Localities step up public investment disbursement

With nearly VND14.7 trillion in public investment capital disbursed as of August 12, equivalent to 54% of the target set by the Prime Minister, Dong Nai has emerged as a national bright spot in public investment disbursement.

Only four months remain before the 2026 public investment disbursement period comes to an end. While time is running short, 46% of the allocated capital remains to be disbursed. Localities are therefore racing against time and weather conditions to accelerate project implementation and disbursement.

Racing against time and weather

In 2026, Dong Tam Commune was allocated more than VND65 billion in public investment capital for 10 projects. Recognizing public investment disbursement as a key driver of socio-economic development, the commune has been concentrating resources on the final push. Several essential public works, including transport infrastructure, schools, cultural houses, and local bridges, have been assigned specific completion deadlines, with local authorities determined to complete the projects on or before schedule.

The Dong Tam Kindergarten construction and renovation project was launched in March this year. Designed with six rooms, including four classrooms and two functional rooms, the project has a total investment of about VND8 billion. The facility was originally scheduled for handover at the end of September. However, construction has already been completed, and the kindergarten has been put into use ahead of the new academic year, 30 days ahead of schedule.

An aerial view of the construction site of the Ho Chi Minh City – Thu Dau Mot – Chon Thanh Expressway in Chon Thanh Ward. Photo: XT

Meanwhile, construction is progressing rapidly at the Dong Tien 4 Hamlet Cultural House in Dong Tam Commune, a project designed to meet required standards. Taking advantage of dry weather, the contractor has mobilized dozens of workers and divided them into two teams to work simultaneously on the walls and roof.

Ta Quang Nam, a representative of the contractor, said the project broke ground in mid-May 2026 and is now more than 55% complete. It is scheduled for handover in mid-October. However, the contractor is working to accelerate construction and aims to finish about one month ahead of schedule, allowing local residents to use the facility for community activities and recreation sooner.

Dong Nai was allocated more than VND27 trillion in public investment capital under the 2026 plan assigned by the Prime Minister. As of August 12, the city had disbursed nearly VND14.7 trillion, or 54% of the assigned allocation. Notably, of the 45 project owners directly assigned capital targets and allocations by the municipal People's Committee, six have fully disbursed their 2026 allocations. Another 27 have achieved disbursement rates ranging from 50% to more than 95% of their assigned plans. Among projects for which capital has been allocated to commune-level People's Committees, 43 communes and wards have recorded disbursement rates above the city's average.

Nguyen Quang Thien, Deputy Head of the Economic Division of Dong Tam Commune, said frequent rains had affected the progress of several projects, particularly transport works. Nevertheless, through concerted efforts, the commune has disbursed more than 65% of its public investment allocation and expects the rate to reach 70% by August 31.

Tackling the shortage of construction materials

At several major and key projects, shortages of construction materials remain a challenge. In particular, limited supplies of construction stone have prolonged construction periods and driven up costs, resulting in losses for contractors and delaying projects, while also affecting the city's overall disbursement performance.

The Ho Chi Minh City – Thu Dau Mot – Chon Thanh Expressway is more than 52km long, including a section of over 6.6km passing through Dong Nai City, with a total investment of over VND 1.474 trillion. To implement the project, Dong Nai City must acquire more than 84ha of land, excluding a 2.1km section that overlaps with D9 Road within the planned Becamex – Binh Phuoc Industrial Park.

Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee and Chairman of the Dong Nai People's Committee Nguyen Van Ut inspects construction progress on the Ho Chi Minh City – Thu Dau Mot – Chon Thanh Expressway. Photo: XT

The contractor, Truong Son Construction Corporation, said the project was about 30% complete as of August 15. To accelerate construction, it has mobilized nearly 90 machines and pieces of specialized equipment, along with more than 200 workers and mechanics, to the site.

According to the contractor, the project is scheduled for completion before December 31, 2026. However, the biggest obstacle at present is the shortage of construction materials. Construction stone has to be transported from sources nearly 100km away, driving up costs and affecting the project schedule.

During a field inspection of the Ho Chi Minh City – Thu Dau Mot – Chon Thanh Expressway on August 13, Chairman of the Dong Nai City People's Committee Nguyen Van Ut asked relevant departments and agencies to study plans for additional sources of construction materials. He called on them to facilitate contractors' access to local stone quarries “as quickly and as soon as possible” to help accelerate the project.

Holding project leaders accountable for public investment disbursement

As part of the special 500-day-and-night emulation campaign themed “Solidarity – Discipline – Efficiency – Breakthrough for a civilized and modern Dong Nai,” Nha Bich Commune has implemented 14 projects in healthcare, education, market development, and transport infrastructure, among other areas, with total funding exceeding VND120 billion. To date, five projects have been completed and put into operation, while eight have reached more than 80% completion. The remaining project is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

Vo Quoc Han, Director of the Nha Bich Commune General Services Center, said that immediately after receiving approval for the investment policy, the commune proactively reviewed each project to identify bottlenecks and outstanding issues. In particular, the principle that “each project must have a person responsible, each bottleneck must have a deadline for resolution, and each funding source must have a disbursement roadmap” has been clearly communicated by commune leaders to all relevant units. The commune also regards this as an important basis for assessing the performance of organizations and individuals, thereby strengthening discipline and accountability and improving the efficiency of public investment.

Although Dong Nai City's public investment disbursement rate is higher than the national average, statistics showed that, as of August 12, 10 communes and wards had disbursed between 30.1% and 38.8% of their assigned capital, while another 18 had disbursed less than 30%. With just over four months remaining before the 2026 public investment disbursement period ends, the city leadership has instructed communes, wards, and project owners with low disbursement rates to review and document the progress of each project in detail, identify where bottlenecks remain, determine their causes, and clearly establish responsibility for addressing them, with the aim of substantially completing the disbursement of 2026 public investment capital. The city leadership has also emphasized the roles and accountability of heads of agencies, units, localities, and project owners, linking their responsibilities to disbursement results. At the same time, public investment disbursement results have been identified as an important criterion for assessing how well individuals and units fulfill their assigned tasks.

By X. Tuc – Translated by M.Nguyet, Minho