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Decades-long wait for land ownership certificates leaves Vietnamese residents in limbo
🇻🇳 Vietnam /Economy & Trade

Decades-long wait for land ownership certificates leaves Vietnamese residents in limbo

From Tuổi Trẻ · (4h ago) Vietnamese Critical tone

Translated from Vietnamese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Residents in Phu Da neighborhood, Hoa Tan Dong commune, Phu Yen province, have been waiting for land ownership certificates (sổ đỏ) for decades after purchasing plots between 1995 and 1998.
  • Despite paying land use fees and having stable housing, these residents have not received their certificates, leading to difficulties in mortgaging or transferring their property.
  • Local authorities acknowledge past irregularities in land allocation by the former commune UBND but state that residents who have paid fees and have no disputes can still receive certificates under current land law.

For decades, residents of Phu Da neighborhood in Phu Yen province have lived in a state of uncertainty, their dreams of secure homeownership stalled by the failure to receive official land ownership certificates, known locally as 'sổ đỏ'. Since purchasing plots between 1995 and 1998 and subsequently building their homes, these citizens have diligently paid their land use fees to the local authorities. Yet, the promised documentation remains elusive, leaving their properties in a precarious state, unable to be used as collateral for loans or easily transferred.

We wonder why we still haven't been granted a sổ đỏ, while some households who bought land in the same area and at the same time have received theirs.

— Mr. Le Ngoc HuanExpressing confusion and frustration over the delay in receiving land ownership certificates.

The situation is particularly galling for residents like Mr. Le Ngoc Huan, who expressed his bewilderment at why some neighbors who acquired land at the same time and under similar circumstances have already received their certificates. This disparity fuels frustration and raises questions about fairness and efficiency within the local administration. The prolonged delay not only impacts their financial flexibility but also casts a shadow over their sense of belonging and security in their own homes.

The delay in issuing sổ đỏ makes it impossible to mortgage or transfer property, greatly affecting our lives, even though the land has been used stably and is not disputed.

— Mr. Le Ngoc HuanExplaining the practical difficulties caused by the lack of land certificates.

While officials at the Phu Hoa Dong commune UBND acknowledge that past land allocations were made improperly by the previous commune leadership, they point to provisions in the 2024 Land Law that could allow for the issuance of certificates. However, residents remain skeptical, especially given the additional financial burdens some are being asked to bear, despite having already paid their dues years ago. The discrepancy between the law's intent and the ground reality, coupled with the lack of clear communication from local authorities, continues to leave these long-term residents in limbo, highlighting a persistent issue of administrative inefficiency and a lack of timely resolution for citizens seeking basic property rights.

After paying the land use fees, residents only need to complete the procedures according to regulations to be granted the first-time land use rights certificate; this process has been publicly posted at the Public Administration Center.

— Mr. Truong Ngoc ThanhVice Chairman of Dong Hoa Commune UBND, explaining the process for obtaining the certificate.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Tuổi Trẻ in Vietnamese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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