Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam has set an ambitious target of completing its national land database by the end of 2026. At a recent national conference, Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Duc Thang underscored this as a “non-negotiable task”, calling for faster, more decisive and more effective action to build a concentrated, unified, comprehensive, and multi-purpose land information system.
The move marks a fundamental shift from manual land management to a modern, transparent, and digitalised system, the official said, noting with strong direction from central authorities, active participation of localities, and close coordination among ministries and sectors, Vietnam will manage to establish a database that is accurate, complete, clean, and up-to-date, contributing to a digital government, digital economy, and digital economy.
He noted that databases are the core foundation of digital transformation. Therefore, building and perfecting the national land database is not only a purely professional task but also a key political task, demonstrating the determination of ministries, sectors, and localities in implementing the Party Central Committee’s and Government’s resolutions on promoting data formation to serve comprehensive digital transformation.
Recent efforts, including a nationwide 90-day campaign to enrich and clean land data, have yielded encouraging initial results. Authorities have reviewed more than 61 million land parcels, of which over 24 million now meet key quality standards. The campaign has also helped standardise software systems nationwide, laying the groundwork for synchronised land management from central to local levels. Beyond technical improvements, the campaign has provided valuable lessons in coordination, implementation, and problem-solving across agencies.
However, Thang acknowledged that this is only the beginning. The ultimate goal is to develop a modern and sustainable national land data ecosystem capable of managing approximately 106 million land parcels in real time.
Significant challenges remain as over 37 million parcels still require measurement and data updates while about 45 million have yet to be updated on the system. In some localities, progress is still slow, and cybersecurity requirements have not been fully met.
Addressing these concerns, Deputy Minister of Public Security Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Van Long emphasised the special importance of building the land database, and that data security must be prioritised above all else, even more important than system expansion.
He called for stronger data verification with the resident database, enhanced system connectivity, and improved cybersecurity measures. Local authorities were urged to allocate sufficient resources and tighten inter-agency coordination to meet deadlines.
At the event, local authorities also highlighted certain difficulties.
In Thai Nguyen province, for example, more than 4.3 million land parcels must be managed following its merger with Bac Kan province. While 1.5 million parcels have already been processed and integrated into the national system, over 700,000 still require further data cleaning. An additional 1.6 million parcels need surveying, certification updates, and full documentation.
Vice Chairwoman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Thi Loan estimated that nearly 400 billion VND (15.2 million USD) is required to complete the work, particularly in areas where outdated manual measurement methods were previously used.
Loan proposed promptly issuing an implementation process, providing professional guidance, and allocating funding to ensure consistent execution at the local level.
Meanwhile, a representative from Hai Phong city suggested policy adjustments to accelerate progress such as streamlined procurement mechanisms and clearer technical guidelines.
Concluding the conference, Standing Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Trinh Viet Hung reiterated that the 2026 deadline cannot be postponed. He stressed that all levels of authorities must treat this as a continuous and priority task, ensuring that land data meets the required standards and is consistently updated.
Once fully operational, the national land database is expected to transform governance and public services. Transactions such as land transfers, leases, inheritance, mortgages, and dispute resolution will be conducted digitally, ensuring greater efficiency and transparency. Moreover, integrating land data with other national databases will help safeguard the rights and legitimate interests of land users in particular and citizens in general.
Hung said to realise this vision, ministries, sectors and localities must accelerate surveying, mapping, registration, and data integration efforts while addressing gaps in documentation and eliminating “data blind spots”./.
