Trump-Backed $1.5 Billion Vietnam Golf Project Spurs Land Compensation Uproar

Vietnamese authorities are pressing ahead with a $1.5 billion golf resort in Hung Yen province backed by the Trump family business, requiring thousands of farmers to surrender land that has sustained them for decades. Documents and farmer testimonies reviewed by Reuters show compensation offers ranging from $12 to $30 per square metre—about $3,200 for a typical 200-square-metre plot—along with two to twelve months of rice rations. The 990-hectare project is being developed by local real-estate firm Kinhbac City, which paid the Trump Organization $5 million to license the brand. While the Trump Organization will manage the club once complete, it is not funding farmer payouts, which are financed by the state. Compensation forecasts have already been cut from an initial figure exceeding $500 million, according to a person familiar with the plans. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has pledged “fair” reimbursement, but several elderly farmers say the offers fall short of replacement income in one of Vietnam’s most dynamic labour markets. Supporters argue the resort could lift land values and create new jobs; real-estate agents report prices in nearby villages have risen fivefold since the scheme was announced last October. Formal compensation rates are due to be finalised next month ahead of ground-breaking scheduled for September.