With a public investment plan of nearly VND148 trillion ($5.6 billion) for 2026, Ho Chi Minh City has already allocated 87.5% of the funds. However, disbursement progress in the first four months has not yet met expectations. The city is now working to remove bottlenecks and aims to disburse 100% of the planned capital to propel economic growth.

The information was revealed at a meeting chaired by the city People’s Committee, Mr.  Nguyen Văn Duoc, on May 6, to review the implementation and disbursement of public investment capital for the first four months of 2026 and to discuss the medium-term investment plan for the 2026–2030 period.

According to Deputy Director of the city's Department of Finance, Mr. Mai Ba Truoc, during the first four months of 2026, the city's investment efforts were carried out amidst organizational restructuring and the start of the 2026–2030 medium-term investment cycle. However, thanks to decisive guidance from both central and local authorities, there have been positive shifts that lay an important foundation for the coming months.

Regarding specific results, 36 agencies and project owners achieved or exceeded their set progress targets, helping to pull up the city’s overall disbursement rate.

At the same time, the city has essentially completed the handover and transfer of 3,195 projects following a reorganization of the project management system, ensuring that work continues without interruption. Preparation for new projects is also being fast-tracked to increase implementation volume and disbursement in the following quarters, particularly during the second half of the year.

It is noted that since 2026 is the first year of the 2026–2030 medium-term plan, many projects are still in the preparatory phase, which limited the volume of work accepted and paid for in the first quarter.

Furthermore, persistent obstacles such as site clearance, technical infrastructure issues, legal hurdles, contract disputes, fluctuating material prices, and the lack of standardized unit prices for night-time construction continue to affect progress.

Additionally, a review of 46 major projects (each with an assigned budget of VND500 billion ($19 million) showed they account for VND77.855 trillion ($2.96 billion) - representing 60% of the city’s total allocated capital. Most of these projects currently show low disbursement because spending is concentrated in the last six months of the year, following the completion of procedures and official groundbreaking.

Regarding the medium-term investment plan for 2026–2030, the city has proactively coordinated with the Ministry of Finance and central agencies to determine budget balancing capabilities.

Total mobilizable capital is estimated at approximately VND1.145 quadrillion  ($43.5 billion) from both central and local budgets. Based on this, the city has reviewed and developed a list of key projects in sectors such as transportation, urban rail (metro), education, healthcare, science and technology, and social welfare to meet socio-economic development goals for the new period.