Speaking at a regular press briefing on April 1, Mai Van Phan, deputy head of the Land Management Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, described the development of a unified land database as a foundational task for state governance, economic growth and digital transformation.

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According to official figures, Vietnam has approximately 106 million land plots nationwide. Of these, more than 61 million have been digitized and integrated into the system, while around 45 million plots have yet to be recorded.

Even among the plots already included, only about 24 million meet the full criteria of being “accurate, complete, clean and up-to-date.” The remaining nearly 37 million still require further measurement, verification and data updates.

Notably, no locality has yet fully completed a land database that meets all standards and can be integrated seamlessly into a unified national system.

The bulk of unfinished work is concentrated in 34 provinces and cities, particularly in Quang Ninh, Lang Son, Phu Tho, Tuyen Quang, Thanh Hoa and Nghe An.

Officials identified three main causes behind the delays.

First is the level of commitment and direction from local authorities. “Under the same regulations, some places move very quickly while others lag behind, reflecting differences in leadership and political determination,” Mai Van Phan said.

Second is the availability of resources. Some provinces with strong land-based revenues have yet to allocate sufficient funding, while less affluent localities face difficulties accessing central support.

Third is coordination. Areas with close cooperation among agencies have made noticeably better progress, whereas fragmented implementation has led to delays.

To address these challenges, the ministry issued Circular No. 19/2026 on March 30, introducing new technical regulations aimed at synchronizing processes from land measurement and registration to cadastral record creation and database development.

Under the updated approach, procedures will be integrated from the outset rather than handled separately. Data will be processed in real time, with quality control conducted at both investor and land registration office levels, alongside cross-checking and digital signatures before integration into the national system.

In parallel, the ministry has advised the government to issue Directive No. 05/CT-TTg, calling for concentrated resources to accelerate land surveys, mapping, registration and database construction. Responsibilities have been clearly assigned to ministries, sectors and localities.

A coordinated plan with the Ministry of Public Security has also been rolled out, including nationwide online conferences connecting 3,321 commune-level units to guide implementation. Specific monthly targets have been assigned to each province to monitor progress.

According to Mai Van Phan, the goal is to complete the remaining workload within 2026, paving the way for a unified and synchronized land database capable of supporting effective governance and socio-economic development.

Vu Diep