Identifying "bottlenecks"

Although various levels and sectors in the province have made many efforts to accelerate the disbursement of public investment capital, the achieved rate is still not as expected due to many difficulties and obstacles in the implementation process.

According to the Department of Finance, as of July 24, 2025, Dak Lak province had disbursed over 3,797 billion VND (equivalent to 31.1% of the 2025 public investment plan). Of this, the central government budget disbursed 29.2% of the plan; and the local government budget disbursed 34% of the plan.

According to Deputy Director of the Department of Finance Huynh Gia Hoang, the disbursement rate of public investment in the first months of 2025 in the province has not yet met the set plan due to the slow implementation of compensation, support, and resettlement work, including many obstacles related to determining the legal validity of land records; a shortage of resettlement land; and people still complaining about compensation prices and resettlement policies… Furthermore, the coordination between investors and local authorities and related units is still not synchronized.

For projects using foreign direct investment (ODA), both Vietnamese legal regulations and the agreements signed with the donors must be implemented simultaneously. The implementation process involves many stages and steps, and is heavily dependent on the donors, which also slows down the implementation and disbursement of projects. In addition, the slow collection of provincial financial resources for public investment also affects the progress and disbursement of some programs and projects. Furthermore, other factors affecting the efficiency and progress of implementation include: a shortage of fill soil for construction, and delays in planning for the exploitation of soil for construction projects.

The Ho Chi Minh Highway construction project, specifically the eastern bypass section around Buon Ma Thuot, is still facing land clearance issues in the area adjacent to National Highway 14.

"Currently, there are some projects that are not facing land clearance issues but are experiencing delays in implementation and lack contractors. Therefore, it is necessary to review and hold each investor and locality accountable, and boldly take action against officials involved in the slow disbursement of public investment funds."

Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Ta Anh Tuan

Representatives from the Provincial Project Management Board for Investment in Construction of Transportation and Rural Development Projects (Board A) stated that the unit's allocated capital plan for 2025 is over 3,286 billion VND. As of July 20, 2025, over 877 billion VND had been disbursed (equivalent to 26.7% of the plan, lower than the provincial average). The slow disbursement stems from various reasons, including obstacles in land clearance and relocation of technical infrastructure. Furthermore, this year's rains started earlier than in previous years, with heavy and continuous rainfall in the locality significantly affecting the construction plans and progress of contractors. The scarcity of construction materials, especially sand and stone, on the market also impacted the plans and progress of large projects. In addition, contractors have not fully utilized favorable weather conditions for their construction teams. Some contractors have not mobilized the maximum amount of machinery, equipment, and personnel as committed…

Besides the aforementioned recurring reasons, factors stemming from the project owners themselves also contribute to the sluggish disbursement rate. Some projects that have already been completed and put into use, and are included in the 2025 plan, are still undergoing procedures for project finalization and warranty approval, thus preventing disbursement. Furthermore, some new projects scheduled for commencement in 2025 are currently in the bidding process, resulting in insufficient work volume for disbursement.

According to Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Truong Cong Thai, many completed projects in the province have not been finalized for many years, even decades, resulting in tied-up capital and an inability to determine their final value.

According to data from the State Treasury Region XIII and State Treasury Region XIV, as of June 30, 2025, the total outstanding balance of advances for capital investment in basic construction projects from the state budget managed by localities, for which payment procedures for the recovered amounted to over 4,346 billion VND (formerly Dak Lak province: over 1,701 billion VND, formerly Phu Yen province: over 2,645 billion VND). Of this amount, overdue advances that are unlikely to be recovered totaled over 3.78 billion VND.

Some project management boards with large outstanding advance payments include: Board A, the Provincial Civil and Industrial Construction Investment Project Management Board (Board B), and the Eastern Region Construction Investment Project Management Board (Board C). All three boards are currently undergoing restructuring, addressing issues related to account opening and seals, and awaiting data processing by the State Treasury. Boards A and B, in particular, lack directors, leading to difficulties in contract signing and task implementation. From August 1st, the Provincial People's Committee assigned Vice Chairman Truong Cong Thai to directly supervise and manage Board A until the director position is filled as per regulations.

For district-level projects transferred to the Provincial Project Management Board, they are currently awaiting the allocation of the medium-term and annual public investment plans, including detailed assignments of the project owners, before they can proceed with implementation. This has significantly impacted the disbursement progress of public investment funds in the province.

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/kinh-te/202508/nhan-dien-diem-nghen-5ba15f8/