Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Nguyen Manh Hien, made the assessment at a conference to sum up the three-year implementation of the Vietnam Land Administration Project (VLAP) in Hanoi.

This is a “golden chance” for Vietnam ’s land administration sector, said Hien, who is head of the project steering committee.

However, he noted that the project should focus on finalising a land database as an important foundation for the building of a modern land administration model.

Heather Riddell, a representative from the New Zealand Embassy, said New Zealand is ready to further support Vietnam in completing its land management system.

She shared views with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) on the need to build a modern land administration system based on a uniform land database from the central to local levels.

The VLAP has been implemented between 2008-2013 in nine localities, including Hanoi and Hung Yen, Thai Binh, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Khanh Hoa, Vinh Long, Tien Giang and Ben Tre provinces.

To date, the project has completed surveying and mapping on nearly 400,000 ha of land