AUDIT REPORT UNITED STATES AID MISSION TO VIETNAM (USAID/VN) SURVEY OF GVN COMPENSATION TO LANDOWNERS UNDER LAND TO THE TILLER PROGRAM (09/72-01/73)

Proj assists the Govt of Vietnam (GVN) transfer one million hectares of land from landowners to the actual tillers. Docs were examined & an on-site visit conducted. Evaluatn of the Land-to-the-Tiller (LTTT) program took a considerable period due to intensive cease fire negotiatn & ground fighting in proj area. Last minute land-grab efforts restricted field work & team therefore used much of their time expanding computer control devices which, although slow in implementatn, have since paid off. The early phase of LTTT was spent in organizing & staffing the program with the later half of 1971 spent emphasizing compensatn. Compensatn in Vietnam is difficult since land is not titled & there are no cadastral maps to indicate ownership. Land compensatn depends solely on the honesty of officials in charge of claims. The land transfer sys was designed to avoid the filing of multiple claims for the same plot under assumed names, filing phony claims for plots not eligible for identificatn, exaggerating plot size, inflating land values, receiving multiple paymts for the same land, and sharing proceeds with helpful officials. Despite efforts to avoid overpaymt it appears some plots have been over compensated. Resource and compensation limitns have not received the same degree of urgency as distributn, with only 35% of the hectarage distributed having been compensated for by 12/31/72. One-for-one comparison between distributn & compensatn is not readily obtainable due to delays in locating the heirs of deceased landowners & landowners refusal to cooperate. Other probs have been that: (1) the Associated Directors who supply advice concerning land reform lack ability to direct or command, (2) the Vietnamese"s casual attitude towards check & bond security, (3) easy accessibility to computer software programs, (4) inflatn rates, and (5) GVN"s failure to supply funds & plan. Recommendatns were that data interpretatn be improved, mrkt factors be consolidated, and check & bond formula take a venture capital approach.