Can't use it, can't sell it
After nearly 17 years of separation and development, from January 1, 2025, Nong Son district has officially merged into Que Son district to establish the new Que Son district (Quang Nam) according to the general policy. Almost the entire administrative center of this district is redundant after the merger and streamlining of the apparatus.
The headquarters of Que Phuoc commune, the old Nong Son district (now Que Son district, Quang Nam) worth 4.9 billion VND became a "warm house" after only 2 years of use. Photo, clip: Hoang Bin
In Nong Son, in addition to the district People's Committee headquarters, it is very grand and large-scale, there are also headquarters of departments, offices, units, vertical agencies... surplus after the merger. We are wondering, not knowing who will transfer it to, how to use it - a representative of the Quang Nam Department of Finance admitted that it will take a long time to arrange the use of these offices.
Chairman of Que Son District People's Committee Nguyen Van Hoa explained that for the headquarters of the old Nong Son district, if it is to exploit, it must be included in the land use planning, adjust the general planning of Trung Phuoc town, register a list, and adjust the land user unit. To sell or auction, we still have to wait for the province to approve... the process and procedures will take many years.
Options such as handing over offices to the commune level or the education sector are also not feasible, because district-level offices are very grand and large-scale, if left for the communes to use, they will not be able to fully develop their functions. Not to mention, all communes have completed headquarters and cultural institutions.
The solution for units and businesses to rent out is also not feasible due to the regulation that public headquarters cannot be rented to the private sector.
Similarly, the People's Committee of Quang Nam province said that from January 1, 2025, the People's Committee of Nam Giang district will not be allowed to sell surplus headquarters due to the relocation of the District Administrative Center from Ca Do commune to Thanh My town (2019). Agencies and units under districts and provinces that do not need to use them cannot be handled by the form of assignment or transfer.
The reason is that From January 1, 2025, Law No. 56/2024/QH15 dated November 29, 2024 amending and supplementing a number of Laws will take effect, including amending and supplementing Clause 3, Article 40 of the Law on Management and Use of Public Assets. The form of sale is not applicable to public assets such as land, assets attached to land, except for land, assets attached to land of Vietnamese agencies abroad and cases where they are sold according to the provisions of other laws - the People's Committee of Quang Nam province explained.
Tightening management, combating waste of public assets
The above reasons make the arrangement and use of surplus offices and land a difficult problem and "to absolutely not waste is very difficult" - as shared by Mr. Le Van Dung - Chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Nam province.
Mr. Le Van Dung gave an example, the two headquarters of the District Party Committee and People's Committee of the old Nong Son district were built very grandly, now if you want to arrange something there, it is not possible and unreasonable. Schools and markets are not suitable for the previous construction function. Calculating to solve this problem is extremely difficult.
Quang Nam has established a Steering Committee on implementing measures to prevent and combat waste in the province. In addition to tightening land management and redundant offices due to the implementation of the general policy on merger and streamlining the apparatus, projects that are under-managed and used inefficiently, causing waste of resources... must strictly handle the responsibility of related individuals and organizations - Quang Nam leaders emphasized.
To date, out of 388 houses and land facilities that are not in use, used inefficiently, and used for the wrong purpose, Quang Nam has issued a decision to handle 247 facilities and completed the handling of 66 facilities, and has not yet completed the handling of 181 facilities; there are still 141 facilities that have not issued a decision to handle.
In the coming time, implement a roadmap to abolish the district-level administrative apparatus, in Quang Nam alone, it is expected to reduce 17 districts, towns, cities and 233 communes, wards and towns. This also means that there is no need to use district and commune-level headquarters.
Recently, the Ministry of Finance also issued an official dispatch requesting localities, including Quang Nam, to urgently review and handle redundant headquarters and real estate after the arrangement of administrative units. Deputy Minister of Finance Bui Van Khang emphasized: "It is necessary to be urgent and drastic in handling public assets and surplus headquarters in accordance with regulations, publicity and transparency." This is to ensure the effective use of public assets, avoiding waste and loss.
Expert Nguyen The Diep - Member of the Vietnam Real Estate Association said that fighting against waste of land resources and offices is now no different from fighting against negativity.
"Up to now, we have not had clear sanctions to handle this issue, just in general. Now we must take responsibility, have specific sanctions, it cannot be said that it is not our responsibility.
For example, if a locality cannot request from a superior level, it must ask the Government, if ministries and branches cannot, they must go to the National Assembly... must apply the correct authority of which level, then that level must handle it".
