At the National Assembly session on April 20 discussing thrift practice and waste prevention in 2025, many deputies pointed out systemic waste, proposing that "responsibility must be identified" to trace the origin of the problems and handle matters to the end.

Deputy Ly Kieu Van (Quang Tri delegation) said the Party and the State have issued many important policies to address the issue, but waste is no longer isolated. It has become systemic, widespread, increasingly sophisticated, and hard to identify.

He said waste appears across most stages of state management—from institutional building, resource allocation and implementation to inspection and supervision.

Waste is not just spending for the wrong purpose or tangible loss. It is also reflected in works and projects that drag on for many years without completion; policies enacted but not put into practice; and resources that are blocked simply due to procedural entanglements.

The delegate from Quang Tri province asked that regulations clearly identify specific responsibilities, in order to ensure the principle of clear people, clear tasks, clear timing, and clear levels. 

Every decision related to the allocation, management, and use of resources must have "identified responsibility" from the very beginning. When waste arises, the cause can be traced and handled promptly and strictly.

The delegate argued that institutional bottlenecks are the root cause of many forms of waste. She pointed out that many projects are slow to implement not because of a lack of capital but due to entanglements between legal regulations, between one law and another (entanglements in site clearance and land procedures; planning and investment procedures, etc.).

If this overlapping situation cannot be resolved, the more that implementation proceeds, the more that obstacles will arise, wasting time and social costs.

The delegate suggested an institutional review on a national scale, focusing on fields causing major congestion such as public investment, land, bidding, and public assets. More importantly, there must be a mechanism allowing for timely amendments and adjustments to regulations that are no longer appropriate, rather than waiting for a summary report to handle them.

"I propose early research, development, and issuance of a national index set on waste, covering key areas such as public investment, land management, public assets, and finance - budget," the delegate said, emphasizing the need to build a scientifically-based waste measurement tool soon.

According to Van, this index set needs to be quantified and updated periodically, creating a foundation for substantive, transparent supervision linked to the specific responsibilities of each level and sector.

Regarding land resource waste, Deputy Nguyen Ngoc Son (Hai Phong delegation) said key challenges in the real estate market lie in planning institutions, investment procedures, land pricing, compensation, resettlement and project approval timelines.

“When legal supply is still blocked while speculation, planning rumors and land auctions create artificial price surges, it is difficult to stabilize the market. Solutions to cool down irrational price increases must be clarified,” he said.

He noted that many localities still rely heavily on land revenues and land-use auctions. He proposed careful assessment and solutions for problematic real estate projects tied to inspection conclusions or court rulings, as well as delayed and abandoned projects.

“In my view, information should be disclosed and a mechanism established to review and classify all projects. Eligible ones should proceed with clear deadlines, while those lacking capacity or deliberately delaying must be revoked and re-auctioned or repurposed,” he said.

Deputy Tran Van Lam (Bac Ninh delegation) said cutting regular spending to increase investment spending can be effective if done reasonably. However, saving on recurrent spending while channeling funds into inefficient, delayed projects that fail after completion would result in even greater waste.

He emphasized improving investment efficiency across all stages, from project selection ensuring spillover effects and socio-economic benefits, to preparation, budgeting, implementation, disbursement, quality control and post-investment operation.

“I have to stress that spending less is not necessarily saving; spending right and effectively is saving. Increasing revenue at all costs is not the goal; nurturing sustainable revenue is. Every budget dong must be spent in the right place, at the right time, creating real value for fast and sustainable development. That is true saving,” Lam added.

Thu Hang