Vietnamese farmers are exhuming the graves of their ancestors to clear land for a sprawling Trump Organization complex that will include five-star hotels, upscale villas, and a golf course, according to a new report.
Project Details and Local Opposition
The $1.5 billion project, seen as key to relations between Hanoi and Washington, broke ground last year in Hung Yen province. However, it has sparked backlash from local residents, some of whom refuse to comply with government demands due to sentimental and financial concerns.
“The grave of my great-grandparents has been there since 1967, before the establishment of this country,” said Hoang Anh Xa, who has five relatives buried in a cemetery set to be dismantled, as reported by The Financial Times. “So why should I move them?”
“It’s a spiritual thing,” added local farmer Tran Minh Hai. “People don’t want to disturb the graves.”
The project is expected to span roughly four square miles and impact more than 4,000 households. Vietnam’s communist-controlled government has approved compensation and resettlement plans, but some residents have pushed back.
Compensation Disputes
Banana farmer Nguyen Duc Theo said that when residents were first told about the golf project, they were excited and supported it for the country’s development. However, he and others claim they were offered “below market” rates of about $3 per square meter.
Due to local resistance, the luxury development—initially expected to be operational by 2027—has faced delays, sources told the Financial Times.
The Independent has reached out to the Trump Organization for comment.
Background on the Trump Organization in Vietnam
The billionaire president’s family business boasts Trump-branded properties worldwide, including in the UK, Ireland, India, and Indonesia. Last year, it expanded into Vietnam. During a groundbreaking ceremony in May 2025, Eric Trump called the venture “the envy of all of Asia and the entire world.”
Vietnam’s then-Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh described the development project, which includes local partners, as “significant to strengthening Vietnam-US relations and fostering foreign investor confidence, especially those from the US.”
Expedited Approval Process
The ceremony came after Hanoi fast-tracked the standard approval process, skipping typical environmental reviews and truncating a public comment period, as previously reported by The New York Times.
Some observers see the Vietnamese government’s actions as an effort to appease the Trump administration, which last year threatened to impose a 46 percent tariff on Vietnamese goods, according to the Financial Times.
White House officials have firmly denied that the 79-year-old president plays any role in his family business. Last year, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that he placed his businesses in a blind trust controlled by his children.
