The Fate of the Abandoned Headquarters in Ha Tinh Province

Abandoned New Headquarters

The Cau Treo Border Gate Economic Zone (Huong Son district, Ha Tinh province), spanning almost 57 hectares, was established and became operational in 2007. This area was once considered a strategic location for key economic development in the border region and became an attractive investment destination as a duty-free zone with numerous financial and investment incentives.

However, in September 2016, with the enforcement of Law No. 107 on Import and Export Duties, the Cau Treo International Border Gate Economic Zone lost its duty-free status, and businesses were no longer eligible for tax benefits on goods and services as before. Consequently, the infrastructure at the border gate deteriorated significantly, and many headquarters and office buildings were abandoned. The situation is particularly evident at Gate B, the starting point of the economic zone, where there are a series of newly constructed and spacious headquarters buildings that now lie vacant.

Abandoned headquarters in the Cau Treo Border Gate Economic Zone.

Specifically, a four-story building, constructed with a capital investment of tens of billions of dong in Son Tay commune, Huong Son district, previously served as the workplace for the Ha Tinh Customs Department. However, in June 2018, the Cau Treo Border Gate Economic Zone Customs Branch was officially dissolved. The personnel were reassigned and transferred to other subordinate units, leaving the headquarters abandoned.

Across the road lies the inter-agency headquarters at Gate B, with a total investment of over VND 25 billion, which is also in a state of abandonment. Another inactive project is the control gate between the economic zone and the mainland (Gate B), completed in 2010, with a total investment of over VND 11 billion.

Presently, this project is no longer in use, and some components have deteriorated. According to Tien Phong’s understanding, the functional forces have proposed transferring the management and use of this headquarters to the People’s Committee of Huong Son district. However, as the local authorities have no need for it, the building remains unused. In addition to Huong Son district, there are headquarters of central agencies located in Can Loc district that require review and appropriate handling, such as the nearly decade-old vacant headquarters of the Military Command of Can Loc district.

Struggling with Resolution

During the 2019-2021 period, Ha Tinh was one of the localities that implemented the reorganization of 80 communal-level administrative units, resulting in a reduction of 46 communes. Consequently, many of the former communal headquarters have yet to find a new purpose. For instance, in 2020, three communes: Thach Lam, Thach Huong, and Thach Tan of Thach Ha district, were merged to form the new commune of Tan Huong Lam. As a result, the former headquarters of Thach Lam and Thach Huong communes were abandoned. Notably, the administrative center of the old Thach Huong commune, spanning thousands of square meters, included two two-story buildings and a spacious hall constructed in 2018 with a capital investment of VND 8 billion. However, it was only utilized for less than two years before being left vacant.

In 2020, Luu Vinh Son commune (Thach Ha district) was established by merging three communes: Thach Luu, Thach Vinh, and Bac Son. The headquarters of the new commune was located in the former Thach Vinh commune. Nearly five years after the merger that formed Luu Vinh Son commune, the administrative headquarters of Thach Luu and Bac Son communes remain unused and are falling into disrepair.

In Vu Quang district, the Huong Quang Secondary School, despite an investment of over VND 16 billion in budget funds, has been abandoned for over a decade and has never welcomed any students. The project was completed and handed over to the People’s Committee of Huong Quang commune (now Quang Tho commune) in 2013, but it has since deteriorated and remains unused.

It is understood that, in the past, the functional forces have formulated plans to deal with these headquarters and public assets, especially the surplus assets resulting from the mergers. However, the implementation of these plans is facing significant challenges.

Regarding this issue, the Ha Tinh Department of Finance stated that there are 35 public assets of central agencies in the province, of which 15 have been handled, and the rest are in the process of being resolved. The delay in handling the remaining assets is due to the dependence on the approval process and handling by the central agencies. This has resulted in some assets being slow to be approved for rearrangement and disposal, despite the local government’s timely coordination and provision of feedback.

According to the Department of Finance, a review of the group of land and buildings that are surplus to the needs of local agencies and units revealed 245 properties that have not been disposed of yet.

The Department of Finance also attributed the delay in handling these cases to several obstacles, including the lack of timely adjustments in land use planning and zoning; inconsistencies in current regulations regarding the identification of the organizing unit responsible for the sale; and the impracticality of selling some properties due to a lack of potential buyers. The Department of Finance affirmed that, in the future, they will continue to strengthen the direction, inspection, and guidance to handle the surplus land and buildings in the province.