Accelerating progress on a project-by-project basis

As of September 30, 2026, public investment disbursement had reached nearly 643 trillion VND, equivalent to 62.9% of the plan assigned by the Prime Minister. Compared with the same period in 2025, the disbursement rate was 12.9 percentage points higher, while the absolute value increased by more than 202.5 trillion VND.

In September alone, the disbursement rate was 1.58 times that of August. Excluding the 5% of the local budget-funded public investment plan set aside for savings and provisionally earmarked for investment in the Lao Cai-Ha Noi-Hai Phong railway line, the disbursement rate as of the end of September reached 64.8% of the plan assigned by the Prime Minister.

These figures show that disbursement accelerated as the fourth quarter began. They also reflect the ongoing efforts to urge progress and resolve difficulties since the beginning of the year.

The Government and the Prime Minister have identified public investment disbursement as one of the key tasks linked to the growth target. At Government meetings, conferences with localities, and through numerous resolutions and official dispatches, project implementation progress has been regularly reviewed, particularly for major projects and those facing significant obstacles.

Under Resolution No. 262/NQ-CP dated September 5, 2026, the Government called for accelerated public investment disbursement, strict compliance with regulations on advances and the recovery of advances, and measures to prevent disbursement volumes from accumulating in the final months of the year. Stalled projects whose obstacles have been resolved must also be expedited so that they can be put into operation and brought into use.

The current priority is to address specific difficulties affecting individual projects. Transport infrastructure, science and technology, and energy projects are being reviewed as a priority. Obstacles in contractor selection are also being addressed through amendments and supplements to relevant regulations to simplify procedures and facilitate the implementation of bidding packages.

For major transport projects, the Prime Minister has issued numerous official dispatches calling for accelerated progress on expressway routes in the south-eastern and south-western regions and the northern region. In September, Government leaders continued to conduct on-site inspections and hold working sessions at several key projects to resolve outstanding issues.

Following the general directives, central ministries and agencies and local authorities are examining the progress of individual projects in greater depth. Working groups continue to conduct inspections and urge progress, while delayed projects are required to clearly identify the causes, responsibilities and remedial measures.

Capital management arrangements are also being adjusted in line with actual progress. The Ministry of Finance is reviewing capital requirements and prioritising strategic and inter-regional infrastructure projects with substantial disbursement capacity. At the same time, it is considering adjustments to plans for capital that has not yet been allocated in detail or has a low likelihood of being utilised, so that it can be redirected to areas with greater needs and implementation capacity.

For delayed key transport projects, the Ministry of Finance is coordinating with the Ministry of Construction to conduct direct reviews with ministries, local authorities, project owners and relevant units, focusing on identifying the causes of delays, difficulties and solutions to accelerate progress.

Disbursement progress by central ministries and agencies and local authorities is also being disclosed periodically. This enables the performance of each unit to be monitored more closely and provides a basis for promptly urging those falling behind to catch up.

By the end of September, six central ministries and agencies and 19 localities had achieved disbursement rates above the national average. Some localities recorded large disbursement volumes, including Ha Noi at 115.5 trillion VND, Ho Chi Minh City at 104.2 trillion VND, and Hai Phong at 30.8 trillion VND. Among central-level bodies, the Ministry of National Defence recorded 34.3 trillion VND, while the Ministry of Public Security recorded 32.3 trillion VND.

Results still vary among units. This shows that, alongside general mechanisms and policies, the capacity to organise implementation and the level of initiative demonstrated by each ministry, sector and locality play important roles in determining disbursement progress.

This is also why progress monitoring is being made more specific through the introduction of a disbursement scoring system.

Official disbursement scoring to begin in October

Following three months of trial scoring, the scoring of central ministries and agencies and local authorities for their implementation of public investment capital disbursement plans will officially be applied from the October 2026 reporting period.

According to Nguyen Thi Que Huong, Deputy Director of the Department of Investment and Infrastructure Development under the Ministry of Finance, the scoring is being carried out in accordance with Decision No. 1129/QD-TTg dated June 24, 2026, issued by the Prime Minister. July, August and September were designated as the trial period to finalise the methodology and system, ensuring that assessment results are transparent and objective.

One notable feature is that scoring is conducted automatically through the system, without manual intervention from external parties. Results are determined on the basis of disbursement data and registered disbursement plan figures updated on the system by central ministries and agencies and local authorities.

Under the scoring methodology, performance is assessed against specific criteria, including the disbursement rate and the degree to which the amount of capital registered for disbursement during the month has been fulfilled. This enables the implementation progress of each unit to be monitored more closely.

In preparation for official implementation, the Ministry of Finance has issued guidance to ministries, sectors and localities on the scoring methodology and assessment procedures.

The Ministry of Finance conducted a trial assessment of July's results and announced them to central ministries and agencies and local authorities. It also organised a nationwide training conference attended by units directly responsible for reporting, in order to standardise implementation.

According to Nguyen Thi Que Huong, consultations and training have generated considerable agreement on the proposed methodology. Feedback has also focused on refining certain technical operations within the system to ensure that scoring results are transparent, objective and accurate.

In its report to the Government for the regular Government meeting in September, the Ministry of Finance provided an update on the scoring process. Accordingly, official scoring will begin with the report on the disbursement situation for the first ten months of 2026.

“Monthly and quarterly disbursement scoring is a tool for urging and monitoring progress. It also helps ministries, sectors and localities clearly identify the results of their own leadership and management so that they can promptly introduce measures to accelerate disbursement,” Nguyen Thi Que Huong said.

According to the Ministry of Finance, monthly and quarterly scoring results will be used to commend units performing well, while also prompting, reminding and warning those whose performance is unsatisfactory. Annual scoring results will also constitute one of the criteria for assessing the effectiveness of public investment and will be used by central ministries and agencies and local authorities to develop criteria for evaluating and classifying the quality of collective bodies and individuals.

Under Decision No. 1129/QD-TTg, scoring results are divided into four levels: very good disbursement, good disbursement, average disbursement and unsatisfactory disbursement. Annual scoring will be conducted after the end of the disbursement period for the year's capital plan.

Dr Nguyen Minh Thao, Head of the Enterprise Development and Business Environment Department at the Institute of Financial and Economic Strategy and Policy, said that, alongside continued institutional improvements, local authorities needed to take greater initiative in resolving difficulties.

Differences in progress among localities in practice show that the capacity to organise implementation at the grassroots level plays an important role. According to Dr Nguyen Minh Thao, disbursement scoring and the assignment of growth targets linked to the accountability of heads of agencies would create additional positive pressure on local authorities to accelerate progress.

The results for the first nine months provide a favourable starting point for the final stretch of the year, but a substantial amount of work remains. Obstacles relating to site clearance, construction materials, construction organisation, acceptance inspections and payments still need to be addressed on a project-by-project basis.

The requirement, therefore, is not simply to disburse capital quickly. Disbursement must be based on completed work volumes, directed to the correct projects and ensure effective use of funds.

According to Dr Nguyen Minh Thao, the objective should not be limited to fully disbursing the allocated plan. It should also involve selecting the right projects, implementing them on schedule and generating spillover effects that attract private investment and foreign direct investment (FDI), while enhancing national competitiveness.

With the results achieved after nine months, public investment is entering the final, decisive phase of the year. As progress on individual projects comes under closer scrutiny and implementation performance is assessed through a specific scoring system, the key task for the remaining months is to resolve bottlenecks at each construction site quickly, enabling capital to be converted into actual completed work and projects to be brought into operation.