Hanoi has accelerated the process of granting land use rights, with more than 40,500 certificates issued for commercial housing projects in 2014.

The result is attributable to the implementation of the World Bank-funded Vietnam Land Administration Project (VLAP) across Dan Phuong, Quoc Oai and Ung Hoa districts since 2008. To date, the project has processed the registration for 404,481 out of 454,480 local plots and granted 260,418 land use rights certificates.

The VLAP aims to increase stakeholder access to land information services by developing an improved land administration system in selected provinces. The objective is to ensure that land users, including businesses and households, have access to more efficient, reliable, and transparent services from local land administrators.

The municipal VLAP management board is completing a package deal to build digital data for all plots across 66 participating communes and townships. It will also install a land profile management system at the Hanoi land register office and three provincial hubs. Meanwhile, a pilot project is allowing locals to receive information and the legal status of land plots via text message.

According to Nguyen Van Hung, Vice Director of the Hanoi Department of Natural Resources and Environment, this is the first time the city has run such an effective land management system. He praised its quick and smooth procedures, which have received no complaints so far.

Hanoi pledges to establish a fully functional system by June 30, he said.

World Bank (WB) Country Director Victoria Kwakwa lauded Hanoi’s speedy implementation and urged the city to share its experience with other provinces and mobilise resources to expand the model.

The VLAP has a total investment of 100 million USD, including 75 million USD sourced from the WB. It has been carried out since 2008 in Hanoi and eight provinces across the country.-VNA