Vietnam Cuts Corners to Fast-Track $1.5-B Trump Golf Resort

Donald Trump’s family business is breaking ground on a fast-tracked development in Vietnam as the country’s government scrambles to secure a revised trade agreement with the U.S., The Independent's John Bowden reported.

The site covers nearly four-square miles of riverbank and farmland, affecting hundreds of families. Photo: Trump Golf Facebook

The project—a $1.5 billion Trump-branded resort in Hung Yen Province near Hanoi—has rocketed through Vietnam’s approval process amid pressure from looming U.S. tariffs.

Trump has threatened to reinstate harsh tariff measures by July, after temporarily pausing his executive order that imposes a 46% tariff on Vietnamese exports, plus an additional 10% across-the-board levy.

According to The New York Times, the project bypassed environmental reviews and shortened the public comment period, drawing outrage from local residents.

Many say their land was undervalued in what they call a government-backed land grab. The site covers nearly four-square miles of riverbank and farmland, affecting hundreds of families.

Le Van Truong, 54, told The Times he may lose both his farmland and a cemetery that holds five generations of his family.

“Trump says it’s separate—the presidency and his business. But he has the power to do whatever he wants,” he said. The project site is also reportedly littered with unexploded U.S. ordnance.