VietNamNet Bridge – The Government has given ‘in principle’ approval to Hai Duong Province’s building a new administrative center at a cost of up to VND2 trillion despite experts’ criticism over the growing trend of constructing costly administrative centers in the country.

The new administrative center building in Danang City. In addition to the central city, other localities such as Binh Duong, Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Lam Dong constructed high-rise buildings to house all their administrative agencies

The project will be implemented under the build-transfer (BT) format in Hai Duong City. Covering over 19 hectares, the center will be home to offices for 19 State agencies including those of the people’s council, people’s committee, National Assembly deputies delegation and departments, and convention facilities and parking lot.

Earlier, cities and provinces such as Danang, Binh Duong, Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Lam Dong constructed high-rise buildings to house all their administrative agencies.

There has been an expensive trend of developing administrative center buildings in provinces, said architect Ngo Viet Nam Son.

HCMC is also working on a new administrative center on an 18,000-square-meter site surrounded by Dong Khoi, Le Thanh Ton, Pasteur and Ly Tu Trong streets in District 1. The city has yet to calculate the total cost of the project but the investor – HCMC House Trade Management Company Limited – has estimated it at trillions of dong.

Binh Duong Province has set aside over VND1.4 trillion for a new administrative building, Ba Ria-Vung Tau over VND1 trillion, Danang VND1.9 trillion and Lam Dong over VND1 trillion.

Dong Nai Province also plans to spend VND2.2 trillion on its center at Bien Hoa City while Khanh Hoa Province mulls spending VND5.5 trillion on relocation of its administrative center to the west of Nha Trang City. Binh Thuan and Binh Dinh provinces have also drawn up similar projects.

Most localities explain that such projects are necessary to better serve local people and manage State services more efficiently.

Explaining the development of its new administrative center, the central city of Danang said that as most State offices had degraded, departments and agencies were located in different parts of the city, making it difficult for citizens and businesses to work with State agencies.

Meanwhile, Binh Duong Province said the new center has helped downsize administration offices, and save costs for locals and State agencies.

However, while many localities have developed huge administrative centers but serve just a small number of locals, architect Son said.

In some provinces, it is not necessary to put all State agencies under the same roof. For example, Dalat City is not suitable for hi-rise buildings and it should renovate old villas for State agencies. The offices of State agencies can be placed in a radius of around 800 meters, he said.  

SGT