Ho Chi Minh City accelerates the resolution of hundreds of stalled projects.

Amidst ongoing difficulties faced by many businesses due to legal issues, planning regulations, land use fees, and investment procedures, the City requires departments and agencies to strengthen coordination, clearly define the responsibilities of each unit, and focus on resolving issues in groups to expedite project processing.

The scene at the meeting.

Continuing to complain about difficulties due to prolonged project delays.

At the conference on May 13th to implement Directive No. 45/CT-UBND on continuing to remove difficulties and obstacles for long-standing stalled projects in Ho Chi Minh City, many real estate businesses continued to report a series of long-standing difficulties related to legal issues, planning, land use fees, and investment procedures, causing many projects to fall into a state of stagnation.

According to Mr. Le Hoang Chau, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Real Estate Association (HoREA), statistics from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Finance show that there are currently 838 projects and land plots in the city under the public investment, private investment, and foreign direct investment (FDI) sectors that need to be reviewed and resolved. Of these, nearly 200 assets, land plots, and projects managed by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee have had 162 cases resolved, while the remaining 32 projects are still being processed. Regarding projects managed by state-owned enterprises, only 5 projects have had their issues completely resolved, while 22 others have been largely addressed but are still undergoing the necessary procedures.

According to Mr. Le Hoang Chau, Ho Chi Minh City is currently focusing on resolving issues for 116 public investment projects on the priority list under Directive 45/CT-UBND. Of these, 41 projects have been directed for resolution according to Plan 34/KH-UBND issued previously. Regarding public assets, the city has resolved issues for 18 out of 42 projects and land/property cases, while 21 other cases are still being processed. Notably, the number of outstanding projects related to inspection, investigation, and litigation has decreased to 8 cases, indicating positive progress in the review process.

However, despite the removal of obstacles in many projects, the business community in Ho Chi Minh City still believes that the actual processing progress is slower than expected. Many projects, even those with completed documentation years ago, cannot be implemented due to overlapping regulations related to land, planning, finance, and investment.

Ms. Nguyen Nam Phuong, General Director of Lan Anh One-Member Limited Company, stated that the company has invested in and developed numerous residential projects in Ba Ria - Vung Tau and Ho Chi Minh City. However, some projects are currently unable to proceed as planned due to lengthy procedures. Specifically, for the Lan Anh 7 expansion project, the company submitted its application in 2021, but the land use fee determination process has yet to be completed. This delay of 4-5 years has put significant financial pressure on the company, greatly impacting investment progress and business plans.

A business raised concerns about obstacles in administrative procedures.

Besides difficulties related to land use fees, some of the company's other projects also face obstacles related to green space planning, causing delays in implementation despite the company having fully prepared the necessary resources. "The company hopes that the relevant departments and agencies will have a more coordinated and clear mechanism to quickly handle outstanding procedures. If the paperwork drags on for too long, it will cause significant waste of resources and reduce the company's chances of recovery," Ms. Nguyen Nam Phuong suggested.

Sharing the same view, Mr. Hoang Quan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Real Estate Consulting - Trading - Services Joint Stock Company, said that the real estate market is currently entering what is considered a "revival opportunity" after a long period of facing many difficulties in terms of legal and capital sources. Accordingly, recent resolutions and directives from the Central Government and the Government on removing difficulties for the real estate market have brought great expectations to businesses, especially for social housing developers like Hoang Quan.

However, in reality, many business projects have been "frozen" for years due to prolonged legal obstacles. Some projects have been stalled for up to 5 years, directly affecting cash flow, investment activities, and the ability of businesses to recover after a difficult market period.

Increase inter-agency coordination and clearly identify the focal point for handling issues.

In response to feedback from businesses, Ho Chi Minh City is focusing on implementing various solutions to accelerate the resolution of outstanding projects in the area. Ms. Le Thi Thu Hong, Deputy Head of the Foreign Economic Relations Department of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Finance, stated that the city is reviewing the entire list of 838 problematic projects and is requiring relevant departments, agencies, and businesses to coordinate and update specific details regarding land, planning, taxes, and investment procedures to address each issue group accordingly.

Representatives from the organizing committee answered questions from businesses related to real estate.

According to Ms. Hong, the key point at this stage is that the city will clearly identify the lead agency for each group of problematic issues to avoid situations where dossiers drag on without a responsible party handling them. For cases exceeding its authority, Ho Chi Minh City will compile them and report to the central government for consideration and resolution.

“The city expects to continue receiving close cooperation and support from the business community in handling outstanding projects. Unlocking these resources will not only help businesses implement projects sooner but also create more room for the development of the private economy and the city's growth targets in the coming period,” added Ms. Le Thi Thu Hong.

To contribute to achieving Ho Chi Minh City's 10% growth target, businesses also proposed that the City People's Committee should direct departments and agencies to strengthen coordination in handling procedures and assign the Department of Finance as the focal point to connect with relevant units to definitively resolve outstanding projects.

On May 5, 2026, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee issued Directive No. 45/CT-UBND on implementing urgent tasks and solutions to carry out Conclusion No. 18-KL/TW and Conclusion No. 27-KL/TW, aiming for double-digit economic growth in 2026.

Following the directive of the Chairman of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, departments, agencies, and localities must continue to review, compile, and classify all outstanding construction projects, including those within and outside the budget that were not previously included in the compilation.

The Department of Finance is tasked with coordinating with the City Inspectorate and relevant units to organize and complete the implementation by June 2026. Units must submit a complete list of outstanding projects before May 15, 2026, for compilation and the development of a city-wide plan to resolve these issues this year.

According to real estate experts, accelerating the resolution of stalled projects will not only help the real estate market recover but also contribute to freeing up land resources, promoting investment, creating jobs, and increasing budget revenue for the city.

To make this process effective, Ho Chi Minh City needs to establish a clear inter-agency coordination mechanism, specifically defining the responsibilities of each unit handling the dossiers; and at the same time, shorten the time for appraising procedures related to land, planning, and land use fees.

In addition, the city also needs to promote digital transformation in project file management, publicly disclose processing progress so that businesses can easily track it, and reduce the situation where files drag on for many years.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/bat-dong-san/tp-ho-chi-minh-tang-toc-thao-go-hang-tram-du-an-ton-dong-20260513195211924.htm