A policy framework for a provincial user-centric SDI to support land administration in Vietnam: case study of Vinh Long Province

The government of Vietnam has received a gradually increasing number of complaints and disputes over the last few years, with more than two-thirds of these complaints regarding land administration issues. Of the reasons for such complaints, limited accessibility to land administration and information for many stakeholders accounts for a significant portion. Significant resources have been invested in related work, including data collection, policy reforms, and technology for land administration. However, there has been very little work directed to policy development for a data-sharing framework to increase access to land and spatial information for all stakeholders. Understanding the issues and problems with respect to accessibility to land information and services is necessary to support the development of a spatial data infrastructure (SDI) for land administration (SDI Land). This thesis argues for the development of an SDI to support land administration by initially proposing a policy framework as the foundation for such an infrastructure. The present research employs a multi-method approach with a case-study strategy to investigate the problems and issues in land administration, and the requirements for an SDI to support land administration at the provincial level in Vietnam. The thesis presents a case study based in Vinh Long, a southern province of Vietnam, and draws on this to propose an appropriate policy framework for a user-centric SDI to support land administration at the provincial level. The stakeholder consultations included in-depth interviews with central and local stakeholders, focus group discussions, and a survey by questionnaire of people at the grassroots level of land users. The research found that there has not been a comprehensive policy framework developed in Vietnam to support an SDI Land. The research also found that there is a strong demand for access to land information and services from the majority of stakeholders at all levels. The research found limitations in access to land information for each stakeholder community and that these limitations depended on the citizens’ backgrounds. At the grassroots level, the provision of land information has varied in its effectiveness, especially in the rural areas. Young people are more likely to use the Internet for seeking land information; whilst the traditional village meetings are still the preference for the majority of older individuals. In addition, the research indicated limitations in land registration services delivery, due to several constraints. These included inconsistency in land policy, a lack of online land registration services and limited public awareness of SDI and sharing of spatial data. Policy and regulations regarding land registration are too complex for some land users to understand. Institutional issues included ineffective collaboration between government departments, and a lack of trust by some land users in dealing with land administration services. Furthermore, accessibility to spatial data and land information by stakeholders was shown to be weak due to limitations in infrastructure and information, ICT capacity and awareness. Limitations in internet infrastructure have constrained both government authorities and stakeholders in the provision of and accessibility to land information. The methods of delivery of spatial data and land information have also limited the sharing between agencies. Most of the activities regarding updating and sharing of spatial information involved manual processes, whilst the transfer of digital data between agencies was limited, mostly through CD, or flash disc devices. Furthermore, there have been limitations in the application of standards, including data and metadata standards. As a consequence, datasets still consist of many kinds of data, without standard formats, whilst the metadata were not always developed and associated with datasets. Many functions in spatial data collection and management overlapped between stakeholders, whilst the stakeholder engagement consultation has not yet been conducted to solve the related issues. In addition, the participation of community in land administration activities also remained limited. The present research has proposed a policy framework for a user-centric SDI Land. It has been developed based on the literature review on development of SDI, land administration, fit-for-purpose land administration and spatially enabled society concepts, and results of stakeholder consultations on requirements of SDI Land common components. The policy framework includes policy requirements for SDI Land common components, which have been synthesised in the present research: datasets, user community, policies, standards and technology. The outcome of this research will assist in developing a user-centric SDI Land model to increase the accessibility to land administration and land information, and to contribute to the e-government agenda in Vietnam. Further research is recommended, including in-depth investigation and establishment of an SDI policy framework at the national level, an SDI funding model, and fit-for-purpose land administration framework towards a spatially enabled society in Vietnam