Outlook eyes reforms in land use and management

Reforming land use and management have become an increasingly pressing task for Viet Nam, with concerns over the need for reform most recently highlighted by a dispute between a farmer and local authorities in Hai Phong earlier this year.

This month's issue of Outlook, which goes on sale in Ha Noi, HCM City and other major centres this morning, examines recent changes in land use and the challenges that remain in ensuring efficient land management.

We talk to Dao Trung Chinh, deputy head of the Land Management General Department under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, about the need to revise a myriad of land laws and regulations that often contradict each other.

Our interview with business leaders from the foreign investment sector discusses land use challenges such as land clearance issues and problems related to securing appropriate land for production. We also feature an article by Professor Bui Quang Dung from the Academy of Social Sciences that highlights the need to ensure a safety net for farmers who have lost land due to urbanisation and development projects.

Our cover stories also put the issue in context by looking back at the history of land use in Viet Nam, a country with an agrarian society where land has always been an issue of utmost importance.

Elsewhere in this month's issue, we meet a Vietnamese engineer who designed the world's largest oil platform, sample some of Lang Son City's speciality roast duck and visit the fish sauce-producing village of Sa Chau.

Readers can also catch up on what's hot in the country's culinary, sports and arts scenes - and check out listings for everything from bars to embassies. Outlook retails for VND15,000 at news-stands, major hotels and restaurants and can be purchased at the head office of the Viet Nam News at 11 Tran Hung Dao, Ha Noi, or at our HCM City office at 120 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street. — VNS