On January 7, District 8’s Land Compensation and Clearance Board initiated the disbursement of compensation to residents affected by the Doi Canal’s northern bank dredging, infrastructure construction, and environmental remediation project. On the first day of payments, dozens of households completed the necessary procedures to receive funds and relinquish their land.
Among the over 1,000 households facing complete relocation, Le Thi Phu, a resident of Hung Phu Ward, District 8, expressed satisfaction with the offered compensation and consented to transferring her land to the developer. “Alongside the compensation exceeding VND5 billion (US$197,000), the provision for purchasing resettlement housing is a welcome measure, reflecting a judicious state policy,” Phu remarked.
On December 31, 2024, the Thu Duc City People’s Committee disbursed compensation to residents impacted by sections of the HCMC Ring Road 2 project, including the segments from Phu Huu Bridge to Vo Nguyen Giap Street (section 1) and from Vo Nguyen Giap Street to Pham Van Dong Street (section 2).
Nguyen Thi Kim Loan, residing on Kha Van Can Street of Linh Dong Ward, conveyed her enthusiasm as the project entered its final pre-construction phases. Despite facing complete relocation, she expressed her anticipation for the project’s commencement and subsequent completion, envisioning its contribution to the city’s economic advancement.
Thu Duc City expects to disburse over VND2 trillion (US$78.8 million) in Ring Road 2 compensation before the 2025 Lunar New Year, according to Vice Chairman Mai Huu Quyet of the Thu Duc City People’s Committee. By the end of 2024, the city had disbursed VND8.96 trillion (US$353 million) of its VND9.3 trillion (US$366.4 million) allocation, achieving a 96-percent disbursement rate through prompt directives, a dedicated task force, and regular progress meetings among investors and relevant state departments.
In 2024, Binh Tan District committed to disbursing over VND3.2 trillion ($126 million) in public investment. The district has since exceeded this commitment, achieving a disbursement rate of over 100 percent. Chairman Vu Chi Kien of the Binh Tan District People’s Committee explained that, following capital allocation by HCMC, the district leadership directed investors to develop granular monthly disbursement plans for each project.
Depending on each project’s legal framework, investors carefully devised realistic implementation plans, serving as a benchmark for district oversight and ensuring adherence to the city’s disbursement directives. The Binh Tan District Party Committee established task forces, led by members of its Standing Committee, to monitor, expedite, and resolve impediments, particularly concerning community engagement in land handover for projects necessitating compensation and site clearance.
For 2025, the Cu Chi District People’s Committee has been allocated over VND1.59 trillion ($62.6 million) for 436 projects. From the outset of the year, the district has prioritized enhanced public awareness campaigns and effective community outreach regarding compensation, support, and resettlement. Concurrently, the Compensation, Support, and Resettlement Council for each project, along with relevant officials, has been tasked with diligently verifying land origins to safeguard citizens’ legitimate rights.
District 12 is prioritizing compensation for site clearance, particularly for the VND1.3 trillion (US$51.2 million) Tan Thoi Hiep 21 Street upgrade, with over VND1 trillion (US$39.4 million) allocated for compensation. Before Tet 2025, VND569 billion (US$22.4 million) will be disbursed to 260 cases, with the remainder paid afterward. The district aims for 98-percent disbursement by the end of January 2025 and is expediting 2025 project approvals, according to Vice Chairman Nguyen Minh Chanh.
HCMC has set a 2025 growth target exceeding 10 percent, requiring the mobilization of approximately VND620 trillion ($24.4 billion), one-sixth of which constitutes public investment, acting as crucial seed capital to attract private sector investment. Consequently, the city must accelerate disbursement from the beginning of the year.
Deputy Director Dinh Khac Huy of the HCMC Department of Planning and Investment asserted that achieving high disbursement rates in 2025 hinges on the city’s full allocation of public investment capital within the first quarter of 2025. Therefore, agencies and units must finalize project approvals no later than January to establish a basis for capital allocation according to the annual plan.
Thu Duc City, tasked with disbursing over VND6 trillion (US$236.4 million) across more than 400 projects in 2025, mandates 100-percent disbursement plans from investors. This includes proposing solutions to overcome challenges, accelerating construction, and reallocating funds from slow-moving projects. A key measure requires project approvals or adjustments by January 30 from the Planning-Construction Division and the Transport and Public Works Division of Thu Duc City to facilitate capital allocation and expedite implementation.
In recent times, several localities have proactively proposed to the HCMC People’s Committee the transfer of project ownership from city-level departments to local authorities. This devolution aims to enhance local autonomy in project implementation, particularly concerning the synchronization of site clearance and construction deployment, thus accelerating project completion and contributing to ensuring public investment disbursement targets, as stated by Binh Tan District People's Committee Vice Chairman Vu Chi Kien.
According to Chairman Phan Van Mai of the HCMC People’s Committee, the city will prioritize the conclusive resolution of outstanding tasks throughout January 2025, exerting maximum effort to disburse 2024 public investment funds.
The HCMC People’s Committee has also assigned individual Standing Committee members to oversee project groups, conducting reviews and expediting progress according to established timelines and plans. 2024 public investment disbursement performance will serve as a key criterion for cadre evaluation.
The HCMC People’s Committee has assigned targets to each project group, with specific key projects undertaking compensation payments for site clearance to affected residents.
