Deputy Nguyen Van Tuyet from northern Yen Bai province complained about the number of construction projects without licenses from authorised agencies.

Minister Quan acknowledged that the number of licensed construction projects has increased considerably in recent times, citing Hanoi as an example. He said licensed construction projects in Hanoi increased to 67 percent in 2006 from 38 percent in the previous year. However, about 30 percent of the projects were unlicensed, said Mr Quan, adding that the construction sector has set a target of further reducing this figure in 2007.

Deputy Nguyen Minh Thuyet from northern border Lang Son province asked Minister Quan to explain the ministry’s views on wrongly built projects in big cities and its solutions.

Mr Quan said any construction projects must match the approved planning, and his ministry is putting final touches on urban planning schemes for submission to the Government.

According to Mr Quan, owners of big buildings will be fined up to VND70 million if they violate articles included in the license. However, VND70 million is a small figure for them and many owners do not care about it. In addition, the Construction Law requires owners to restore the project to the planning specification and compensate any damages. The crux of the matter is that the building is not only the private property of that owner, but it violates the common architectural space. Therefore, demolition of the project needs close supervision by the concerned parties. 

Deputy Truong Chi Huu from southern Dong Nai province said one of the causes leading to the current situation is that it takes too long to get construction licenses from authorised agencies. He proposed that construction licenses be granted within a week instead of a month.

Deputy Dang Van Xuong from southern Long An province asked Minister Quan to clarify his ministry’s responsibility for restoring order in construction work. He questioned the minister on the poor planning work and the low quality of construction projects.

In reply, Minister Quan admitted shortcomings in the planning work in urban areas, saying the work is related to urban architecture and designs. He said the Ministry of Construction has devised programmes to overcome the situation and asked local administrations to strictly follow the ministry’s instructions. He said Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City divided their Department of Construction and Architecture into two agencies to improve their capacity.

Regarding the management and use of State-owned villas in big cities, which raised public concerns in recent times, Mr Quan said “the sale of these villas should be made according to legal procedures and we should not think of their value.”