The Việt Nam government is exploring the possibility of bypassing top-level approval for sea reclamation projects situated within environmentally and historically protected regions.
The Latest: The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment proposed significant changes to the rules on land recovery and land requisition in the draft amended Land Law, which was published on July 21.
- The legislation will be submitted to the National Assembly for consideration during its ongoing August 2026 session.
- If lawmakers approve the draft in October, sea reclamation projects may no longer need to be included in land-use plans beforehand
- Several major restrictions regarding coastal development will also be removed.
The Details: Under the proposed changes, the draft amended Land Law removes existing provisions that require top-level approval for land development in protected zones.
Currently, reclamation projects affecting six specific categories require investment-policy approval directly from the National Assembly or the prime minister, as dictated under Clause 3 of Article 190.
These six categories are:
- Historical and cultural sites
- Natural heritage sites
- National parks, nature reserves, protected landscapes and important wetlands
- Marine and fisheries conservation areas
- Seaports, anchorages and storm shelters
- River mouths and national security or defense areas
The Background: The existing Land Law states that sea reclamation within historical and cultural sites, national parks and nature reserves may proceed only with approval from the National Assembly or prime minister.
- Under Clause 5 of Article 69, coastal provinces must include all proposed reclamation areas in their official land-use master plans and localized plans.
- Clause 5 of Article 190 currently also establishes the government’s management responsibilities, which include the inspection and supervision of all sea reclamation activities.
The new draft proposes to eliminate all these provisions.
Furthermore, on July 8, the Communist Party Central Committee issued Resolution No. 21.
- This resolution sets the policy directions for amending the Land Law and other related legislation.
- Through this mandate the party seeks to expand areas available for sea reclamation, viewing coastal expansion as a new development resource for the country.
Hoàng Nam wrote this news article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on August 10, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine translated it into English.
