Many investment projects are behind schedule, Quang Nam is struggling to find a solution

The southern abutment of DH14 bridge will be temporarily suspended because the investment project will end in 2023. Photo by TRINH DUNG (taken on March 20, 2025)

Many unfinished projects

Without access roads, the southern abutment of the DH14 bridge across the Vinh Dien and Dien Ban rivers is located in the middle of residential land in Cau Nhi village and has been unable to continue construction for many years.

Section DH14 is one of the investment items of Project HA/W4 under the Project "Developing the environment and urban infrastructure to respond to climate change in Hoi An City" (2015 - 2022), although it has been extended to 2023, it still cannot be completed.

The investor (Provincial Traffic Project Management Board) was forced to stop because the volume was too large, the compensation and site clearance costs were high, and the implementation time was long.

The project "Flood avoidance road combined with Nam Phuoc urban development, connecting Duy Xuyen district administrative center, National Highway 1, National Highway 14H" could not be completed as per the construction contract.

After more than 6 years of investment, what can be seen on the ground of this project are only unfinished bridges, unable to connect Ma Chau silk village to Duy Trung across Ba Ren river. Lacking materials to connect the foundation and road surface, unable to construct, 3 contractors stopped construction, moved their troops to other places, leaving behind camps around full of equipment that had begun to rust.

The Nam Phuoc town flood bypass has long expired its investment period and is still unfinished, with no known completion date. Photo by TRINH DUNG (taken on March 21, 2025)

The Loc Dai Lake project (Que Hiep commune, Que Son) is expected to be completed in 2020, but further investment cannot be made due to lack of money for compensation and lack of land for the dam body. It is not known when the project (VND 291 billion) can be completed, providing irrigation water for 500 hectares of cultivated land in the two communes of Que Hiep and Que Thuan (Que Son)...

The above-mentioned large projects are a very small part of the list of public investment projects that are behind schedule, lasting for many years, and cannot be completed even after the construction period ends, spread across 18 districts and towns in the province, from transportation, fishing ports, resettlement areas to schools...

After 3 reviews (starting from November 28, 2024), the Provincial People's Committee announced (February 28, 2025) that there are up to 55 projects behind schedule; of which 11 projects belong to departments and branches, 44 projects are in localities. Recently, on March 13, 2025, 34 more projects behind schedule were announced.

Mr. Nguyen Nhu Cong - Director of the Department of Finance said that projects that are behind schedule will be reviewed to determine the technical stopping point, request approval to end the project, and finalize the project. If the investment efficiency has not been promoted, urgent items will be reviewed, the project implementation time will be extended, the capital plan will be supplemented, and the remaining items will be invested in.

According to calculations, more than 4,000 billion VND has been invested in these slow-progressing projects that have not yet been able to take effect.

Tra Dinh Bridge (Que Phu, Que Son) has a bridge but no access road, so it cannot be used to connect people in Que Phu and Duy Thanh areas easily. Photo: TRINH DUNG (taken on February 28, 2025)

Difficult to find solution

Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Le Van Dung said that almost all 18 districts and towns have projects that are behind schedule and waste investment, but they do not report, report incompletely or avoid reporting, claiming that their locality does not have any projects that are behind schedule. Due to lack of responsibility, investors and localities have allowed the above situation of too many projects to be behind schedule.

Provincial Party Secretary Luong Nguyen Minh Triet said that if not resolute, it will cause great waste. Removing slow-progressing projects will avoid waste and mobilize stuck resources from these projects for development investment.

However, the removal requires that someone be responsible, clarify why, who caused the consequences and fix it. It is impossible to legitimize the wrong, and it is impossible to avoid responsibility.

Nui Thanh authorities pledge to remove difficulties and handle delays in Tam Tien bridge. Photo: TRINH DUNG, taken on March 21, 2025

Most of the projects that are behind schedule have been approved to extend the investment schedule until December 31, 2025. Investors and localities have committed to thoroughly handling this issue in the shortest time possible. Many localities such as Nui Thanh, Hoi An, Phuoc Son, Hiep Duc... said they will make every effort to complete these projects as planned in 2025.

Mr. Le Van Sinh - Chairman of Nui Thanh District People's Committee said that the projects behind schedule are mainly small-scale schools that need to be expanded, due to land issues, and it is unknown when they will be completed. Tam Giang Bridge will be completed in May 2025. Tam Tien Bridge and Tam Xuan 2 landfill have problems, prolonging the time, and requests for adjustment of investment progress will also be handled.

On the other hand, many investors and localities cannot set a deadline to handle slow-progressing projects and request to stop the projects.

Mr. Phan Thai Binh - Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee said that investors and localities have not yet proposed a solution. The difficulties of the projects, from site clearance, planning, medical equipment price appraisal to increasing material and labor prices, lack of sand, soil, lack of resettlement areas... are all long-standing barriers that cannot be resolved in the short term.

Not to mention small projects that are difficult to meet investment progress, large projects are also not easy. For example, the Hoi An incinerator has been settled according to actual capacity, but the equipment is moldy, damaged, and cannot be operated.

DH14 Road cannot continue because the project has ended. Tra Dinh Bridge (Que Phu, Que Son) has increased its total investment from 51.9 billion VND to 62.6 billion VND but still cannot be built. After many years of construction, only the bridge over the river has been completed.

Loc Dai Lake cannot construct a spillway. Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Van Dung has requested an inspection of this project. According to Mr. Vo Van Diem - Director of the Provincial Construction Investment Project Management Board, if a solution or a new approach is not found, the Loc Dai Lake project will never be completed.

Compensation, site clearance, shortage of raw materials, delays, adjustment of investment progress... are the bottlenecks of the economy that have not been resolved for many years, causing Quang Nam to pay a high price for the sluggishness and disarray of investment projects. The projects that have been behind schedule for many years without being resolved, the commitment to complete them in just a few months of 2025 is just political determination.

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/nhieu-du-an-dau-tu-cham-tien-do-quang-nam-loay-hoay-huong-xu-ly-3151527.html