Lesson 2: Urgent Needs

Resolving outstanding projects is identified as a top priority to minimize waste and optimize public resources, and therefore cannot be delayed.

Reasons for the delay

Objectively speaking, the current situation of prolonged project delays is no longer due to force majeure events such as natural disasters or epidemics. Instead, the real bottleneck stems from internal factors.

The project connecting National Highway 2 to the Na La Border Trade Zone (Thanh Thuy International Border Gate Center) is a prime example. Approved by the Provincial People's Committee in Decision No. 2257/QD-UBND dated December 12, 2022, with the expectation of promoting border trade and strengthening national defense and security, the project was scheduled for completion between 2022 and 2024. However, after more than three years (since the approval of the project), only a small portion of the work has been completed, and it remains unfinished.

Comrade Vu Van Tien, Deputy Head of the Provincial Industrial Parks and Economic Zones Management Board (the investor), affirmed that the unit had actively coordinated with relevant departments and localities right from the preparation stage. However, reality shows a shortcoming: Despite active coordination, land clearance work has not yet been able to proceed.

Comrade Nguyen Manh Tuan, Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, along with leaders of various departments and agencies, inspected investment projects before December 31, 2025.

The reasons for this include difficulties with land data, many households not yet having been issued land use right certificates; the practice of buying and selling land through handwritten documents with multiple owners, and many households not being local residents, making verification of origin, population, and recovery rate a difficult task. Furthermore, long-standing issues related to construction regulations, such as building houses on agricultural land, have become obstacles preventing the implementation of compensation plans. As a result, only 287m/1,373m (21%) has been cleared. Without available land, contractors have had to temporarily halt construction, and public investment funds continue to be unable to be disbursed.

Similarly, the project to renovate and upgrade the central road of An Khang commune (now An Tuong ward); and the project to build infrastructure for the residential area surrounding Quang Trung, Phan Thiet, and 17-8 roads in Phan Thiet ward (now Minh Xuan ward), despite having received investment approval in 2013 and 2016 respectively, remain unfinished. The reason: Obstacles due to land clearance issues, with households not yet agreeing on compensation plans.

The delays are not limited to land acquisition; they also stem from the businesses themselves. Many contractors, while presenting strong proposals during the bidding process, reveal limitations in both financial resources and technology during implementation. A prime example is the road project aimed at promoting production and tourism development in Hong Thai commune, connecting Co Linh commune in Bac Kan province (now Thai Nguyen province).

The project, which had reached 80% completion of its contract value, had to be halted due to the contractor's incompetence. This shortage left the construction unfinished. Even more concerning, in the face of fluctuating material prices, some contractors chose to temporarily suspend construction or refused to cooperate in the final settlement. This uncooperative attitude not only wastes budget resources but also puts the management agency in a difficult position: settling the contract and finding an alternative solution is proving to be anything but easy.

Another underlying cause is the lack of legal data in many projects. This is a consequence of inconsistent handover processes between phases or when the previous investor dissolves or merges without completing the archiving. A typical example is the Dong Bang - Tan Binh - Tan Trung road project in Ham Yen commune, which was approved for investment in 2010 and completed and put into use in 2012, but has not yet been fully settled.

The reason is that the project was overseen by many people over many years. Former officials from the Ham Yen District Project Management Board did not directly participate in the project; instead, the project was managed by the District People's Committee and implemented by the District Economic and Infrastructure Department, thus lacking a thorough understanding of the implementation process. Furthermore, the lack of focused investment over a long period also made it difficult to allocate sufficient funds to complete the project definitively.

These are obstacles that, without coordinated measures to remove bottlenecks related to land acquisition and improve discipline in contractor selection, will not only result in wasted budget but also slow down the overall development of the entire province.

Don't avoid it, don't passively wait.

In the early months of 2026, the spirit of combating waste spread strongly from the central government to the local level. On February 15, 2026, the Prime Minister issued Directive 14/CĐ-TTg on focusing on resolving outstanding projects. Subsequently, on April 13, 2026, the Politburo issued Conclusion No. 24-KL/TW, affirming the highest level of political determination to overcome difficulties for long-standing projects.

The People's Committee of Xuan Van commune is working with officials from previous periods to retrieve documents to complete the final settlement.

To concretize this determination, at the meeting on April 23, 2026, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Phan Huy Ngoc emphasized: To achieve double-digit growth, unlocking state budget capital is an urgent requirement. Outstanding projects not only hinder disbursement but also directly affect social welfare. The head of the provincial government demanded: Political responsibility must be enhanced, bottlenecks must be addressed directly, and no avoidance is necessary. Addressing outstanding projects is a task of combating waste and ending the situation of unfocused and scattered investment.

Following the directives of the Provincial People's Committee, localities and project investors have simultaneously taken action with a sense of responsibility and in accordance with the law.

According to the Chairman of the People's Committee of Xuan Van Commune, Ha Manh Linh, the locality currently has 21 projects that have not completed final settlement and construction. Of these, 18 projects are operational but their documentation is still incomplete; 3 other projects are temporarily suspended despite the deadlines having expired. To resolve this, the commune has reviewed the files from previous officials in charge and requested specific progress commitments from contractors with unfinished projects. If the situation does not improve, the commune will report to higher authorities for appropriate action.

Major investors such as the Provincial Project Management Board for Construction of Transportation Projects and Project Management Board No. 1 have established a weekly progress reporting mechanism and reviewed the actual capabilities of all contractors. Instead of just making commitments on paper, these units have begun to implement stronger measures: They are ready to proceed with project revocation or restrict bidding for uncooperative contractors.

Comrade Luong Van Doan, Director of the Provincial Investment and Construction Project Management Board, affirmed: The Board has categorized projects into three groups: For completed projects that have not yet been finalized, the focus will be on completing the final settlement documents, strictly handling cases of delays and lack of cooperation; striving to complete these projects in the second quarter of 2026. For the group of unfinished projects, a review will be conducted to adjust and reduce the scale, and final settlement will be completed before the fourth quarter of 2026. For the group facing obstacles related to mechanisms and policies, the Board has proposed to the Provincial People's Committee to authorize the suspension of implementation and final settlement based on the existing volume.

(to be continued)

Text and photos: Tuan Quang, Duy Tuan, Moc Lan

►Lesson 1: "Bottlenecks" in investment resources

Source: https://baotuyenquang.com.vn/kinh-te/202605/bai-2-yeu-cau-cap-thiet-91d2b7c/