Good practices have been followed in land records modernisation across Da Nang after more than 9 years of digitization of the city’s land records. The focus is on significant acceleration of systematic land registration, and digitalization of processes and enhancement of the ICT infrastructure in a bid to improve the delivery of land administration services in the city.

The city’s digital land database facilicates staff at the Son Tra District Branch of the Da Nang Land Registration Office to track online applications and timely issue land use right certificates for local citizens. Photo: HOANG HIEP

On October 29, Son Tra and Lien Chieu district branches of the Da Nang Land Registration Office were awarded with Certificates of Merit from the Municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment for good practices in administrative reforms in the land sector.

The two units have made great efforts to encourage local residents and investors to increase the use of online public services to carry out land-related administrative procedures over recent years. These positive results have been mainly attributed to the city’ successful implementation of online system for land records. The city has digitised its land records since 2013. Till date, more than 534,600 plots of the city’s land have been computised under the Digital Da Nang Land Records Modernisation Programme, achieving 151.52% of the city’s plan.

The city’s online unified land records management system facilitates the connection between district-level branches of the Da Nang Land Registration Office and the Municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment to decrease time spent on administrative tasks as these agencies have already moved from paper-based processes to automated digital workflows. The system also helps local residents make land registration faster as the city has streamlined administrative procedures and improved the quality of the land administration system.

In addition, the Municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment has integrated the text messaging service on the national public service portal system to let land use right holders know to perform their financial obligations with online payment.

However, district-level branches of the Da Nang Land Registration Office are facing difficulties in using ViLis software for the issuance of certificates of land use rights and ownership of residential house and other assets attached to the land as it is no longer suitable for the city to integrate land use information on the citywide land records management system in addition to not ensuring information security as well not being in line with the city’s development strategies for developing multi-purpose land management system.

According to the Municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the smooth operation of the city’s Large-Scale Land Information System requires the development of a multi-purpose land management system and the creation of an integrated software solution for all the city’s land management needs.

The Department has developed a project to perfect land information system and the city’s database of land management. The project aims to digitize records of all the city’s land plots, ensure successful digitalisation of land records when converting from paper-based to electronic records of the city’s previous land use planning and reports, as well as use an unified land records management system across the city.

Furthermore, the importance will be attached to building data on the city’s land prices, publishing annually the city’s integrated land use database, perfecting the land records management system, and improving the ICT infrastructure.

The Da Nang Department of Natural Resources and Environment is working with the Municipal Department of Information and Communications to review and measure the digitization of the city’s land records in line with the direction from the Municipal Government in order to enhance efficiency in land management and digital transformation in the city.

Reporting by HOANG HIEP – Translating by H.L