Selling a million-VND planning lookup package
Recently, after Hanoi City announced the Master Plan of the Capital with a 100-year vision, the need to look up planning information increased sharply. Following this "fever", a series of planning check services also flourished online.
These parties introduce that they can check land use planning, construction planning, determine whether the land plot is eligible for land acquisition and site clearance or not. Service costs range from a few hundred thousand to several million VND, depending on the type of dossier and result delivery time. Some places commit to returning results after only 15 minutes.
To attract customers, many advertising accounts have data sources from planning institutes and functional agencies, thereby advertising that the search results are always accurate and updated to the latest.
In a planning information group with thousands of members, account N.Q continuously posts advertising articles: "Detailed planning check service - Hanoi 2026 100-year vision. Don't let planning risk lose billion-dong assets. I support quick standard data check from the Department of Planning and Architecture. Reputable data source from the Institute of Construction Planning, approved by the City People's Committee".
An account named H also posted information advertising the planning check service for only 300,000 VND.
Just send the red book, the location to check will receive detailed planning information for each land plot. Is there road opening, corridor, project planning or not. Support quick - accurate - secure lookup" - H informed about his service.
Meanwhile, according to Lao Dong's research, a series of websites currently provide planning check services with paid packages worth millions of VND.
Records at a popularly used website show that VIP lookup packages are sold at diverse prices: from 324,000 VND/month to 2.16 million VND/year.
With the VIP package, users are advertised to be able to check land planning in 63 provinces and cities. View the location of the land use right certificate on the map, view the planning of the land plot, measure the area and size of the land plot. Find the land plot according to the boundary angle and coordinates, by area and address, on the land use right certificate according to the land plot number sheet number. View a variety of types of planning: 2030, 2026 plan, construction plan, zoning plan, 1/500, 1/2000 plan, 2040, 2045, 2050, 2060 plan.
If you don't know how to self-research or find the location of the land plot, the website also provides the service of hiring consultants and checking for them with a fee of 200,000 VND.
Concerns about personal data leakage
In the role of someone who needs to check the planning, Lao Dong reporter contacted a fanpage providing this service. Immediately after grasping the customer's request, the fanpage immediately gave implementation steps, committing to results in just 15 minutes.
The fanpage clearly states step 1 to take photos of the double-sided land use right certificate with full information of sheet number, plot number, land drawing diagram in Hanoi districts and send it via zalo 0888777xxx. Step 2 is to send the Google Maps address of the land plot to be checked for planning in Hanoi. After receiving complete information, this fanpage will send back verification, location, sheet number and land plot number and send the results of Hanoi planning.
If you cut into the road, we will measure the specific distance to send to you the lost area, the remaining area" - this fanpage said.
Talking to a reporter of Lao Dong Newspaper, lawyer Quach Thanh Luc (Hanoi Bar Association) said that a series of information about land plots such as photos of Land Use Right Certificates, sheet numbers, plot numbers, addresses, coordinates or locations on maps are valuable data, not only reflecting information about real estate but also containing a lot of personal information of land users.
In case of being collected, stored or used for the wrong purpose, these data may become "gold mines" for bad actors, serving data trading, fraud, transaction forgery or infringing upon people's privacy.
At a press conference of the Hanoi People's Committee on July 10, regarding the recent appearance of many websites and social media accounts advertising the "check planning" service of the Capital, even charging fees to provide information to people, Mr. Dao Minh Tam - Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Planning and Architecture, said that the data circulating online is not official information and has not been verified by competent authorities.
The information posted online may be data from the project research and development process, not yet an approved plan and not yet verified by competent authorities" - Mr. Tam emphasized.
Leaders of the Department of Planning and Architecture also affirmed that the information on websites and non-official platforms is currently incomplete and has no legal basis to be used as a basis for planning research or serving transactions related to land and real estate.
