The Việt Nam National Assembly is fast-tracking the controversial amended Land Law—condensing the typical legislative process into just four months.
The Latest: On July 28, the National Assembly Standing Committee convened a special session from Aug. 3 to 24, 2026, to consider several legislative proposals, including amendments to the Land Law.
- The National Assembly will discuss the draft amended Land Law during the special session and is expected to consider and pass it at its regular session in October 2026.
The Details: The special session will be divided into two phases: Aug. 3–13 and Aug. 19–24, with Aug. 25 reserved as a contingency date.
- During this period, the National Assembly is expected to pass 15 bills and four resolutions and consider seven other bills.
- Additionally, the National Assembly will hold its first discussion of the amended Penal Code.
Explaining the decision to convene the special session, Hoàng Lan Nhung, director of the Information Department at the National Assembly Office, said:
“Organizing the session demonstrates a very high level of political determination […] to immediately address urgent issues that cannot be delayed, remove bottlenecks, and reduce pressure on the regular year-end session.”
According to Nguyễn Văn Hiển, deputy head of the National Assembly Office, “from now until the end of the year […] the National Assembly will consider and pass nearly 90 legislative proposals, and the number could be even higher.”
The draft amended Land Law is being principally prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and contains several consequential proposed changes.
- Crucially, the ministry has proposed allowing authorities to seize land before compensation, assistance, and resettlement plans have been prepared for affected residents.
Legislation at Breakneck Speed: If passed in October, the amended Land Law would undergo one of the fastest legislative timelines in Việt Nam’s history, taking less than four months from proposal to enactment.
- June 26, 2026: The National Assembly Standing Committee issued Resolution No. 07/2026/UBTVQH16, adding the amended Land Law to the October 2026 session agenda.
- July 15, 2026: The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment submitted the policy dossier for the amended Land Law to the government.
- July 18, 2026: The government issued Resolution No. 189/NQ-CP, approving seven proposed policy groups for the amended Land Law.
- July 20, 2026: The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment sent an official request to “ministries, government agencies, local authorities, associations, and relevant organizations,” allowing them three days to provide feedback.
- July 21, 2026: The National Assembly’s Draft Laws Online portal published the draft amended Land Law dossier.
- Aug. 3–24, 2026 (Expected): The National Assembly will discuss the draft amended Land Law.
- October 2026 (Expected): The National Assembly will consider and pass the amended Land Law.
The Background: The current Land Law was passed by the National Assembly only on Jan. 18, 2024, and will have been in effect for less than two years, beginning Aug. 1, 2024. Amending the law was not included in the National Assembly’s 2026 legislative agenda.
- The proposal was added only on June 26, 2026—about a month ago.
This amendment is one of the central political tasks established and repeatedly emphasized by the Communist Party of Vietnam at the third plenum of its Central Committee, which was held last week.
- According to the plenum’s resolution, published on July 27, the Communist Party instructed “the Government Party Committee, based on the Central Committee’s resolution, to direct the government to complete the dossier for the amended Land Law […] and submit it to the National Assembly for consideration.”
Why It Matters: Since mid-2025, large-scale land seizures and forced evictions have become among the most prominent social issues in Việt Nam.
A series of megaprojects promoted under the banner of “investment and development” have been launched across the country, leaving hundreds of thousands of households at risk of losing their homes and land.
According to Luật Khoa, several prominent projects include the following:
- The Red River Landscape Boulevard Project: This project passes through 16 communes and wards, covers approximately 11,418 hectares, and is expected to affect around 200,000 people.
- The Gia Bình International Airport Project: Nearly 1,960 hectares of land will be recovered for this project, affecting approximately 7,100 households and 118 organizations.
- The Long Thành Airport Project: This project requires the recovery of approximately 5,000 hectares of land, affecting 4,600 households.
Hoàng Nam wrote this article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on July 28, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine has the copyrights to the English translation.
