March 20, 2026 | 03:05 pm PT
An overseas Vietnamese who has obtained U.S. citizenship wishes to return to his hometown to build an ancestral house and spend his retirement there, but is concerned about whether he is eligible to have land use rights in his name and what procedures are required.
Reader Tony Long: I am nearly 70 years old and currently a U.S. citizen, having settled abroad since 1995. I previously had permanent household registration in Tien Giang Province [which has now been merged into Dong Thap Province]. I no longer hold Vietnamese citizenship, but I do have a five-year visa exemption certificate.
Now that I am getting older, I would like to return to Vietnam to live long-term. I plan to buy a plot of land of about 300 square meters in my hometown to build an ancestral worship house and a small house behind it where I can live in retirement.
However, I am not familiar with the legal regulations and land policies that apply to overseas Vietnamese. I do not know whether someone who has acquired foreign citizenship can have land use rights in their own name in Vietnam.
I would like to ask a lawyer whether I can receive a transfer of land use rights in Vietnam to build an ancestral house and live out my retirement. If I only have a visa exemption certificate and do not register permanent residence in Vietnam, am I still eligible to buy a house or land?
If I am not eligible to have the land registered in my name, can I ask a relative in Vietnam to hold the title on my behalf or sign a power-of-attorney agreement to protect my interests? What legal risks might arise in such a situation?
>> Lawyer Tran Minh Hung’s advice
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