Ho Chi Minh City tightens oversight of construction, including permit-exempt projects

Ho Chi Minh City is putting even construction projects that qualify for permit exemptions under closer scrutiny. The city’s chairman ordered local administrations and management boards to correct shortcomings identified by the Department of Construction and prevent new violations from becoming persistent trouble spots.

The directive assigns commune, ward and special administrative-zone chairpersons, along with several city development and industrial-zone management boards, responsibility for reviewing local construction-order management. Inspections must cover the entire area, including projects that do not need building permits. Authorities are expected to detect violations quickly and impose strict penalties.

The Department of Construction will monitor whether agencies correct the identified problems, develop a specialized oversight plan and submit a citywide report on the 25th of each month. The Department of Home Affairs must study and propose a model for commune-level urban-order management teams, with the proposal due in September 2026.

The city also wants construction enforcement linked to broader urban improvements and sustainable development. Officials were told to implement the national housing strategy and social-housing programs, with a target of adding 199,400 units by the end of 2030.

The relocation target for homes on and beside canals and waterways will rise from 20,000 to 40,000 units. Construction, repairs and renovations in protected canal corridors and redevelopment areas will face close management. The directive also calls for faster transport, drainage and flood-control infrastructure projects, especially priority schemes.