In order to promote substantial administrative reform, save costs and time for people and businesses, the Prime Minister issued Official Dispatch No. 78/CD-TTg dated May 29, 2025 on focusing on cutting and simplifying administrative procedures in the construction sector.
In particular, the Prime Minister requested the Minister of Construction to focus on implementing: Urgently reviewing, cutting and simplifying 361 administrative procedures related to production and business activities, 447 business conditions under the management of the Ministry of Construction.
Especially the issue of cutting down on construction licensing procedures for works in construction investment projects with detailed planning at a scale of 1/500 or works in areas with approved urban design. Reducing subjects that must carry out project and design appraisal procedures at specialized construction agencies.
This directive is considered a strong step to remove bottlenecks in procedures in the construction sector - one of the major barriers to the recovery and development of the real estate market as well as infrastructure projects across the country.
According to the 2014 Construction Law, the construction permit time depends on the type of work. With individual houses, licensing time is 15 days from the date of receiving a complete and valid dossier; And other works, licensing time is 20 working days. The procedure for applying for a construction permit consists of 4 steps and the time limit for settlement of licenses shall not exceed 15 days.
It is known that according to regulations, only repair and renovation works that do not change the area or change the new structure do not need permission. Meanwhile, according to the people, individual housing construction projects are hardly exempted from construction permits. Even simple leaf house construction, fence construction, or when the land has a 1/500 planning, a construction permit must be applied for.
Mr. Le Hoang Chau, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Real Estate Association, said that he had previously proposed exempting construction permits for individual houses in Ho Chi Minh City. Because asking for construction permits in urban areas has long been a procedure that takes a lot of time and effort for people.
Currently, there is a regulation that people who want to be exempted from a construction permit must have the land in the 1/500 planning projects. Meanwhile, up to now, only real estate projects in Ho Chi Minh City have a 1/500 plan, while the 1/2,000 plan has not been covered.
In fact, in Ho Chi Minh City, there have long been many opinions suggesting that the application for a construction permit should be abandoned because in 2021, the City People's Committee approved the architectural management regulations in the area (issued with Decision 56).
The regulations have clearly stipulated the construction density, height, height, and rear areas, and architectural parts such as balconies, covered ceilings, railings, overpasses, underpasses, and solvents for each street and every street. Therefore, it is advisable to exempt or reduce the license for individual houses in rural areas or areas with stable planning.
