Nine Public Works Projects Completed Without Investment Approval in Nghe An

In Nghe An province, Vietnam, a startling situation has emerged where nine public works projects, funded by state capital and overseen by the former Trang Son Commune People's Committee, have been completed and are in use despite lacking essential legal documentation, including investment approvals. The issue came to light following the merger of communes, prompting a provincial inspection.

According to Tran Kim Doan, Chairman of the Luong Son Commune People's Committee, the provincial inspection is currently examining these nine projects. These include a car park for students at Trang Son Secondary School, costing approximately 700 million VND, and eight rural road projects. Constructed between 2023 and 2024, these roads represent a total investment exceeding 6.2 billion VND. Additionally, records show that from 2014 to 2024, the former Trang Son Commune undertook 83 repair and maintenance projects totaling nearly 3.5 billion VND, which also remain unfinalized due to missing documentation.

Doan explained that after the commune merger, which formed Luong Son Commune from the amalgamation of Bai Son, Dong Son, Hong Son, and Trang Son communes in Do Luong district, several contractors approached the new leadership seeking payment for the completed works. However, the absence of complete legal and procedural documentation for these projects has made it impossible for the commune to process their requests. "After discovering a series of completed projects lacking the necessary documentation for finalization, we were very surprised and have submitted a report to the Nghe An Provincial People's Committee requesting a resolution plan. The provincial inspection is currently underway," Doan stated.

The Nghệ An Department of Finance's initial findings indicate a serious breach of regulations. Vietnamese law mandates a sequential process for state-funded construction projects, starting with investment preparation (including approval of investment policies and technical reports) and proceeding through project implementation (contractor selection, construction, and acceptance) to project completion (handover, finalization, and maintenance). The department noted that the former Trang Son Commune's action of commencing construction and putting the projects into use before completing mandatory preparatory stages violates Article 16 of the Public Investment Law No. 39/2019/QH14 and Article 12 of the Law on Construction (amended in 2020).

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After discovering a series of completed projects lacking the necessary documentation for finalization, we were very surprised and have submitted a report to the Nghe An Provincial People's Committee requesting a resolution plan. The provincial inspection is currently underway.