Imagine losing your home so someone could build a fancy golf course. That’s what many families in Vietnam are facing.
A $1.5 billion Trump-branded project is moving ahead quickly—but people are being pushed off their land, and important rules are being skipped.
The Trump golf controversy is not just about business. It’s about real people, unfair treatment, and big questions about what’s right and wrong.
Trump Golf Project in Vietnam Faces Land Disputes and Legal Concerns
A $1.5 billion luxury golf and real estate project branded under the Trump name is stirring up serious controversy in Vietnam. While it’s being marketed as a major step toward luxury development and stronger U.S.-Vietnam ties, many local residents see it very differently.
For them, it means losing their homes, land, and a way of life — often with little to no choice in the matter. The Trump golf controversy is not just making headlines—it’s deeply impacting lives on the ground.
This large-scale project, located just outside Hanoi, has been pushed forward at record speed, skipping several legal steps usually required in such developments.
Many are asking: Is this a symbol of progress or a troubling sign of political favoritism?
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Local Families Forced Off Their Land
For people like Le Van Truong, a 54-year-old farmer in Hung Yen province, the project has brought stress, pressure, and heartbreak. His family’s land, near a small cemetery, was taken despite his objections.
“There’s nothing I can do,” he said, pointing to the influence tied to Donald Trump’s dual role as a global businessman and former U.S. President.
Truong is not alone. Across the region, families say they were urged to give up land quickly, often for compensation far below market value. In some cases, they were told it would be pointless to resist.
The project’s groundbreaking ceremony was timed around Eric Trump’s schedule, and in the rush to meet deadlines, authorities skipped standard environmental and land reviews.
In Vietnam, these assessments usually take years — here, it all happened in just a few months. The location is also far from ideal.
The province is flood-prone and scattered with unexploded artillery left over from the Vietnam War, not just that, a 200-pound bomb was recovered recently.
Still, construction is moving forward, further fueling the Trump golf controversy with serious safety and legal concerns.
Critics Call It a Dangerous Precedent
Vietnamese officials viewed this Trump-branded initiative as particularly significant, according to government records obtained by The New York Times, which even reference the Trump administration’s personal attention.
This has raised grave concerns about whether Vietnam is permitting rich developers to take shortcuts and whether political favoritism is affecting foreign policy.
Eric Trump, who appeared at the May 15 groundbreaking, said the project would boost Vietnam’s economy and deepen U.S.-Vietnam relations. But experts and local families aren’t convinced.
This is in relation to Trump’s sky-high tariff rate of 46% on all exports to the USA , on top of the 10% Trump’s administration on all broad import measures..
Observers say the fast-tracking of this project — simply because of the Trump name — could set a worrying precedent. If major deals bypass public input and proper legal checks, it weakens Vietnam’s efforts to build transparent, fair systems.
The Trump golf controversy has also raised alarms about transparency and justice in Vietnam’s development process.
“This pushes Vietnam toward more personalistic business practices,” said Ja-Ian Chong, a political scientist from the National University of Singapore.
The 1.5B project is set to complete in 2 years time will build two championship golf courses designed by Bryson DeChambeau, riverside resorts, a world-class clubhouse and ultra-luxury villas for the guests and will brand Trump’s name.
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