Turning strategic land banks into development resources

More than 2,500 hectares of strategically located land are being added by Dong Nai City to its 2026 land auction plan, creating a vital development resource for investment in integrated infrastructure. The initiative is expected to support the city's ambition of becoming a new national growth pole while maximizing development opportunities generated by Long Thanh International Airport.

The site near Long Thanh International Airport is planned to be auctioned for the development of a commercial center.

To unlock the full value of these land resources, the immediate priority is to establish cleared land banks in prime locations.

Thousands of hectares of land await development

In addition to more than 100 land plots covering over 4,300 hectares already included in the 2026 auction plan, the Dong Nai City People's Committee is directing to urgently complete procedures to clear six strategically located sites with a combined area exceeding 2,500 hectares. Together, they form the largest land bank ever assembled by Dong Nai for public auction.

All six sites are large in scale and situated along key interregional transport corridors, giving them strong investment appeal and enhancing their auction value. Before they can be put up for auction, however, site clearance must first be completed.

The six sites in Dong Nai currently being prepared for auction comprise: a 1,175-hectare site in Nhon Trach ward and Phuoc An commune; a 372-hectare site in Nhon Trach ward; a site of about 350 hectares in Long Thanh ward and Long Phuoc commune; a 318-hectare site in Nhon Trach ward and Phuoc An commune; a 232-hectare site in Nhon Trach ward and Phuoc An commune; and a 57-hectare site in Phuoc An commune.

According to Nguyen Cao Tai, Director of the Dong Nai City Land Fund Development Center (DNLFDC), the city People’s Committee has appointed the center to act as the investor for six compensation and site clearance projects to create a clean land bank for auction.

He noted that, in addition to their favorable location and transport connectivity, all six sites are situated near Long Thanh International Airport, a strategic national infrastructure project that is expected to enter commercial operation soon. Future plans for industrial parks, urban areas, logistics centers, commercial developments and service hubs across Dong Nai all identify the airport as the core driver of regional connectivity.

According to the DNLFDC, three out of the six sites already conform to approved planning schemes, while all six have been incorporated into the city's housing development program for the 2026-2030 period. The main obstacle is that three sites have yet to fully conform to approved planning schemes and therefore do not meet the conditions for submission to the City People's Council for approval of land acquisition. In addition, most of the land has not yet been cleared, while the boundaries and sizes of several sites remain preliminary. Some sites also contain government offices, religious facilities, residential properties and operating production establishments.

To address these obstacles, the DNLFDC has worked closely with relevant departments to seek comments on special-purpose facilities located within the project areas. It has also requested guidance from the Department of Finance (DoF) on procedures for preparing public investment proposals and land development projects in accordance with current regulations. At the same time, the center has drafted detailed implementation schedules for each site to submit to the city People’s Committee for review and direction, aiming to ensure that all procedures are carried out in parallel and without unnecessary delays.

A major source for development investment

Auctioning public land plots and establishing strategically located land banks is regarded as an effective way to unlock land resources, generate fresh momentum for economic growth and support urban development. Bringing these sites into productive use at an early stage will also help prevent valuable land resources from remaining underutilized.

Nguyen Van Ut, Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee (CPC) and Chairman of the Dong Nai People's Committee, said creating clean land banks for auction serves multiple purposes. It helps generate revenue for infrastructure development while creating opportunities for businesses to access land resources, thereby enhancing land value and attracting projects aligned with the city's development orientation.

Chairman Nguyen Van Ut therefore instructed relevant departments and agencies to accelerate the resolution of planning and land-related issues, while requiring the DNLFDC to carry out legal procedures simultaneously with compensation and site clearance in order to shorten implementation time. The city aims to complete all requirements for auctioning the three planning-compliant sites in the third quarter of this year, while finishing site clearance for the remaining sites in the fourth quarter of 2026.

Regarding efforts to mobilize land resources, during a working session between Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and a Government delegation with the Dong Nai CPC in mid-June 2026, the city proposed that the central government allow it to retain all revenue from land use fees and land rentals under its jurisdiction, including proceeds from land use rights auctions.

Dong Nai stated that substantial financial resources are needed to complete its transport infrastructure network, maximize the benefits of Long Thanh International Airport and gradually develop the airport into Vietnam's principal international aviation gateway and a regional transit hub while strengthening regional connectivity. Revenue generated through land auctions is expected to become one of the city's key funding sources for achieving these objectives.

Developing strategically located land banks is not simply a means of increasing budget revenue but also an effective way to unlock the value of land resources. Once auctioned, these prime sites will generate capital for infrastructure, urban development and other strategic projects, providing an important foundation for Dong Nai to fulfill its role as one of Vietnam's new growth poles.

By H. Loc – Translated by M.Nguyet, Thu Ha