Finalize handling of surplus public assets after merger

The headquarters of the People's Committee of Vinh Yen city (old) has now become the headquarters of the People's Committee of Vinh Yen ward, Phu Tho province. (Photo: VNA)

Complete planning and review of all housing and land funds

Implementing the direction of the Politburo, the Secretariat, the Government and the Prime Minister on the reorganization of the apparatus and administrative units at all levels, the Ministry of Finance has recently issued many documents guiding and urging localities to fully prepare plans to handle office headquarters, real estate, land and other public assets.

In Official Dispatch No. 18430/BTC-QLCS, the Ministry of Finance requested the Chairman of the People's Committee and Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and City Party Committee of the provinces and centrally-run cities to synchronously review, arrange, organize and handle public assets in accordance with the Law on Management and Use of Public Assets.

Localities are required to urgently review and issue documents within their authority to fully implement legal regulations on management and use of public assets, focusing on important contents such as decentralization of asset management at agencies and units; management of infrastructure assets; project assets using state capital; assets establishing ownership rights for the entire people. At the same time, complete regulations on standards and norms for the use of specialized public assets. This helps to clearly define the responsibilities of each level and each agency and facilitate the process of arranging assets after the merger to take place smoothly.

Along with that, the Ministry of Finance requested to speed up the review and transfer of specific public assets to commune and ward-level units to clarify management responsibilities, thereby having a basis for making estimates for repairs, upgrades or purchasing new equipment when necessary.

Regarding the arrangement of houses and land, the Ministry of Finance requires provinces and cities to properly implement the policies in Conclusion No. 202-KL/TW dated October 30, 2025 of the Politburo ; Resolution No. 66.2/2025/NQ-CP of the Government; and Official Dispatch No. 213/CD-TTg dated November 11, 2025 of the Prime Minister. Accordingly, localities must update and adjust provincial planning, land use planning, urban-rural planning and related specialized planning after transferring and converting the functions of headquarters, public facilities, schools, medical facilities, culture, sports or public purposes, national defense and security. The deadline must be completed before December 31, 2025.

The handling of houses and land must comply with the forms prescribed in the Law on Management and Use of Public Assets and Decree No. 186/2025/ND-CP dated July 1, 2025 (amended by Decree 286/2025/ND-CP), including: recovery; transfer; transfer to local management and handling; liquidation; or handling in case of lost or damaged assets. In the process of rearranging the housing and land fund, localities need to give priority to healthcare, education and training, culture and sports, commune police headquarters and essential public purposes. The remaining houses and land must have a plan to be put into exploitation and use to serve socio-economic development goals, ensuring strictness, economic efficiency, compliance with legal regulations, and avoiding loss and waste.

For assets recovered in remote, mountainous areas, especially schools or public facilities that are no longer suitable for use as working offices, public facilities, medical, cultural, sports facilities, or other public purposes and where there is no organization or individual in need of receiving or leasing land, the assets attached to the land shall be demolished or destroyed and the land shall be handed over to the People's Committee at the commune level or the land fund development organization for land management in accordance with the provisions of the law on land.

Completing planning and reviewing assets is not only a procedural requirement, but also a foundation for each locality to proactively build a model of more sustainable and effective use of public assets in the new period.

Clear authority and responsibility in managing and handling public assets

In order to implement the Government's decentralization request, the Ministry of Finance has submitted to the Government decrees to give stronger authority to decide on the use and disposal of public assets to localities. On that basis, the Ministry proposed that the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee soon issue regulations on decentralizing the authority to decide on the disposal of houses and land according to Decree 186/2025/ND-CP.

During the period when new regulations have not been issued, the decision on asset handling is still implemented according to the decentralization resolutions of the Provincial People's Council issued before July 1, 2025; or according to the decentralization of the administrative unit that retains its name after the merger or consolidation.

The Ministry of Finance requires localities to review and clearly identify surplus housing and land facilities, and develop a plan for handling them with specific content, progress and responsibilities. For assets that need to be transferred or converted to serve public purposes, localities must urgently implement and soon invest in upgrading and repairing them to put them into use.

Along with the housing and land fund, the Ministry of Finance requires a review of all cars, machinery, and equipment according to standards and norms; immediate transfer of usable assets and liquidation of damaged and outdated assets. New procurement requests must ensure compliance with budget estimates, compliance with bidding regulations and centralized procurement mechanisms. Provincial People's Committees need to announce the deadline for registration of centralized procurement according to the provisions of Decree 186/2025/ND-CP.

The Ministry of Finance also proposed to increase training for local officials working in public asset management; the Ministry is ready to provide documents and send staff to support when requested.

The initiative of each locality, when combined with clear accountability, will create substantial changes in the handling of public assets, towards more transparent and effective management.

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