheychooseislikelytoquietthefarmersfears.Inshort, the Party and government are pressed to codify rural tradition. What are your thoughtsonthisargument? ANSWER:Iaminfavourofprivateownershipoflandbecauseitisdirectlyrelatedto production. When Vietnam decollectivized agriculture its rice production shot up, especially in the Mekong Delta. Local custom and tradition must be taken into account in terms of land ownership. This must also be squared with the partys expression socialist orientation. Whatever changes Vietnam makes, the administrationofthelawandcustomarypracticeshouldbeinthehandsofthelocal people.Thelocaladministrationmustbeheldaccountabletothepeople.Oneway ofkeepingallpartieshonestistoallowthemediatoreportobjectivelyongrievances and problems when they arise. Vuons case demonstrates that individual initiative can be productive and assist Vietnam in developing its rural economy. Farmers shouldnotbepenalizedforimprovingtheirlandandthemeansofproductivity.