Land Classification

Article 9. Land Classification
(Land Law 2024)

1. Based on the purposes of use, land shall be classified into agricultural land, non-agricultural land, and unused land.

2. Agricultural land includes the following categories:
   a) Land for annual crops, including land for wet rice cultivation and land for other annual crops;
   b) Land for perennial crops;
   c) Forestry land, including land for special-use forests, protection forests, and production forests;
   d) Land for aquaculture;
   đ) Land for concentrated livestock farming;
   e) Land for salt production;
   g) Other agricultural land.

[This Article is further guided in Article 4 of Decree No. 102/2024/ND-CP detailing the implementation of a number of provisions of the Land Law]

Article 4. Detailed Provisions on Types of Agricultural Land
(Decree No. 102/2024/ND-CP)

1. Land for annual crops refers to land used for planting crops that are sown, harvested, and complete the production cycle within no more than one year, including annual crops that are retained for subsequent harvests. Land for annual crops includes land for rice cultivation and land for other annual crops, specifically:
   a) Land for rice cultivation means land used for cultivating at least one rice crop, or land where rice is cultivated in combination with other legally permitted purposes of land use but rice cultivation remains the primary purpose. Land for rice cultivation includes land specialized in rice cultivation and remaining rice cultivation land, of which specialized rice cultivation land is land cultivated with at least two rice crops per year;
   b) Land for other annual crops means land used for cultivating annual crops other than rice.

2. Land for perennial crops refers to land used for planting crops that are sown once, grow for many years, and produce harvests one or more times.

3. Forestry land refers to land used for the management, protection, and development of special-use forests, protection forests, and production forests in accordance with the Law on Forestry, specifically classified as follows:
   a) Special-use forest land is land on which there is a special-use forest under the Law on Forestry, or land allocated for the development of special-use forests;
   b) Protection forest land is land on which there is a protection forest under the Law on Forestry, or land allocated for the development of protection forests;
   c) Production forest land is land on which there is a production forest under the Law on Forestry, or land allocated, leased, or converted for the development of production forests.

4. Land for aquaculture means land used exclusively for the purpose of aquaculture.

5. Land for concentrated livestock farming means land used for the construction of concentrated livestock farms in designated areas in accordance with the Law on Animal Husbandry.

6. Land for salt production means land used for the purpose of producing salt from seawater.

7. Other agricultural land includes:
   a) Land for nurseries for plants and animal breeds, and land for planting flowers and ornamental plants; land used for cultivation, animal husbandry, and aquaculture for purposes of study, experimental research, or trials;
   b) Land for construction of greenhouses and other structures serving cultivation or animal husbandry, including forms of cultivation or animal husbandry not conducted directly on the land surface;
   c) Land for construction of works attached to agricultural production zones, including land for building rest houses, sheds, and camps for workers; land for construction of facilities for preservation of agricultural products, storage of plant protection substances, fertilizers, machinery, tools, and other auxiliary facilities.

3. Non-agricultural land includes the following categories:
   a) Residential land, including land for rural residential areas and urban residential areas;
   b) Land for construction of office headquarters;
   c) Land used for national defense and security purposes (hereinafter referred to as defense and security land);
   d) Land for construction of public service establishments, including land for cultural, social, health, education and training, physical education and sports, science and technology, environmental, meteorological and hydrological, diplomatic establishments, and other public service establishments, or land for construction of headquarters of other public non-business units;
   đ) Land for non-agricultural production and business, including land for industrial zones and clusters; land for commerce and services; land for non-agricultural production facilities; land used for mineral activities;
   e) Land for public purposes, including land for transport works; irrigation works; water supply and drainage works; disaster prevention works; land with historical–cultural relics, scenic landscapes, and natural heritage; waste treatment works; energy and public lighting works; postal, telecommunications, and information technology infrastructure works; traditional markets and wholesale markets; public recreational, entertainment, and community facilities;
   g) Land used for religious activities (hereinafter referred to as religious land); land used for belief activities (hereinafter referred to as belief land);
   h) Land for cemeteries, funeral houses, cremation facilities, and facilities for ash and remains storage;
   i) Land with specialized water surfaces;
   k) Other non-agricultural land.

[This Article is further guided in Article 5 of Decree No. 102/2024/ND-CP detailing the implementation of a number of provisions of the Land Law]

Article 5. Detailed Provisions on Types of Non-agricultural Land
(Decree No. 102/2024/ND-CP)

1. Residential land means land used for housing and other purposes serving daily life within the same parcel. Residential land includes rural residential land and urban residential land, specifically:
   a) Rural residential land is residential land located within the administrative boundaries of communes, excluding land for new urban area projects implemented under urban and rural planning but still within the administrative boundaries of communes;
   b) Urban residential land is residential land located within the administrative boundaries of wards and residential land within communes that have implemented new urban area projects under urban and rural planning.

2. Land for construction of office headquarters means land used for constructing headquarters of agencies of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, state agencies, the Viet Nam Fatherland Front, socio-political organizations, socio-political–professional organizations, socio-professional organizations, social organizations, and other organizations established in accordance with law and assigned functions and provided with regular funding by the State, excluding land for construction of headquarters of public non-business units associated with public service facilities prescribed in Clause 4 of this Article.

3. Defense and security land refers to land used for barracks, working headquarters; military bases; national defense works, battlefields, and special defense and security works; railway stations, ports, airports, helipads, and other works serving military or police aviation activities; communication works for defense and security; industrial, scientific, technological, cultural, and sports facilities directly serving defense and security; warehouses of the armed forces; shooting ranges, training grounds, weapon testing sites, weapon disposal sites; training institutions, training centers, convalescence, rehabilitation, and health care facilities of the armed forces; service housing for the armed forces; detention facilities; compulsory education facilities; reform schools and labor, re-education, vocational training establishments for inmates and trainees under the management of the Ministry of National Defense and Ministry of Public Security.

4. Land for public service establishments includes:
   a) Land for construction of cultural establishments: [list of cultural facilities];
   b) Land for social establishments: [list of social facilities];
   c) Land for medical establishments: [list of medical facilities];
   d) Land for educational and training establishments: [list of educational facilities];
   đ) Land for physical education and sports establishments: [list of facilities];
   e) Land for science and technology establishments: [list of facilities];
   g) Land for environmental establishments: [list of facilities];
   h) Land for meteorological and hydrological establishments: [list of facilities];
   i) Land for diplomatic establishments: [list of facilities];
   k) Land for other public service establishments not specified above.

4. Unused land means land for which purposes of use have not been determined and which has not yet been allocated or leased.

[This is further guided in Article 6 of Decree No. 102/2024/ND-CP]

Article 6. Detailed Provisions on Types of Unused Land
(Decree No. 102/2024/ND-CP)

Unused land refers to land for which purposes of use have not been determined and which has not yet been allocated or leased, specifically:

1. Land recovered by the State under the Land Law but not yet allocated or leased, managed by commune-level People’s Committees or Land Development Organizations;

2. Unused flat land refers to land not yet used, located in plains, valleys, or plateaus;

3. Unused hilly land refers to land not yet used, located on sloping terrain in hilly or mountainous regions;

4. Rocky mountainous land without forest cover refers to unused rocky mountainous land without forest vegetation;

5. Unused water surface land refers to water surface land not yet allocated, leased, or determined for use purposes as prescribed in Articles 4 and 5 of this Decree.

Legal Basis:

• Land Law 2024;

• Articles 4, 5, and 6 of Decree No. 102/2024/ND-CP detailing the implementation of a number of provisions of the Land Law;

• Article 7 of Decree No. 226/2025/ND-CP (effective from 15 August 2025).