The Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee has issued Directive No. 14-CT/TU on strengthening leadership, direction, management and the efficient use of the city's public housing and land assets.
Heads face direct liability for public housing and land
To strengthen the management and use of public housing and land funds and mobilize resources for socio-economic development and double-digit economic growth, the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee said heads of Party committees, authorities, agencies, units and localities must directly lead, supervise and take full responsibility for reviewing, inventorying, managing, exploiting, using and handling public assets under their jurisdiction.
The management and use of public assets must clearly define the responsibilities of each collective body and individual. Performance in this area will be used as a criterion for assessing annual task completion by officials and agencies.
Authorities must not allow lax management, omissions of assets, misuse of public property, encroachment, deterioration, damage, prolonged vacancy, inefficient use, or losses, waste and misconduct in the management, exploitation and use of public housing and land assets. Existing violations in the management and use of public assets must not be legitimized.
Party secretaries and chairpersons of People's Committees at ward-, commune- and special-zone levels will bear direct and comprehensive responsibility before the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee and the municipal People's Committee for managing, exploiting and using public housing and land assets in their areas. They are required to strengthen on-site inspections and promptly detect, handle or propose action against violations, waste and misconduct.
Party organizations and authorities at all levels must accelerate the restructuring and handling of underutilized, vacant or unassigned public housing and land assets in line with directives from the prime minister. Cases involving improper use, unauthorized leasing, lending, joint ventures or partnerships must be promptly addressed, while violations must be dealt with strictly.
For surplus public housing and land assets that are no longer needed or are being used inefficiently, authorities must urgently develop specific, feasible and lawful plans for handling them to avoid prolonged losses and waste of public resources. Priority should be given to education, healthcare, culture, sports, social welfare and other public purposes before considering alternative uses.
The city also called for stronger inspections, examinations and supervision of compliance with regulations governing public assets, alongside clearer accountability for agency heads. Authorities must promptly detect, prevent and strictly handle violations, losses, waste and misconduct, and recover public properties being used improperly.
Cases involving negligence, weak leadership or delayed action in addressing violations that result in losses, waste or misconduct in the management of public housing and land assets will be dealt with strictly in accordance with regulations.
The directive also calls for Party policies and state laws to be translated into specific regulations, procedures, plans and task assignments based on the principle of clearly defining personnel, responsibilities, authority, deadlines and expected outcomes.
Strict action against violations
The Standing Committee assigned the Party Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee to direct agencies, organizations and local authorities to review, inventory and handle public assets and public housing and land funds currently assigned or temporarily assigned for management and use. The process must be completed by June 30 with definitive, effective and feasible solutions.
Authorities are instructed to strictly and comprehensively handle violations and cases of improper use, while clearly defining the responsibility of each agency and unit for the management, allocation, exploitation and use of each public property. Delays, omissions, abandonment, encroachment, disputes, deterioration or losses of state assets must not be allowed.
The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee was instructed to quickly finalize management mechanisms, decentralization measures and solutions to existing obstacles. It must urgently review difficulties related to policies, procedures and regulations governing public assets and make adjustments within its authority or propose changes to higher authorities where necessary.
The city will promote greater decentralization and delegation of authority in public asset management while strengthening inspections and supervision. Lead and coordinating agencies must be clearly designated to guide and resolve implementation issues.
Public housing and land assets must be allocated and assigned to agencies, organizations, units and localities for purposes consistent with legal standards, quotas and the prime minister's directives. Regulations governing public assets must be amended where necessary to align with the functions, duties and structure of newly reorganized agencies.
Units responsible for managing and exploiting public housing and land assets, the Land Fund Development Center, organizations engaged in housing management and business, and city-owned enterprises were instructed to promptly take over public properties and headquarters that have been subject to recovery decisions and handover procedures.
Authorities must develop feasible and effective plans for managing and exploiting public housing and land assets in line with planning requirements and actual demand, and submit them to competent authorities for approval and implementation.
The city was also instructed to proactively review housing and land facilities managed by central government ministries and agencies that are being used inefficiently, wastefully, for improper purposes, or inconsistently with the city's planning and development orientation. It will propose that competent authorities transfer such assets to the city for management and exploitation, with priority given to infrastructure development, social housing, public facilities and resources for socio-economic development investment.
