Land-taking Disputes in East Asia: A Comparative Analysis and Implications for Vietnam

Many of the economic, demographic, and social changes animating land disputes in Vietnam are also sweeping across other countries in East Asia. The aim of this Report is to provide comparative insights into land-taking disputes in three East Asian countries-China, Indonesia, and Cambodia-that are relevant to Vietnamese conditions. It is not the intention of this Report to provide a comprehensive account of land-taking disputes, but rather to identify trends in dispute resolution. This Report concludes that land tenure reforms are useful in providing clarity about ownership. However without competent land titling and registration agencies and courts, land tenure reforms cannot resolve the underlying conflicts about access to scarce resources. Similarly, institutional reforms have proved ineffective in resolving land disputes unless they level the playing field between state agencies, land users, and developers. Attempts by governments in the region to suppress land disputes have pushed grievances underground, leading in the long-term to more deep-seated and intractable conflicts. This Report is commissioned by UNDP Vietnam with the financial support of Democratic Governance Thematic Trust Fund (DGTTF).