The Failing Grades: A Tale of Provincial Leaders’ Missteps in Lam Dong

On June 4th, the People’s Committee of Lam Dong province organized a conference to evaluate the socio-economic performance of the province in the first five months of the year. The most pressing issue in Lam Dong is the progress of public investment capital disbursement in the area.

According to the report, tourism remains a bright spot for Lam Dong, with a total of 1.1 million visitors in the month (an increase of 41%), including an 87.5% rise in international visitors. The state budget revenue reached VND 6,815 billion, equivalent to 49.87% of the Central projection, 47% of the local projection, and 112.05% compared to the same period last year.

The report highlighted that tourism continues to thrive in Lam Dong, with a total of 1.1 million visitors in the month, marking a 41% increase. International visitor numbers surged by 87.5%, and state budget revenues reached VND 6,815 billion, meeting 49.87% of the Central projection and 47% of the local projection, surpassing the same period last year by 12.05%.

Despite the achievements, the public investment capital disbursement in Lam Dong remains low, with only VND 1,446 billion disbursed out of a total of over VND 9,340 billion, accounting for just 15.5% of the plan. Specifically, Da Lat City disbursed just over 24%, Lac Duong District 12%, and the Provincial Traffic Project Management Board 8.8%. Notably, many units have not disbursed any capital at all.

At the meeting, Mr. Tran Hong Thai, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Lam Dong province, emphasized that such a low disbursement rate is unacceptable. He stated that it is a waste and does a disservice to the people.

Mr. Thai said, “It is our fault if we have approved projects but fail to implement them. The hardest part is raising funds, and it is a disservice to the people if we can’t spend it once we have it. Therefore, we must strive to complete the necessary paperwork promptly; otherwise, it will be a waste.”

In light of this situation, the Chairman of the People’s Committee of Lam Dong urged local leaders to expedite progress and aggressively clear obstacles, especially with regard to site clearance, to enable the implementation and disbursement of projects, with a particular focus on expressway projects.

Criticism of Several Department Directors

At the conference, the Chairman of the People’s Committee of Lam Dong province also criticized several department directors who were assigned to directly inspect 155 out of 203 projects that were behind schedule to facilitate problem-solving but failed to conduct on-site inspections.

Specifically, the Chairman criticized the first inter-sectoral team, led by Mr. Nguyen Tran Nhat Huy, Deputy Director of the Planning and Investment Department (now the Finance Department), which was assigned to inspect 45 projects. The team leader did not physically inspect any of the projects.

The second inter-sectoral team, headed by Mr. Nguyen Van Duc, Deputy Director of the Natural Resources and Environment Department (now the Agriculture and Environment Department), was assigned to inspect 21 projects. The team physically inspected 18 out of the 21 projects, but the team leader did not lead any of these inspections.

The fourth inter-sectoral team, led by Mr. Vu Dinh Cuong, Deputy Director of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department (former department), was responsible for inspecting 36 projects. However, the team did not conduct on-site inspections for 21 out of the 36 projects, and the team leader did not inspect any of the assigned projects.

The fifth inter-sectoral team, led by Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc, Deputy Director of the Culture, Sports, and Tourism Department, was assigned to inspect 36 projects. The team leader only inspected 9 projects, delegating the inspection of the remaining projects to the department’s divisions.