“Accountability of Leaders in Expediting Public Investment Capital Disbursement”

The Ministry of Finance reported that, to date, the total allocated capital is VND 793,475.7 billion, reaching 96.07% of the plan assigned by the Prime Minister. This includes VND 310,112.9 billion in central budget capital and VND 483,362.8 billion in local budget capital.

Localities taking decisive actions from the beginning of the year

During the allocation process, ministries, sectors, and localities prioritized funding for important national projects, including expressways, inter-regional and coastal roads, and other key projects, with a total investment of VND 116,965.06 billion.

According to Mr. Nguyen Chi Dung, Minister of Planning and Investment, 2025 is a pivotal year in preparing for the medium-term public investment plan for the 2026-2030 period. Therefore, it is crucial to focus on enhancing the quality of project preparation, especially for strategic and transformative projects that can shift the country’s trajectory.

Notable projects include the high-speed railway on the North-South axis, international rail connections, urban railways in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, and international transshipment ports (Nam Do Son – Hai Phong, Lien Chieu – Danang, Can Gio – Ho Chi Minh City, Tran De – Soc Trang). 2025 is also the year of completion for key infrastructure projects in the 2021-2025 period, such as the North-South Expressway and the Long Thanh International Airport.

Recognizing the significance of public investment disbursement as a central political task, many localities have been proactive in accelerating this process since the beginning of 2025. With nearly VND 12,000 billion in public investment allocated for 2025, the People’s Committee of Quang Ninh Province has instructed local authorities, sectors, and investors to focus on disbursement from the outset, ensuring efficient use of funds and prioritizing projects with significant spillover effects. Key projects that have been expedited include the improvement of provincial road 341 and the construction of a riverbank road connecting the Ha Long – Hai Phong expressway to Dong Trieu.

In Hanoi, the 2025 public investment plan amounts to over VND 87,000 billion, a 1.13-fold increase compared to 2024. The city has urged sectors and localities to expedite disbursement from the beginning of the year, giving priority to completed or ongoing projects. Mr. Ha Minh Hai, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee, stated that, at the beginning of 2025, the city allocated detailed capital plans for eligible projects, considering their actual implementation progress and requirements.

According to Mr. Hai, in the plan to promote public investment disbursement in 2025, projects allocated with capital will be accompanied by clear requirements for specific progress milestones. Additionally, procedures for approving construction designs and estimates, organizing bidding, and commencing projects allocated with capital in 2025 will be expedited.

Hanoi will also accelerate the progress of key constructions from the beginning of 2025, addressing any difficulties and bottlenecks in the implementation of each project. Monthly plans will be established for each project, focusing on capital allocation for key ongoing projects, the construction of the Capital Region’s Ring Road 4, and other critical projects expected to be completed during 2021-2025.

Reallocating capital from slow-disbursing projects

To accelerate public investment disbursement in 2025, the Ministry of Finance has requested ministries, sectors, and localities to instruct investors and project management units to expedite the completion of investment procedures, design and estimate appraisal, and approval. They should also establish timelines for completing procedures for selecting contractors, approving bidding results, and signing contracts for new projects implemented in 2025.

Recognizing land clearance as a bottleneck, the Ministry of Finance has urged localities to take decisive actions and closely monitor the performance of units responsible for compensation, support, and resettlement. Localities should assign specific tasks and responsibilities to ensure the timely completion of these tasks.

The Ministry of Finance has instructed investors to report their progress on a monthly basis to facilitate the review and reallocation of capital from slow-disbursing projects to those with better performance and higher capital demands. Priority will be given to important national projects, key projects, expressways, and connective projects with inter-regional impacts that can boost socio-economic development and have strong capital absorption capacity.

“It is necessary to strengthen the inspection and supervision of the performance of individuals and units involved, personalizing the responsibility of leaders in cases of slow disbursement. The performance evaluation of individuals and units should be linked to their disbursement progress,” the Ministry of Finance emphasized.

In Resolution No. 01 on tasks and solutions for socio-economic development in 2025, the Government requested ministries, sectors, and localities to take stronger and more decisive measures to accelerate public investment disbursement from the beginning of 2025, especially for important national projects, key constructions, and national target programs. Public investment should lead private investment and promote public-private partnerships.

The Government also emphasized the need for further decentralization and empowerment of leaders in making investment decisions, ensuring a focused and non-dispersed approach, and approving investment settlement for completed projects according to regulations to prevent waste and loss. In 2025, the Government will resolutely retrieve capital from projects that are not implemented according to approved plans or are not truly necessary, and eliminate projects that do not meet essential criteria.