State Inspector Finds Multiple Land and Property Violations at Agriculture Ministry

Vietnam’s government inspectorate has identified a broad range of problems in the management of surplus public property under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. The properties included sites left vacant, unused for more than a year, occupied without authorization or lent out contrary to regulations.

At the time of the inspection, 425 property sites remained without completed plans for reorganization and handling. Together, they covered more than 2.9 billion square meters of land and more than 1.4 million square meters of buildings. By June 20, the ministry had not transferred 177 surplus sites to local authorities, contrary to its implementation plan for the prime minister’s directive.

The inspectorate found gaps in the files for the surplus properties. Of 182 records, 39 lacked declaration reports and 42 lacked records of inspections of current conditions. All 182 decisions transferring properties to local authorities failed to include the original cost and remaining value of the listed assets.

The findings also detailed specific cases. Eighteen sites had stood empty and unused for more than 12 months, covering more than 223,497 square meters of land and 1,475 square meters of buildings. Fourteen sites managed by 12 units had been encroached upon, involving more than 579,243 square meters of land and 80 square meters of buildings. Three sites, covering 1,789 square meters of land and 80 square meters of buildings, had been lent out improperly.

One case involved the Plant Protection Research Institute, which lent land to individuals who then subleased it. The individuals reported collecting more than 176 million dong in rent. The inspectorate said 49 surplus sites, covering 290,072 square meters of land and 27,368 square meters of buildings, could be put to productive use. Twenty-nine could be handled immediately because the ministry had already decided to transfer them to local management without identified obstacles.

The inspector general urged the ministry to tighten discipline in managing public assets, investigate ineffective use and quickly put suitable properties into operation. It also called for faster coordination with provincial and municipal authorities to transfer 156 sites already approved for handover, finalize plans for the 425 sites without them and determine and recover money collected through unauthorized subleasing.