Conflicts in Vietnam’s forest areas: Implications for FLEGT and REDD+

Conflicts over land are rampant in Vietnam. Some erupt into physical violence and catch the attention of the media, while others linger without attracting wider attention. Land conflicts are the subject of more than 70% of the written complaints received by Vietnamese government offices in recent years. Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) acknowledges these conflicts in the uplands, but presents widely varying estimates (likely underestimates) of the extent of disputed land, from a mere 7,684 hectares (ha) to as much as 150,000 ha. The Vietnamese National Assembly acknowledged in late 2012 that “conflicts occur in many locations but are not adequately attended and resolved.”