In his report, Standing Vice Chairman Duong Ngoc Hai of the HCMC People’s Committee noted that in 2024, the city’s three judicial levels implemented synchronized, focused strategies, effectively advising government levels on institutional reform initiatives.
During 2024, judicial enforcement agencies in HCMC were tasked with over 113,000 cases, more than half of which have been resolved. The total monetary and asset value requiring enforcement exceeded VND56 trillion (US$2.2 billion), with VND34 trillion ($1.34 billion) already processed.
In administrative judicial work, four household registration book types were digitized, with a total of 12.8 million records put into use. HCMC had issued over 141,000 criminal records, averaging 650 applications daily, and implemented criminal background certificate issuance through the VneID application starting November 4, 2024.
Deputy Minister of Justice Mai Luong Khoi reported on preparations and potential challenges regarding the Van Thinh Phat case enforcement, describing it as the most extensive judicial enforcement in historical records.
The total assets and funds requiring enforcement in this case exceed VND50 trillion ($1.97 billion), representing one-third of the national enforcement volume for 2024. The upcoming workload and asset valuation represent an extraordinary challenge.
The Ministry of Justice has coordinated with interagency central authorities and sought guidance from the Central Steering Committee for Anti-Corruption to prepare legal and procedural solutions. The Ministry’s Party Committee received approval from the Central Steering Committee and the Prime Minister to establish an inter-agency steering committee for the Van Thinh Phat case enforcement.
The Deputy Minister highlighted the massive real estate portfolio requiring processing, distributed across multiple districts: District 1 with 144 assets, District 3 with 291 assets, and Nha Be District with 518 assets. The property types include diverse categories such as apartment complexes, office buildings, agricultural lands, and individual residences. The legal status of these assets is intricate, with many properties not registered under Truong My Lan or Van Thinh Phat Group.
Deputy Minister Mai Luong Khoi requested that the HCMC Party Committee and People’s Committee pay special attention to and promptly direct law enforcement while timely removing any obstacles arising during these processes within the city’s authority, especially legal obstacles to assets.
At the meeting, Minister of Justice Nguyen Hai Ninh acknowledged and highly appreciated the positive results in the field of justice and civil enforcement in the city. He then proposed that besides strengthening the direction of legal and civil enforcement work, it is particularly necessary for HCMC to focus on resources, to build special inter-discipline mechanisms and breakthrough policies to address possible challenges, and to create favorable conditions for the legal force to perform their duty.
In response, Chairman Phan Van Mai of the HCMC Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee requested that the Ministry of Justice continue to pay attention to and support the city in training human resources, resolving international disputes, handling pending cases, and supporting law enforcement work in the city.
As to the Van Thinh Phat case, with an extremely large workload, the Chairman suggested that the Ministry of Justice continue to support and work with the city to focus on handling it effectively.
In 2025, HCMC is going to summarize results of implementing Resolution 131 about on the organization of an urban government in the city, possibly leading to a new resolution or another form of legal document. The city will study and approach the Law on Special Urban Areas of HCMC, hoping that the Ministry of Justice will suggest appropriate approaches for the city, linked to its specific characteristics and development requirements.
Showing appreciation to the aid of the Justice Ministry in the implementation of Resolution 98 in the city to transform it into a global financial center, Secretary Nguyen Van Nen of the HCMC Party Committee expressed agreement with the 7 groups of content in the draft agreement on flexible cooperation between the Ministry of Justice and the HCMC People’s Committee.
He also agreed with the proposals and recommendations of the Minister and Deputy Ministers of Justice. HCMC will continue to receive and complete the key tasks, especially the issue of civil enforcement.
According to Secretary Nguyen Van Nen, the situation has posed a precedent for HCMC with a case (the Van Thinh Phat case) that has never been seen before, with a scale and nature requiring a special mechanism to resolve. He highly agreed with the proposal to establish an inter-agency steering committee to organize enforcement, thereby mobilizing forces and resources commensurate with the nature and level of the case.
Looking forward to 2025, HCMC plans to comprehensively review urban governance resolutions and explore potential legislative frameworks, seeking the Ministry of Justice’s guidance in developing city-specific approaches aligned with developmental requirements.
