Golf course is approved to be built in the Khoai Chau district of northern Vietnam
On May 16, Vietnam’s government approved a $1.5 billion project to build a 2,446-acre golf resort in the Hung Yen province located in the Red River Delta of northern Vietnam. The project was proposed by the Trump Organization and its partner Kinhbac City. Demolition began that month and completion of the project is expected by the end of 2027, according to REUTERS.
Vietnamese officials wrote in a letter that the project required attention from the government because it was “receiving special attention from the Trump administration and President Donald Trump personally.” However in an email to The New York Times, the White House denied any conflict of interest.
Daniela Vazquez ‘27 said, “I think that [being president and a businessman] are two different things. I think he should focus on one thing.
The Trump Organization was run by Donald Trump but was then passed down to his sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. in 2017. According to a financial document from 2024, Donald Trump still financially benefits from the business.
Also according to REUTERS, on May 21, Eric Trump and Vietnamese prime minister Pham Minh Chinh held a ceremony for the project. Chinh said that Eric Trump’s visit “motivated us to expedite this project” to “further strengthen the relationship between Vietnam and the U.S.” and asked authorities to complete the construction of the project by the planned timeframe.
According to The New York Times, the government approved the project while skipping at least six legally required protocols. Projects typically take two to four years to be approved but the project was filed three months before the ceremony.
During this time, Vietnam also had its second round of trade negotiations in Washington D.C. from May 19-22. According to Chatham House, Vietnam became the third country to come to an agreement with the U.S. regarding the reciprocal tariffs announced by Donald Trump on Apr. 2. Under the reciprocal tariffs, Vietnam was initially supposed to receive a 46% tariff, but after the trade negotiations, the tariff was decreased to 20%. It was agreed that Vietnam would provide the U.S. increased market access and no tariffs.
Government officials asked residents to sign documents to agree to leave to make way for the construction of the golf resort. Farmer Le Van Truong did not want to sign but said, “there’s nothing I can do…Trump says it’s separate, the presidency and his business but he has the power to do whatever he wants.”
Farmers were compensated based on their land. The Vietnamese government offered $12 to $30 per square meter of land. The Trump Organization has no affiliation with compensation, according to Golfweek. At the ceremony with Eric Trump, Chinh said that farmers would be compensated fairly. Lawyers and investors from the province said that the project would provide better jobs for villagers.
Farmer Nguyen Thi Huong said, “The whole village is worried about this project because it will take our land and leave us jobless…What can someone like me do after that?”
Do Dinh Huong, who is also a farmer, said, “We have no right to negotiate. That’s a shame.” Golfweek said that if the project was used for roads or public infrastructure, Do Dinh Huong would have been willing to give up his land.
Nguyen Thi Chuch, another farmer, said, “I’m getting old and can’t do anything else other than working on the farm.”
Dara Martinson ‘27 said, “I think that if he’s going to build a golf course, why doesn’t he just do it where there isn’t already land being taken up by people that have probably lived there for a really long time?… I feel like since [people] are already living there, they should have an opinion too… because they’re losing their homes… They should have a say where it should go or if they should even build it.”
Riley Hotzler ‘27 said, “I feel like it’s going to affect other places ‘cause if this is already happening [in Vietnam,] other people will probably agree too and other people’ll lose their homes or businesses.”
