Reclaim your property

Hello wlazer26.

Welcome to Expat.com!

Hope you'll be helped soon.

Thank you,
Aurélie

Different government and different times. Vietnamese property laws are difficult enough in normal times much less what happened 40 years ago. Basically all land belongs to the people of Vietnam and when you hear people say they own the land they really only technically own the right to use the land

Wlazer,

Don't get your hope up for that, and never let those Phuoc Loc Tho agents and attorneys tell you other wise.  I have seen properties such as yours returned.  However, those guys KNEW somebody really good, their properties were not prime pieces, and they did a lot of positive things here...

Best way to go about it is to buy back from the current resident.  Real estate in Vietnam is still cheap, and it will only get cheaper, in light of the current crisis.

Nonetheless, be very careful when you communicate these sort of things.  Those were the darker days in Vietnam, that such practices were far from legal, even your very own plight to the US.  You know it, and the current occupants know it.  So, go easy. 

Best wish,
Howie

You'd need solid connection, and likely will have to pay a handsome amount to whichever group that's occupying the house. Depends on where it is in HCMC, but real estate in the city is not cheap, at least not to me.

To give you an example: Trinh Van Bo was a well-known businessman pre-1945, and one of the richest Vietnamese then. The family owned the 48 Hang Ngang house, where Ho Chi Minh wrote the Independence speech. They made the biggest donation in cash and in gold to the newly-formed government, and then gave them 6 houses for temporary use. 60 years later, the family finally succeeded in reclaiming one, although they have all the written endorsement by top officials (prime minister, president, etc.) saying the houses are rightfully theirs.

Bailing out of the country then 40 years later wants to reclaim the properties abandoned. Talk about a pipe dream.

I have some friends in California who also think they are owed something and want to take it all back.

She's not bailing out.she live 2 to 3 years with current government(she was citizen of Socialist Republic of Vietnam).She had all the paper work and approval from the government then to fly to other country.The day before she fly out,the government tell her to sign the confiscate paper.The paper signed is issue by Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

If she signed the paper for them to confiscate the house (because she was leaving the country), the chance is close to nil. Plenty of people never signed any paper, they're from the north, have good connections, and still have trouble reclaiming.

Wlazer,

All I can tell you is be discreet in what you do, and don't get your hope up too high.  There are tons of people who never signed anything away, have all their original ownership papers, know a few influential Vietnamese folks and have done many good things in Vietnam.  Yet, their properties are far from being theirs, again.  I won't say that you will not have better luck, just don't loose anymore than you already did.  Give nothing to this until something is done and delivered.

Best,
Howie

wlazer26 Back in about mid 2009 Vietnam changed the law on the regulations concerning the land use and home ownership for Viet-Kieu. Basically it allows them to own one house and the land it's on. There are a few threads here on the blog concerning it. Since the change in the law only 497 people have been able to complete the formalities and have been issued the red (land) pink (house) certificates. I would venture to say most of the 497 people have only bought condo's not a house with land. I'm here to tell you with experience, "it ain't easy". That being said, Wild_1 has given you some good advice. Really note his statement on "All I can tell you is be discreet in what you do". He has good reasons for saying it. Read in between the lines.

Thanks for all the info and advice.I just thought new laws and regulations might change over the last 10 years that we don't even know about.It all clear now about the situation in Vietnam.Thanks again

Budman,

You said it pretty good.  I gave you a anyway, despite the fact that my computer is still not reading that script.  Hey, it is still better than the I used to give Anatta.

BTW, where has that guy been?  Lost at sea??? 

Wlazer, there is a lot of hot air being passed around, from the local and those idiot Viet Kieus, about the issue that you brought up.  Just don't get caught in that whirlwind. 

Best to all, except Anatta,
Howie

Howie Julien said he was going to check out the problem. Same things happening to me.

Budman and Howie
What the hell is happening with this monkey business of self-recommending back and forth between you guys!!



Anyway, good luck to the OP to reclaim the property. Voluntarily donating the property to the government to get permission and chicken out to the decadent, corrupt, reactionary imperialists' side, and now have the guts to demand it back from the good, upright people of Vietnam. .

Think of the millions of Vietnamese living abroad suddenly demanding all of their property back. Take it further, think of all the North Vietnamese fleeing to the South in 1954 now demanding their property in the North back.

Shut up, Anatta!!!

Sorry, amigo, I could not get to the emoticons earlier... 

Speaking of emoticons, where is that Julien guy?  If I remember correctly, he was on here sporting some cool emoticons in his posts.  What is up with that, man???

There are VIP members and there are VIP members

Know where you belong

wlazer26 The other part that really makes it a no go from the start is that Vietnamese leaving Vietnam under the American sponsored ODP back then were required to sign what your Mom is calling a "confiscate paper" was in reality a "quit claim" document as it's called in legal  terms in the States. Meaning what ever she didn't take with on the plane she gave up forever. Annata summed it up perfectly.