Thu Duc City faces many challenges.

THINGS ARE GETTING EVEN MORE DIFFICULT

Recently, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee held a conference to announce the results of the Departmental and Local Competitiveness Index (DDCI) assessment in the city for 2022. Among local authorities, Thu Duc City ranked last with a score of 49.69. Ms. VNH, a resident of Thu Duc City, expressed her frustration when asked about this: "Leaving aside the bigger issues, the mere fact that there are dogs running around everywhere, each one as big as a calf, already ruins the living environment." "They keep issuing official documents saying they'll catch stray dogs, but nobody seems to be able to catch them. And the dogs in Thu Duc are as big as calves; it's terrifying to look at," Ms. H. said, her voice still trembling with fear.

The demand for land and property registration services in Thu Duc City is always overwhelming.

Ms. Thai Ha, a resident of Hiep Binh Phuoc Ward (Thu Duc City), also stated frankly that the assessment results accurately reflect the current reality of Thu Duc City. Since the merger of Thu Duc, District 2, and District 9 to form Thu Duc City in December 2020, residents have become increasingly frustrated by cumbersome and lengthy administrative procedures, while development has been absent, and in fact, the city has even regressed compared to before its establishment.

"Although we know that a newly established city needs time to stabilize, adapt, and develop, it's been several years now and we haven't seen any changes, breakthroughs, or even stagnation. Construction and service companies have all dissolved due to lack of work. Meanwhile, when people submit applications for construction and land, the process is slow. Applications are submitted and then pushed back, it's very cumbersome," Ms. Thai Ha said, adding that what frustrates people the most is that while in other districts and counties, the rights of newly built residential land are guaranteed, in Thu Duc City, everything is "on hold." Furthermore, people are also severely restricted in terms of building density. On the same street, if previously a 3-story building was allowed, now only a 1.5-story building is permitted, with a setback of 2.4 meters in front and 1 meter behind. "There are regulations that seem to have fallen from the sky, which are very unreasonable, but people don't know who to complain to," Ms. Thai Ha said angrily.

Another resident here complained about the one-stop shop system for online construction permits. While acknowledging it's a positive improvement to serve the public, elderly people and those with low levels of education who can't use computers are facing difficulties. Their requests to submit applications in person are denied, forcing them to hire external services. "Digital transformation is good, but it needs a roadmap. If the main portal for online application submission is ineffective for the public, then an additional portal for in-person submission is needed to provide timely support," this person said.

Many residents in An Phu Ward are disappointed because, nearly three years after its establishment, previous problems persist. For example, Nguyen Hoang Street, just over 1 km long, has remained unfinished for over a decade. When Thu Duc City was established, residents repeatedly appealed for help and hoped that with special mechanisms, the road would soon be freed from its current dilapidated state. However, everything remains at a standstill, leaving residents frustrated. The situation is similar with Luong Dinh Cua Street. At numerous neighborhood meetings, residents have directly raised their concerns and urgently requested that the authorities resolve these issues, but without success.

I still have to go to Ho Chi Minh City to ask for their opinion.

Mr. Minh Quang, Director of Minh Quang Surveying and Construction Services Company, located in Thu Duc City, commented that since becoming a city, Thu Duc has not only failed to develop but feels like it's regressing, making it even more difficult for residents to access public administrative services. For example, in the construction permit process, each official handling the application has a different approach, lacking a unified procedure. This situation arises because Thu Duc City was formed by merging three districts. Before the merger, each district handled matters differently, and they continue to operate in the same way. Furthermore, the merger of three districts has resulted in a more cumbersome administrative apparatus and a chaotic workforce, leading to increased instability.

As a company with real estate projects in Thu Duc City, the leader of LQP Company stated that currently, all procedures related to the project still require the company to go to Ho Chi Minh City to "seek" approval, and the same applies to the residents. To date, nothing has changed.

A leader of the Thu Duc City Land Registration Office branch stated that the online application submission software is still a free, pilot program, lacking security and therefore has limitations. If the software is officially approved, the data will also be verified, meaning higher accuracy. This is a prerequisite for issuing land certificates online quickly and securely. Despite numerous requests for early approval and official implementation of this software, the city's leadership has yet to give its approval.

In a conversation with us, a leader of the People's Committee of Binh Trung Dong Ward explained that, nearly three years after its establishment, Thu Duc City still lacks a special mechanism to achieve breakthroughs. Meanwhile, the merger of three districts has resulted in a more cumbersome administrative apparatus, hindering smooth operations. This has led to slower processing of work and administrative procedures compared to before the merger. For example, wards submit plans for enforcing demolition orders against illegal construction, unauthorized construction, and construction on agricultural land to the Thu Duc City People's Committee for approval. Despite submitting these plans multiple times, they remain unapproved for over six months. This significantly impacts law enforcement, especially given the rampant construction violations in the area.

As a hotspot for real estate transactions, the merger of three districts to "upgrade" Thu Duc City has made the eastern part of Ho Chi Minh City even more bustling, even during the Covid-19 outbreak and the current economic difficulties. Every day, it receives 300-400 land-related applications. However, at the time of its establishment, due to the lack of an office, it had to use a school as its headquarters.

Due to overload, the processing of citizens' applications had to be done in three different locations. Furthermore, a shortage of personnel and inadequate infrastructure led to significant delays in processing applications. Some applications were delayed for months, preventing citizens from paying land use fees and taxes to obtain their land ownership certificates. It wasn't until early 2023 that the Thu Duc City Land Registration Office branch was consolidated into a single location.

However, delays in processing citizens' applications still occur. A leader of the Thu Duc City Land Registration Office branch lamented that Thu Duc City currently has six land and property record storage areas, located in six different places, all of which do not meet fire safety standards and have been fined. Although Thu Duc City has a lot of abandoned public land, requests to build a safe and convenient storage area have been denied. These shortcomings contribute to Thu Duc City's failure to meet the needs and aspirations of citizens and businesses.

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