A breakthrough in institutional reform

On January 13, 2026, the Government issued Decree No. 14/2026/ND-CP, amending and supplementing a number of articles of 26 decrees related to production and business activities under the management of the Ministry of Construction. This is regarded as a decisive step in efforts to remove administrative barriers that are no longer appropriate.

Accordingly, the new Decree focuses on shortening the time required to process procedures, shifting from paper-based dossiers to electronic versions, and diversifying methods of dossier submission. A notable highlight is the strong change in management thinking through the abolition of many unnecessary investment and business conditions.

For example, in the field of international maritime transport, requirements relating to vessels, organisational structure and human resources have been removed, leaving enterprises only required to comply with general establishment regulations and to have financial guarantees or shipowner liability insurance.

Decentralisation and delegation of authority have also been strongly promoted in order to enhance the proactiveness of local authorities. Many procedures that were previously under the authority of the Ministry of Construction or the Viet Nam Maritime Administration—such as the issuance of licences for importing maritime signal flares or decisions permitting ship dismantling facilities to commence operations—have now been delegated to provincial-level People’s Committees. Processing times for a number of procedures have also been significantly reduced, for example the licensing procedure for importing maritime signal flares has been cut from 12 days to 9 working days.

Optimising management in the fields of vehicle inspection and aviation

In line with the Government’s reform roadmap, on December 31, 2025, the Ministry of Construction issued Circular No. 71/2025/TT-BXD, focusing on amending regulations in the fields of vehicle inspection, civil aviation and specialised inspection.

In the aviation sector, the new Circular clearly stipulates requirements regarding qualifications and competencies for personnel ensuring flight operations. Notably, the time limit for appraisal and issuance of licences for air navigation services (ANS) facilities is specifically set at 8 days from the date of receipt of complete dossiers, helping enterprises become more proactive in their operational planning.

For the vehicle inspection sector, the new regulations have updated strong digital transformation trends. Documents related to vehicle registration are now accepted in various forms, such as certified electronic copies of originals or information integrated into level-2 electronic identification accounts. Procedures for inspecting motor vehicles and specialised motorcycles have also been simplified, with the time for returning results reduced to 4 working hours for cases involving re-issuance of certificates due to incorrect information or re-issuance due to loss or damage.

Towards transparency and efficiency

The new regulations do not merely focus on cutting procedures but also place emphasis on improving the quality of specialised activities. For construction specialised testing organisations, capacity requirements have been standardised in accordance with the national standard TCVN ISO/IEC 17025:2017, while clearly stipulating the professional qualifications of direct managers and testing technicians.

The simultaneous issuance of these documents once again affirms the determination of the Party and the State to build a service-oriented, modern and transparent administration. Circular No. 71/2025/TT-BXD officially took effect on December 31, 2025, and is expected to generate positive changes, reduce cost and time burdens for the business community, and contribute to promoting sustainable economic growth in the new period.