Nghe An Province Criticizes 4 Departments and 18 Communes for Slow Public Investment Fund Disbursement

Nghe An Province in central Vietnam has issued a stern warning to four provincial departments and 18 communes and wards for failing to meet public investment fund disbursement targets. The delays are impacting the province's socio-economic development. In 2026, Nghe An was allocated over VND 14.174 trillion (approximately USD 600 million) in public investment funds by the Prime Minister. After a 5% local budget reduction (nearly VND 412 billion), the total available funds amount to over VND 13.763 trillion (approximately USD 580 million). As of the end of August 2026, the total disbursed public investment funds reached over VND 12.724 trillion (approximately USD 540 million), achieving 61.71% of the total plan and 77.87% of the plan set at the beginning of the year. However, a preliminary assessment of disbursement performance for August revealed that while 114 departments, branches, and communes/wards performed well, four provincial departments (Nghe An Provincial Management Board for Civil and Industrial Construction Investment Projects, Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Department of Health, Department of Science and Technology) and 18 communes/wards (specific names listed) had average or poor disbursement results. The primary reasons identified for the slow disbursement of public investment capital include a lack of decisiveness in leadership and direction by heads of agencies, units, and localities; a lack of proactivity in resolving bottlenecks; delays in completing investment procedures and acceptance; and a failure to strictly adhere to the committed disbursement progress. The Nghe An Provincial People's Committee has strictly criticized the disbursement results of the aforementioned four departments and 18 communes/wards, emphasizing that these issues directly affect the overall disbursement rate of the province and the progress of socio-economic development tasks. These entities are required to draw serious lessons, urgently clarify the reasons, and develop specific plans and solutions for improvement, aiming to achieve 100% disbursement as directed by the Prime Minister. The provincial leadership also stressed that disbursement must be linked to actual construction volume and strict adherence to current regulations. Deliberate actions such as falsifying disbursement documents, signing advance payment contracts at year-end, or transferring funds to land compensation accounts before payment conditions are met to "rush" disbursement targets are strictly prohibited.