From Revolution to Evolution: The Changing Meanings of Socialist Land in Vietnam

Gillespie, John; Le, Toan

From Revolution to Evolution: The Changing Meanings of Socialist Land in Vietnam

John Gillespie and Toan Le 2018 ‘From Revolution To Evolution: The Changing Meanings of Socialist Land In Vietnam’ in Fu Hualing, John Gillespie, Pip Nicholson and William Parlett (eds.,) in Social Law in Socialist Asia, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press pp. 406-28.

32 Pages Posted: 18 Jul 2018

See all articles by John Gillespie

John Gillespie

Monash University - Department of Business Law & Taxation

Toan Le

Monash University - Faculty of Law

Date Written: June 26, 2018

Abstract

Given Vietnam’s history of land revolution, it is unsurprising that the socialist trope of people’s ownership of land has laid down deep roots. According to the communist party’s foundational mythology, the revolution was fought to secure ‘land for farmers’ (ruộng cho dân cầy). From the 1980s onward, internal and external forces have compelled reluctant party leaders to selectively recognise private rights to land. This chapter explores how these forces have shaped communist party thinking and concludes by speculating about the future of land ownership.

Keywords: land tenure, land dispute, socialist land, Vietnam, law reform

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Gillespie, John S. and Le, Toan, From Revolution to Evolution: The Changing Meanings of Socialist Land in Vietnam (June 26, 2018). John Gillespie and Toan Le 2018 ‘From Revolution To Evolution: The Changing Meanings of Socialist Land In Vietnam’ in Fu Hualing, John Gillespie, Pip Nicholson and William Parlett (eds.,) in Social Law in Socialist Asia, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press pp. 406-28., Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3202627