Abolishing construction permits: From 'ask-give' mindset to transparent management

Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai plan to pilot the abolition of construction permits, which is considered a boost for administrative reform, eliminating the 'ask for permission' mindset.

Recently, at the Government's special meeting on law-making in May, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh resolutely directed the removal of unnecessary procedures, including construction licensing procedures.

From "ask - give" mindset to transparent, modern management

In an effort to promote administrative procedure reform, create an open investment environment and modernize construction management, Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai Province are two pilot localities abolishing construction permits, attracting special attention from the business community, experts and people. This is not only a concrete step in the roadmap to shift from pre-inspection to post-inspection, but also an important test for changing the mindset of State management in the field of construction and urban development.

Up to now, construction permits have been one of the most common but also the most troublesome administrative procedures in the field of investment and urban development. Not only businesses but also people have encountered difficulties when having to go through the process of applying for construction permits with many layers of procedures, long time and negative risks.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Construction , the average time to complete construction permit procedures in localities is from 90 to 120 days, not to mention cases where documents must be supplemented many times. This not only increases investment costs but also creates a lack of transparency, easily leading to the "ask - give" mechanism, which is a major obstacle to the investment environment.

Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai plan to pilot the abolition of construction permits, which is considered a boost for administrative reform, eliminating the 'ask for permission' mindset - (Illustration photo).

The fact that Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai, two localities with rapid urbanization and playing a key role in the Southern Key Economic Zone, have prepared to pilot the abolition of construction permits, shows a strong determination in administrative reform. At the same time, this is also a test of the capacity for modern urban management, based on digital data, synchronous planning and effective post-audit tools.

According to the pilot proposal, abolishing construction permits does not mean loosening management but rather shifting from the "pre-approval - post-inspection" mechanism to "registration - post-control". Specifically, instead of having to apply for a construction permit, investors will carry out construction registration procedures based on regulations on detailed planning, construction standards, population density, height, architecture, setbacks, etc., which have been made public and digitized on the urban data platform.

In case the investor violates the planning or builds in a way that is not in accordance with the registered content, the competent authority will handle it according to regulations. Thus, this mechanism not only helps to significantly reduce time and costs for people and businesses, but also forces localities to improve the quality of planning and urban management capacity.

In Ho Chi Minh City, the Department of Construction said it has prepared a database of detailed planning at 1/500 scale, connecting information through the construction management system and GIS platform. This allows people to look up, register and monitor construction progress online, minimizing the subjective intervention of public officials.

Meanwhile, Dong Nai, a locality with a high urbanization rate, is attracting many real estate projects and industrial parks, and has also built a digital data system to serve planning and construction management. The pilot abolition of construction permits here will be an opportunity for the province to modernize its urban management apparatus, while creating more favorable conditions for investors, especially in the fields of industry, logistics and infrastructure development.

Improve investment environment and increase competitiveness

Undeniably, cumbersome administrative procedures are one of the main reasons why many foreign investors are hesitant to choose Vietnam as a long-term destination. According to the World Bank's Doing Business Report, construction permit procedures in Vietnam often take longer than the average of other countries in the region.

In the context of Vietnam's efforts to improve national competitiveness and promote the attraction of high-quality investment, the reduction and simplification of administrative procedures is an urgent requirement. The model of abolishing construction permits, if successfully implemented, will be a bright spot in institutional reform, helping to reduce informal costs, increase investor satisfaction, thereby contributing to improving Vietnam's ranking on global rankings.

Not only does it have a positive impact on the investment environment, the shift to a post-audit mechanism also promotes the development of smart urban monitoring and management technologies. Management agencies will need tools such as satellite images, AI cameras, sensor systems and big data to detect and promptly handle violations. This is the driving force to modernize the management infrastructure, while creating room for development for digital industries, information technology, modern design and architecture.

Despite high expectations, the abolition of construction permits also poses many challenges, especially in the context of planning databases in many localities that are still inconsistent, slow to update and not reliable enough. Without a transparent and clear information foundation, the switch to post-inspection can lead to rampant construction, breaking planning or being difficult to handle when violations occur.

In addition, the capacity of management staff is also a key factor. Enforcement staff need to be well-trained in technology, have a good understanding of planning and have the skills to handle situations that arise during post-inspection. At the same time, the legal system also needs to be improved to ensure sufficient deterrence and strict handling of illegal construction.

In particular, the role of community supervision and information transparency needs to be promoted. When people can easily look up planning information and clearly understand their rights and obligations, they will become an active monitoring force, contributing to improving the effectiveness of urban management.

The pilot project to abolish construction permits in Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai is not only a management initiative but also an institutional breakthrough. If implemented seriously, with a transparent monitoring mechanism and effective application of technology, this model can be replicated in other localities, creating a strong wave of administrative reform in the construction sector.

In the long term, this is an opportunity to change the mindset of State management towards service, transparency, modernity and promoting sustainable urban development. To do that, it requires the synchronous participation of all levels of government, the initiative of businesses and the companionship of people in monitoring and enforcing the law.

Moving from “ask - give” to “register - post-check” is a difficult but necessary step. And Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai are expected to pave the way for a new approach in construction management that is more transparent, more effective and more friendly to investors and residents.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that the people have the right to use the land, so they have the right to build. Not only that, the land has been planned in detail regarding height, green ratio, construction density, distance between houses, and distance from sidewalks. All of these are regulated, so there is no need to apply for a building permit. The People's Committee of the commune or ward must go and check whether the people are building correctly.

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Source: https://congthuong.vn/bo-giay-phep-xay-dung-tu-tu-duy-xin-cho-den-quan-ly-minh-bach-390950.html