The Minister of Construction has just requested his affiliated units to review and amend regulations to reduce construction licensing procedures for works with a detailed 1/500 planning or approved urban design, in order to implement Resolution 66 and Official Dispatch No. 78 of the Government on administrative procedure reform.
Dr. Tran Xuan Luong - Deputy Director of the Vietnam Institute for Real Estate Market Research and Evaluation - said that cutting and simplifying administrative procedures in the construction sector is a correct, timely policy and in line with modern management trends.
"Switching from pre-inspection to post-inspection is an inevitable direction. Instead of controlling all construction activities in advance, the State should focus on the post-inspection stage with clear technical standards. This approach not only meets international practices but also significantly reduces time and costs for people and businesses," Mr. Luong emphasized.
According to Dr. Tran Xuan Luong, when there is a 1/500 planning and a clear system of standards and regulations, people have the right to use residential land, they only need to register for construction, without having to apply for a construction permit.
To do this, the State must establish regulations applicable to each area, including: regulations on architecture, environment, fire prevention and fighting... At that time, people will sign a contract with a design unit and a construction unit that is qualified to practice.
When people have registered for construction, they only need to submit the documents to the authorities, clearly notifying the design unit and the construction unit.
On the side of the state management agency, instead of the current check -ups, the post -inspection will be completed: When the project has completed the rough part or the completion, if detected the mistake - such as the balcony exceeds the permitted size, the responsibility will belong to the design unit and the construction unit, rather than the burden of procedures to the people. The family is the user, may not know the technique, so the sanctioning mechanism will focus on professional organizations to ensure deterrence and management efficiency.
Speaking with Lao Dong, Ms. Giang Huynh - Director, Research & S22M Department, Savills City. Ho Chi Minh City - commented that in reality, the process of applying for a construction permit usually takes from 3 to 6 months, or even longer if the project has to adjust the planning or ask for opinions from many authorities. The prolonged procedures not only affect the implementation progress but also increase financial costs, putting pressure on capital flow and the ability of enterprises to rotate.
In that context, the proposal to exempt construction permits for projects with detailed 1/500 planning or in areas with approved urban design is a reasonable step. For these projects, technical indicators such as construction density, height, reverse area or infrastructure have been specifically identified, so a construction registration mechanism can be applied instead of the traditional permission process while still ensuring compliance and supervision.
However, Ms. Giang emphasized that this policy needs to be implemented simultaneously with a strict post-inspection system. To ensure comprehensive efficiency, it is necessary to promote digitalization, build a centralized data system to monitor progress, monitor construction quality and publicize inspection results. At the same time, reforming construction procedures needs to be implemented in parallel with removing greater obstacles in land, planning and land use fee valuation - which are core bottlenecks for the development of real estate projects today.
At the regular Government press conference in May 2025 organized by the Government Office on the afternoon of June 4, Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyen Danh Huy informed that the Ministry of Construction will valize, amend, and reduce procedures from the Construction Law, all of which will be completed in 2025. In the immediate future, for areas where detailed planning 1/500 has been approved, it can be amended immediately, exempting immediate licensing, and no longer granting construction permits to people.
