A massive $1.5 billion Trump-branded golf and luxury residential development in Hung Yen Province, near Hanoi, has become the center of a growing controversy after thousands of local families were required to relocate ancestral graves to clear land for the project. The development is being built by Vietnamese developer Kinh Bac City Development Holding Corporation, while the The Trump Organization has licensed its brand for the resort and is expected to operate the golf club once it opens.

According to reports, more than 3,500 graves had already been exhumed during the land-clearing process, with the overall project expected to affect around 4,000 households. For many residents, the issue extends far beyond land ownership. In Vietnamese culture, ancestral graves hold deep spiritual and cultural significance, and disturbing them is considered an emotionally difficult decision. Some families said they felt they had little practical choice but to comply with government land acquisition orders, while others resisted relocating relatives who had been buried there for generations.

The project has also sparked criticism over compensation. Residents interviewed by international media argued that payments offered for farmland and relocation were well below market value, with some saying they received only a few dollars per square meter along with limited assistance such as rice provisions. Vietnamese authorities have maintained that compensation is handled under the country’s land acquisition system, where the state owns all land and local governments oversee compensation rather than the Trump Organization itself.

The development, which includes multiple championship golf courses, luxury hotels, villas, and other high-end facilities, officially broke ground in 2025. Eric Trump attended the groundbreaking ceremony and described the resort as a future showcase for Asia.