On March 9th, in Can Tho, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment (KH&DT) Tran Quoc Phuong chaired the 3rd meeting of the Steering Committee for Sustainable Development Projects in the Mekong Delta in response to climate change (Mekong DPO).
Pham Hoang Mai – Head of the Department of Foreign Economics, Ministry of Planning and Investment, said that in July 2023, the Government issued Resolution 108/NQ agreeing to mobilize preferential foreign loans (ODA) for 16 projects under the Mekong DPO program. The total investment amount of these projects is over 99,133 billion VND (of which domestic counterpart funds are over 30,000 billion VND, the rest is ODA funds).
The Steering Committee for Sustainable Development Projects in the Mekong Delta in response to climate change – Mekong DPO held its third session, when the progress of preparing basic projects was delayed. (Photo: CK).
Mai cited the fact that all projects have been implemented slower than planned. This is due to the low quality of project proposals submitted by localities, leading to the need for many adjustments and more time. In addition, when the Ministry of Planning and Investment solicited opinions, all agencies responded slowly; the Ministry of Finance was slow in reporting project finance issues to the Prime Minister; some specific mechanisms in the investment of new road projects approved by the National Assembly also affected the construction progress of the projects…
Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Quoc Phuong said that the Government has issued a resolution to mobilize ODA funds for 16 Mekong DPO projects; the National Assembly has issued a resolution applying specific mechanisms for some transport projects, including localities as investors in some projects (National Road 61C, Cua Dai bridge, Co Chien 2 bridge). These resolutions have resolved the legal bottlenecks to prepare and approve Mekong DPO projects.
Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Quoc Phuong (right) speaks. Photo: CK.
However, Phuong admitted that the progress of preparing and approving Mekong DPO projects is slower than planned. Even some projects are still being solicited for opinions, or have not reached consensus on design options, investment scale, financial plans… thus, they do not have enough grounds to report to the Ministry of Planning and Investment for Prime Minister’s consideration and approval. Even the Cua Dai bridge and Co Chien 2 bridge projects were proposed for supplementation by Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, and Tien Giang provinces.
“The general status of Mekong DPO projects is slow. These are projects that the Government wants to implement, localities want to have, and sponsors agree to support, but they are slow, which I don’t understand. This is something that Mai (Pham Hoang Mai, Head of the Department of Foreign Economics) and I find it difficult to answer Minister Nguyen Chi Dung, to answer the Prime Minister. The Minister told me that these projects have been 7 years since they had the idea, but they haven’t started anywhere,” Phuong said.
Leaders of the Ministry of Planning and Investment believe that there are no longer legal obstacles to Mekong DPO projects. However, the preparation of projects regarding localities’ documents and procedures is not satisfactory. This leads to continuous adjustments and even major changes compared to the initial plans, causing time and opportunity loss.
“Adjusting the project is the worst thing unless it is necessary because every adjustment is almost like starting everything again. It not only costs money and time but also opportunities. It’s a pity. Localities and investors need to reconsider,” Phuong added.
Deputy Minister Tran Quoc Phuong suggested that the Mekong Delta localities with related projects need to be more proactive in completing procedures and project documents, actively resolving difficulties and obstacles, and timely reporting to the authorized authorities issues beyond their jurisdiction for resolution. Only then can the new projects be approved, implemented, and effectively utilized in each locality and the whole region.
