Wednesday, 13 August, 2025
Vietnamese farmer Nguyen Thi Huong has been losing sleep since authorities ordered her to vacate her land for a Trump family-backed golf resort, offering her only $3,200 and some rice as compensation.
Set to begin construction next month, the $1.5 billion golf project requires thousands of villagers to leave the farmland that has sustained them for years, according to multiple sources and documents reviewed by Reuters.
This development marks the Trump family business’s first venture in Vietnam, fast-tracked amid important trade talks with Washington.
Initially, compensation estimates exceeded $500 million, but developers are now cutting those projections, a source familiar with the matter said.
The 990-hectare site currently hosts fruit farms producing bananas, longan, and other crops. Many of the displaced farmers are elderly and fear finding new livelihoods will be nearly impossible in a country where most workers are young.
“The whole village worries this project will take our land and leave us without jobs,” said 50-year-old Huong, who was ordered off her 200-square-metre plot near Hanoi for an amount less than Vietnam’s average annual wage.
Vietnamese real estate firm Kinhbac City and partners will build the luxury golf club after paying $5 million to the Trump Organization for branding rights. While the Trump family will operate the club once finished, they are not involved in the investment or compensation decisions.
Authorities will finalize compensation based on land size and location, with rates expected between $12 and $30 per square metre. Additional payments for uprooted crops and rice provisions ranging from two to twelve months are also offered, according to official documents.
However, some farmers find these rates inadequate. “What am I supposed to do after losing my land?” asked Huong, who only receives compensation for her assigned plot, despite leasing additional farmland.
In Vietnam’s state-managed farmland system, farmers have little control once land is reclaimed by authorities, and protests rarely succeed.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh assured fair compensation at the project’s groundbreaking in May, attended by Trump’s son Eric. Still, affected farmers feel powerless. “We have no right to negotiate. That’s a shame,” said farmer Do Dinh Huong, skeptical that a commercial project benefits local lives.
While some locals anticipate better jobs and rising land values—Le Van Tu, a 65-year-old who owns a village eatery, plans to upgrade his business to serve wealthier visitors—many worry the loss of their livelihoods will deepen hardship.
The looming Trump golf resort reflects the complex costs of rapid development, where promises of progress meet the fragile realities faced by displaced communities.
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Vietnamese farmer Nguyen Thi Huong has been losing sleep since authorities ordered her to vacate her land for a Trump family-backed golf resort, offering her only $3,200 and some rice as compensation.
Set to begin construction next month, the $1.5 billion golf project requires thousands of villagers to leave the farmland that has sustained them for years, according to multiple sources and documents reviewed by Reuters.
This development marks the Trump family business’s first venture in Vietnam, fast-tracked amid important trade talks with Washington.
Initially, compensation estimates exceeded $500 million, but developers are now cutting those projections, a source familiar with the matter said.
The 990-hectare site currently hosts fruit farms producing bananas, longan, and other crops. Many of the displaced farmers are elderly and fear finding new livelihoods will be nearly impossible in a country where most workers are young.
“The whole village worries this project will take our land and leave us without jobs,” said 50-year-old Huong, who was ordered off her 200-square-metre plot near Hanoi for an amount less than Vietnam’s average annual wage.
Vietnamese real estate firm Kinhbac City and partners will build the luxury golf club after paying $5 million to the Trump Organization for branding rights. While the Trump family will operate the club once finished, they are not involved in the investment or compensation decisions.
Authorities will finalize compensation based on land size and location, with rates expected between $12 and $30 per square metre. Additional payments for uprooted crops and rice provisions ranging from two to twelve months are also offered, according to official documents.
However, some farmers find these rates inadequate. “What am I supposed to do after losing my land?” asked Huong, who only receives compensation for her assigned plot, despite leasing additional farmland.
In Vietnam’s state-managed farmland system, farmers have little control once land is reclaimed by authorities, and protests rarely succeed.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh assured fair compensation at the project’s groundbreaking in May, attended by Trump’s son Eric. Still, affected farmers feel powerless. “We have no right to negotiate. That’s a shame,” said farmer Do Dinh Huong, skeptical that a commercial project benefits local lives.
While some locals anticipate better jobs and rising land values—Le Van Tu, a 65-year-old who owns a village eatery, plans to upgrade his business to serve wealthier visitors—many worry the loss of their livelihoods will deepen hardship.
The looming Trump golf resort reflects the complex costs of rapid development, where promises of progress meet the fragile realities faced by displaced communities.
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